Illinois Loses Most Jobs in the Nation
In a trend that continues to worsen, more Illinoisans found themselves unemployed in the month of
July.

Illinois lost more jobs during the month of July than any other state in the nation, according to the most
recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report. After losing 7,200 jobs in June, Illinois lost an additional 24,900
non-farm payroll jobs in July.1 The report also said Illinois’s unemployment rate climbed to 9.5 percent.
This marks the third consecutive month of increases in the unemployment rate.

Illinois started to create jobs as the national economy began to recover. But just when Illinois’s economy
seemed to be turning around, lawmakers passed record tax increases in January of this year. Since then,
Illinois’s employment numbers have done nothing but decline.

Data released today by the bureau confirms this downward trajectory.