WalletHub Ranks Illinois 33rd for Employment
A WalletHub report released October 28 places Illinois 33rd among states for employment, with Missouri ranked 14th.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Employment
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WalletHub's October 28 report, "Best & Worst States for Jobs," ranked Illinois 33rd among states for employment. Missouri, its neighbor, placed 14th in the same ranking.
Why it matters
The ranking draws on job market and economic environment metrics, and Illinois scored weakly on job opportunities and unemployment. For Illinois residents, the results highlight a gap between the state's economic environment and its employment conditions.
Illinois ranked 47th for both job opportunities and unemployment, and its unemployment rate was 4.6% in September compared with a national rate of 4.2%. The extraction does not say how these sub-rankings were weighted into the overall score.
The players
WalletHub
WalletHub is a personal finance website that publishes comparative rankings of states and cities on economic and consumer topics.
The details
WalletHub used metrics tied to the job market and economic environment to compare states, drawing on the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Indeed.com. Within that comparison, the St. Louis Missouri-Illinois metro area had an unemployment rate of 3.4%, lower than the state's overall figure.
Timeline
September: Illinois unemployment rate recorded at 4.6%.
October 28: WalletHub released its Best & Worst States for Jobs report.
December 2025: End of a period in which job openings declined in Illinois and nationwide, after starting in December 2021.
Market Landscape
Illinois' job openings declined from December 2021 through December 2025, mirroring a national trend over the same four years. The state's 33rd-place ranking reflects that broader pullback in hiring demand rather than an isolated local problem.
Job seekers in Illinois face weaker opportunities and higher unemployment than in many other states, which affects hiring prospects. Residents comparing options across the border may find Missouri's ranking relevant when considering where to look for work.
The takeaway
Job seekers in Illinois can compare local unemployment rates against metro-level figures, since the St. Louis area's 3.4% rate sits well below the state's 4.6%. Checking regional data may reveal better local conditions than statewide rankings suggest.
Further reading
For more on state labor conditions, see Employment coverage on Wisevoter.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Belleville News-Democrat.
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