Which counties in Illinois are adding jobs fastest?

Pope County (+34.8%), Effingham County (+20.5%) and Will County (+16.3%) added private-sector jobs fastest in Illinois between 2018 and 2023.

Data as of 2023 · updated November 5, 2026

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All 102 ranked Illinois counties

Illinois counties ranked by private-sector job growth
Rank	County	Change 2018–23	Private jobs 2023	Residents
1	Pope County	+34.8%	430	3,672
2	Effingham County	+20.5%	32,183	34,519
3	Will County	+16.3%	267,545	712,253
4	Wayne County	+15.8%	3,561	15,882
5	Crawford County	+15.8%	6,707	18,648
6	Scott County	+13.5%	604	4,866
7	Brown County	+12.8%	3,834	6,401
8	Marshall County	+11.4%	2,900	11,473
9	Stark County	+10.3%	1,067	5,319
10	Jefferson County	+9.6%	19,260	36,147
11	Pike County	+9.2%	3,345	14,231
12	Kendall County	+8.0%	25,500	145,470
13	Jo Daviess County	+7.5%	6,609	21,594
14	Fulton County	+6.9%	6,400	32,901
15	Coles County	+6.8%	20,638	46,607
16	Stephenson County	+6.6%	15,626	43,220
17	Williamson County	+6.6%	26,291	67,225
18	DeKalb County	+6.1%	29,129	101,835
19	Perry County	+6.0%	4,302	20,160
20	Lake County	+6.0%	337,069	719,339
21	Alexander County	+5.4%	960	4,570
22	Montgomery County	+5.0%	7,538	28,076
23	Edgar County	+4.9%	6,798	16,323
24	Champaign County	+4.9%	73,261	209,972
25	White County	+4.9%	3,219	13,250
26	Tazewell County	+4.3%	43,738	130,049
27	Henderson County	+4.1%	704	5,984
28	Madison County	+4.0%	93,915	263,110
29	Franklin County	+3.8%	6,940	36,916
30	Cook County	+3.3%	2,492,328	5,194,625
31	Woodford County	+2.9%	8,503	38,111
32	Douglas County	+2.7%	6,850	19,880
33	DuPage County	+2.7%	595,691	934,298
34	McHenry County	+2.6%	87,684	317,751
35	Marion County	+2.4%	11,370	36,382
36	Moultrie County	+2.3%	5,029	14,371
37	Lee County	+2.2%	10,894	32,914
38	McLean County	+2.0%	75,617	171,419
39	Clinton County	+1.1%	9,075	37,128
40	Piatt County	+0.9%	2,535	16,791
41	Adams County	+0.9%	31,699	64,267
42	Cass County	+0.8%	4,319	12,463
43	Monroe County	+0.8%	8,455	34,840
44	Morgan County	+0.7%	12,835	32,515
45	Kane County	+0.5%	194,921	525,757
46	Whiteside County	+0.3%	17,838	54,121
47	Henry County	−0.2%	13,162	48,095
48	Fayette County	−0.3%	4,556	20,790
49	Jackson County	−0.5%	16,485	52,501
50	Rock Island County	−0.7%	64,307	141,869
51	McDonough County	−0.7%	8,590	25,916
52	Menard County	−0.8%	1,216	11,863
53	Grundy County	−1.0%	17,169	54,052
54	Richland County	−1.2%	5,377	15,219
55	Putnam County	−1.4%	1,267	5,619
56	Union County	−1.7%	3,489	16,656
57	Vermilion County	−2.1%	23,008	71,259
58	Johnson County	−2.3%	1,255	13,363
59	Winnebago County	−2.4%	117,137	283,674
60	Schuyler County	−2.4%	1,122	6,657
61	Kankakee County	−2.4%	35,392	105,525
62	Ford County	−2.7%	4,269	13,216
63	Livingston County	−3.0%	10,906	35,057
64	Edwards County	−3.2%	1,886	5,898
65	Randolph County	−3.3%	10,736	29,921
66	St. Clair County	−3.7%	72,871	250,708
67	Shelby County	−3.7%	4,312	20,576
68	Macon County	−4.1%	42,511	99,300
69	Ogle County	−4.4%	13,596	51,399
70	Sangamon County	−4.7%	80,005	194,170
71	Peoria County	−4.7%	103,153	178,553
72	Mercer County	−4.8%	2,200	15,229
73	Gallatin County	−5.6%	538	4,616
74	Washington County	−5.8%	6,274	13,564
75	Hamilton County	−6.0%	1,531	7,859
76	Iroquois County	−6.0%	5,568	26,150
77	Calhoun County	−7.0%	489	4,300
78	Hancock County	−7.2%	2,706	16,803
79	Bond County	−7.4%	3,669	16,959
80	Boone County	−7.6%	15,427	53,568
81	Jersey County	−7.8%	4,403	21,160
82	Hardin County	−7.9%	568	3,588
83	LaSalle County	−8.0%	33,721	107,773
84	Knox County	−8.0%	14,242	47,767
85	Macoupin County	−8.3%	7,626	43,748
86	Jasper County	−8.6%	1,494	9,032
87	Bureau County	−8.8%	9,051	32,510
88	Greene County	−9.1%	1,472	11,313
89	Clark County	−9.5%	3,487	15,114
90	Logan County	−9.5%	6,766	27,182
91	Clay County	−9.9%	4,623	12,793
92	Wabash County	−10.1%	2,660	10,907
93	Massac County	−10.1%	2,808	13,502
94	Christian County	−10.7%	7,410	33,443
95	Carroll County	−11.5%	3,011	15,419
96	Warren County	−13.2%	5,447	16,222
97	Mason County	−14.0%	1,974	12,411
98	De Witt County	−15.4%	3,973	15,118
99	Saline County	−16.0%	5,502	22,772
100	Lawrence County	−18.8%	2,737	13,790
101	Pulaski County	−23.4%	455	4,820
102	Cumberland County	−24.8%	1,788	10,208

How this is ranked

The change in paid employees of private employers in mid-March between 2018 and 2023 (Census Bureau County Business Patterns). Government jobs and the self-employed are not counted. Counties with fewer than 1,000 residents, or without a figure for the same period as the others, are not ranked.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns. Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how ranks and figures are built. More on every layer: data sources and licences.

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Questions

Which county in Illinois has the fastest job growth?

Pope County: +34.8%, ahead of Effingham County (+20.5%) and Will County (+16.3%), of 102 Illinois counties ranked.

How is this ranking calculated?

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Private-sector job growth in other states

Across the U.S.