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Unemployment rates, while significantly lower than the alarming pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, remain a subject of concern, notably as bandy around the idea of a by 2023. The last economic recession—the Great Recession of 2008-2010—sent rates up to 10% as of October 2009. It was that unemployment finally went down to the same level it sits at now.

As of October of this year, national unemployment is at 3.7%, 0.2% higher than in September. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate , ranging from just 2.0% in Minnesota, to 4.5% in Illinois and 4.7% in the District of Columbia. Further breakdown by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows yet another county-based spectrum within each state.

To that end, compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rate in Illinois using data from the . Counties are ranked by unemployment rate in September 2022.