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The 10 Hottest Job Markets In Illinois For 2020

By Kathy Morris
Jan. 8, 2020

Find a Job You Really Want In

Anticipating a job hunt in 2020?

If so, you might be nervous about the state of your local job market or curious how it stacks up to rival cities. Cities in the same state can have dramatically different job markets. Job hunting in one part of the state can be a piece of cake, while in another city it can be a herculean task to just land an interview.

Here at Zippia, we love math (and jobs!), so we delved into the data to determine where in 2020 it was easiest to find a job in Illinois.

Here are the ten hottest job markets in Illinois.

The 10 Hottest Job Markets In Illinois

  1. Libertyville village
  2. Northbrook village
  3. Western Springs village
  4. Campton Hills village
  5. Wilmette village
  6. River Forest village
  7. Elmhurst
  8. Hinsdale village
  9. Roscoe village
  10. St. Charles

There you have it, folks- the ten cities where it was easiest to get a job in Illinois. Keep reading for a more detailed breakdown of how we reached these results. Your city not in the top 10? Keep scrolling to see where it landed on the full list.

How we determined the best job markets in Illinois

We used the most recent Census American Community Survey to pull data for the main Illinois metro areas. We only looked at cities with a working civilian population above 5,000.

While unemployment rate can tell you a lot about the local job market, it is simply one metric and job markets are complex entities. We opted to take a more in-depth look at the best job market in Illinois.

Each metro-area was ranked 1-to-213 in four categories:

  • Unemployment Rate
  • Change In Unemployment Rate
  • Household Income Change
  • Current Average Household Income

The lower the score in each category the better. For example, the Chatham village area had the lowest unemployment rate at 1.9%, earning it the #1 spot for unemployment rate. The four ranked categories were then averaged together to produce our final list. The final list ranks the 213 metro areas from 1-to-213. Once again, the lower the score, the stronger the job market.

1. Libertyville village

Source: Public Domain

Unemployment Rate: 3.32%
Average Income: $174,644

2. Northbrook village

Source: Public Domain

Unemployment Rate: 2.77%
Average Income: $171,908

3. Western Springs village

Source: Public Domain

Unemployment Rate: 2.45%
Average Income: $211,626

4. Campton Hills village

Source: Public Domain

Unemployment Rate: 3.53%
Average Income: $188,251

5. Wilmette village

Source: Public Domain

Unemployment Rate: 4.42%
Average Income: $232,780

6. River Forest village

Source: Public Domain

Unemployment Rate: 2.29%
Average Income: $222,859

7. Elmhurst

Elmhurst, IL

Source: Public domain

Unemployment Rate: 4.09%
Average Income: $157,470

8. Hinsdale village

Source: Public Domain

Unemployment Rate: 3.17%
Average Income: $281,855

9. Roscoe village

Source: Public Domain

Unemployment Rate: 4.26%
Average Income: $98,159

10. St. Charles

St. Charles, IL

Source: Wikipedia User Keybdn at Engli | GFDL

Unemployment Rate: 3.51%
Average Income: $123,308

MEASURING THE BEST JOB MARKETS In Illinois

You might be reading this and thinking, ‘Hey, I live in Chatham village and have been unemployed for months- this can’t be right!’ That’s entirely possible.

While Chatham village and the surrounding metro area have the hottest job market in Illinois, personal finances can be, well, personal. Education, work experience, and occupation all play a big role in securing a job. However, overall, job seekers in Chatham village will have an easier time than those in cities near the bottom of the list.

Detailed List Of The Hottest Job Markets In Illinois

Rank Place Unemployment Rate Average Income
1 Libertyville Village 3.32% $174,644
2 Northbrook Village 2.77% $171,908
3 Western Springs Village 2.45% $211,626
4 Campton Hills Village 3.53% $188,251
5 Wilmette Village 4.42% $232,780
6 River Forest Village 2.29% $222,859
7 Elmhurst 4.09% $157,470
8 Hinsdale Village 3.17% $281,855
9 Roscoe Village 4.26% $98,159
10 St. Charles 3.51% $123,308
11 Park Ridge 3.13% $140,124
12 Prospect Heights 2.48% $96,581
13 Crystal Lake 4.03% $104,216
14 Morton Grove Village 3.86% $100,584
15 Buffalo Grove Village 4.19% $139,396
16 Glenview Village 3.55% $163,774
17 Bartlett Village 4.14% $116,985
18 Lemont Village 3.71% $123,763
19 Homer Glen Village 4.06% $120,581
20 Itasca Village 3.39% $112,577
21 Bloomingdale Village 4.37% $104,242
22 Lake Zurich Village 3.93% $134,878
23 New Lenox Village 5.26% $128,751
24 Mchenry 4.62% $88,293
25 Gurnee Village 4.82% $117,140
26 Naperville 4.46% $148,561
27 Mokena Village 3.67% $125,793
28 Vernon Hills Village 3.29% $128,936
29 Lindenhurst Village 6.83% $118,463
30 Geneva 3.6% $139,622
31 Cary Village 4.17% $115,916
32 La Grange Village 3.87% $161,214
33 Swansea Village 5.19% $101,074
34 Highland Park 3.9% $220,174
35 Columbia 3.66% $122,768
36 Mundelein Village 4.1% $108,393
37 Romeoville Village 4.79% $86,468
38 South Elgin Village 5.09% $113,350
39 Oswego Village 3.56% $118,264
40 Lake In The 3.01% $104,789
41 Lombard Village 4.09% $97,751
42 Evanston 4.15% $125,427
43 Algonquin Village 6.14% $121,704
44 Effingham 4.59% $68,688
45 Lisle Village 5.06% $114,676
46 Channahon Village 4.81% $103,732
47 Wheaton 3.96% $132,143
48 Batavia 5.26% $122,646
49 West Chicago 4.46% $93,869
50 Wheeling Village 3.66% $84,222
51 Wauconda Village 4.76% $99,935
52 Glen Ellyn Village 3.18% $155,104
53 Norridge Village 4.63% $84,422
54 Roselle Village 3.4% $101,371
55 Plainfield Village 4.21% $140,256
56 Grayslake Village 5.16% $108,888
57 Lincolnwood Village 5.86% $116,740
58 Oak Park Village 5.17% $127,789
59 Elk Grove Village 4.45% $95,144
60 Shorewood Village 3.36% $123,062
61 Downers Grove Village 4.68% $114,761
62 Brookfield Village 4.19% $97,924
63 Mount Prospect Village 4.25% $98,076
64 Elgin 6.26% $83,912
65 Darien 4.68% $118,149
66 Evergreen Park Village 3.87% $91,604
67 Aurora 5.83% $91,235
68 Sugar Grove Village 4.85% $130,209
69 Orland Park Village 3.51% $113,805
70 Wood Dale 6.76% $90,436
71 Carol Stream Village 5.53% $93,895
72 Winfield Village 2.31% $129,969
73 Skokie Village 5.52% $100,093
74 Westchester Village 4.59% $94,468
75 Arlington Heights Village 3.31% $117,036
76 Deerfield Village 2.9% $197,995
77 Bolingbrook Village 5.19% $101,564
78 Bourbonnais Village 3.4% $82,362
79 Palatine Village 3.9% $103,566
80 Frankfort Village 5.61% $151,469
81 Sycamore 4.42% $85,934
82 Lake Forest 4.91% $265,477
83 Schaumburg Village 3.79% $95,168
84 Shiloh Village 3.81% $115,810
85 Oak Forest 5.16% $87,791
86 Montgomery Village 5.14% $95,697
87 Round Lake Beach 5.3% $79,303
88 North Aurora Village 4.67% $108,529
89 Antioch Village 2.94% $101,466
90 Normal 2.62% $74,549
91 Plano 6.77% $73,118
92 Elmwood Park Village 6.17% $74,468
93 Des Plaines 4.81% $85,585
94 Lansing Village 11.09% $68,625
95 Morton Village 2.37% $99,058
96 Hoffman Estates Village 4.05% $109,862
97 Villa Park Village 3.83% $88,886
98 Chatham Village 1.89% $96,613
99 Hanover Park Village 6.41% $82,107
100 La Grange Park 4.05% $118,307
Never miss an opportunity that’s right for you.

Author

Kathy Morris

Kathy is the head of content at Zippia with a knack for engaging audiences. Prior to joining Zippia, Kathy worked at Gateway Blend growing audiences across diverse brands. She graduated from Troy University with a degree in Social Science Education.

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