The Illinois section of the St. Louis metropolitan area reported a 3.5% unemployment rate for June — setting a record low for the Metro East.
The unemployment rate decreased 1.3 percentage points from June 2024, when it stood at 4.8%, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
The news of the Metro East’s record comes as the rest of Illinois saw the unemployment rate drop. As a whole, Illinois’ rate now stands at 4.5%.
“Declines in unemployment across all metro areas, paired with sustained job growth in key regions, highlight Illinois’ resilient economy and the importance of ongoing investments in workforce developments,” said Deputy Gov. Andy Manar, a resident of Bunker Hill in Macoupin County, in a statement. “Illinois is dedicated to building an economy that delivers meaningful opportunities and prosperity to communities statewide.”
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All eight Illinois counties included in the St. Louis metropolitan area, and three others in southwest Illinois, saw unemployment rates decrease, according to BLS data. Clinton and Monroe counties have the lowest rate at 2.7%, while Calhoun County reported the highest at 3.9%.
Overall, the Metro East lost 300 nonfarm jobs since last year.
The retail, government, private education-health services, financial, mining, manufacturing and other services industries all added workers over the past year. Professional-business services, leisure-hospitality, transportation-warehousing and information sectors all lost employment since last June.
Missouri’s unemployment rate stood at 4% in June, and the entire St. Louis metropolitan area tallied a rate of 3.7% in May, the latest month provided by the bureau.
