These Are The 10 Worst Places In Illinois To Get A Job

10 Toughest Places in Illinois to Find a Job in 2026

Swipe left for slideshow. Article continues below.

At Zippia, we are dedicated to exploring the landscape of employment opportunities across the United States. As we transition into 2026, we have analyzed the job market in Illinois to identify the most challenging cities for job seekers.

After previously highlighting the best locations for employment in Illinois, we now focus on the cities where job hunting remains particularly tough. These areas have struggled to attract significant employment growth and access to quality job opportunities.

Based on data from the top 100 cities in Illinois, here are the ten most challenging cities to secure a job in the Prairie State:

Cicero
Joliet Township
Chicago
Joliet
Oak Lawn
Elgin
Thornton Township
Berwyn
Lockport Township
Decatur

Continue reading to discover how we derived these rankings.

For more insights on Illinois, check out:

How We Determined the Toughest Places for Jobs in the Prairie State

Our analysis included only cities in Illinois with populations exceeding 5,000, resulting in a focus on the largest 100 cities. We ranked each city based on several key metrics, with a ranking of 1 indicating the worst performance in each category.

The overall ranking was determined by averaging scores across all criteria, leading to the designation of “Worst City in Illinois to Find a Job.”

The criteria analyzed were:

1. Cicero

Population: 83,756
Recent Job Growth: 0.85%
Future Job Growth: 32.30%

2. Joliet Township

Population: 88,335
Recent Job Growth: 0.85%
Future Job Growth: 33.90%

3. Chicago

Population: 2,702,471
Recent Job Growth: 0.85%
Future Job Growth: 33.30%

4. Joliet

Population: 147,098
Recent Job Growth: 0.85%
Future Job Growth: 31.40%

5. Oak Lawn

Population: 56,524
Recent Job Growth: 0.84%
Future Job Growth: 33.90%

6. Elgin

Population: 109,513
Recent Job Growth: 0.85%
Future Job Growth: 32.80%

7. Thornton Township

Population: 169,592
Recent Job Growth: 0.85%
Future Job Growth: 34.00%

8. Berwyn

Population: 56,376
Recent Job Growth: 0.84%
Future Job Growth: 34.00%

9. Lockport Township

Population: 59,785
Recent Job Growth: 0.85%
Future Job Growth: 33.90%

10. Decatur

Population: 76,091
Recent Job Growth: 1.43%
Future Job Growth: 32.70%

Conclusion

After analyzing the data, Cicero emerged as the most challenging city in Illinois for job seekers. While the overall economy shows signs of improvement, these cities continue to face hurdles in providing ample job opportunities. It is hoped that as the job market evolves, these locations can enhance their employment prospects.

Detailed List of Toughest Places in Illinois to Secure Employment

City	Rank	Population	Recent Job Growth	Future Job Growth
Cicero	1	83,756	0.85%	32.30%
Joliet Township	2	88,335	0.85%	33.90%
Chicago	3	2,702,471	0.85%	33.30%
Joliet	4	147,098	0.85%	31.40%
Oak Lawn	5	56,524	0.84%	33.90%
Elgin	6	109,513	0.85%	32.80%
Thornton Township	7	169,592	0.85%	34.00%
Berwyn	8	56,376	0.84%	34.00%
Lockport Township	9	59,785	0.85%	33.90%
Decatur	10	76,091	1.43%	32.70%

Never miss an opportunity that’s right for you.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

Create Resume