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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Geographic Information > Midwest > Table

Midwest Economy - Labor Force Statistics

 
Civilian labor force in the Midwest, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
Area

(Links provide news releases)		 Back
data		 Dec
2024		 Oct
2025		 Nov
2025		 Dec
2025		 Dec 2024 to
Dec 2025
Net
change		 Percent
change

United States

 168,506 (1)- 171,541 171,495 2,989 1.8

Midwest

 35,856.9 (1)- 35,836.1 35,850.1 -6.8 0.0

Illinois

 6,654.3 (1)- 6,548.5 (p)6,545.4 (p)-108.9 (p)-1.6

Indiana

 3,480.7 (1)- 3,496.7 (p)3,495.3 (p)14.6 (p)0.4

Iowa

 1,717.7 (1)- 1,745.5 (p)1,750.1 (p)32.4 (p)1.9

Kansas

 1,554.7 (1)- 1,568.4 (p)1,572.6 (p)17.9 (p)1.2

Michigan

 5,080.2 (1)- 5,041.6 (p)5,033.4 (p)-46.8 (p)-0.9

Minnesota

 3,138.6 (1)- 3,167.9 (p)3,170.1 (p)31.5 (p)1.0

Missouri

 3,137.6 (1)- 3,192.9 (p)3,200.9 (p)63.3 (p)2.0

Nebraska

 1,073.4 (1)- 1,096.6 (p)1,099.3 (p)25.9 (p)2.4

North Dakota

 427.8 (1)- 431.8 (p)432.6 (p)4.8 (p)1.1

Ohio

 5,917.5 (1)- 5,938.6 (p)5,940.0 (p)22.6 (p)0.4

South Dakota

 490.7 (1)- 492.2 (p)492.6 (p)1.9 (p)0.4

Wisconsin

 3,185.4 (1)- 3,116.6 (p)3,118.7 (p)-66.7 (p)-2.1

Footnotes
(1) Data unavailable due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.
(p) Preliminary

Source: Local Area Unemployment Statistics
The State and regional data above are a product of the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program, a Federal-State cooperative program in which total employment and unemployment are measured for approximately 7,200 areas.
 
Unemployed in the Midwest, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
Area

(Links provide news releases)		 Back
data		 Dec
2024		 Oct
2025		 Nov
2025		 Dec
2025		 Dec 2024 to
Dec 2025
Net
change		 Percent
change

United States

 6,920 (1)- 7,781 7,503 583 8.4

Midwest

 1,480.6 (1)- 1,463.1 1,473.6 -7.0 -0.5

Illinois

 328.4 (1)- 288.5 (p)301.8 (p)-26.6 (p)-8.1

Indiana

 154.6 (1)- 128.2 (p)123.9 (p)-30.7 (p)-19.9

Iowa

 56.3 (1)- 61.8 (p)61.4 (p)5.0 (p)8.9

Kansas

 59.1 (1)- 59.3 (p)59.7 (p)0.7 (p)1.1

Michigan

 262.1 (1)- 252.0 (p)252.0 (p)-10.1 (p)-3.9

Minnesota

 93.5 (1)- 126.0 (p)131.5 (p)38.0 (p)40.7

Missouri

 114.0 (1)- 128.9 (p)126.4 (p)12.4 (p)10.9

Nebraska

 30.8 (1)- 32.4 (p)33.1 (p)2.3 (p)7.4

North Dakota

 10.9 (1)- 11.3 (p)11.4 (p)0.5 (p)4.8

Ohio

 264.8 (1)- 269.6 (p)264.5 (p)-0.3 (p)-0.1

South Dakota

 9.1 (1)- 10.2 (p)10.6 (p)1.5 (p)16.1

Wisconsin

 98.7 (1)- 95.1 (p)97.6 (p)-1.1 (p)-1.1

Footnotes
(1) Data unavailable due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.
(p) Preliminary

Source: Local Area Unemployment Statistics
The State and regional data above are a product of the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program, a Federal-State cooperative program in which total employment and unemployment are measured for approximately 7,200 areas.
 
Unemployment rates in the Midwest, seasonally adjusted (in percent)
Area

(Links provide news releases)		 Back
data		 Dec
2024		 Oct
2025		 Nov
2025		 Dec
2025		 Net change
Dec 2024 to
Dec 2025

United States

 4.1 (1)- 4.5 4.4 0.3

Midwest

 4.1 (1)- 4.1 4.1 0.0

Illinois

 4.9 (1)- 4.4 (p)4.6 (p)-0.3

Indiana

 4.4 (1)- 3.7 (p)3.5 (p)-0.9

Iowa

 3.3 (1)- 3.5 (p)3.5 (p)0.2

Kansas

 3.8 (1)- 3.8 (p)3.8 (p)0.0

Michigan

 5.2 (1)- 5.0 (p)5.0 (p)-0.2

Minnesota

 3.0 (1)- 4.0 (p)4.1 (p)1.1

Missouri

 3.6 (1)- 4.0 (p)3.9 (p)0.3

Nebraska

 2.9 (1)- 3.0 (p)3.0 (p)0.1

North Dakota

 2.5 (1)- 2.6 (p)2.6 (p)0.1

Ohio

 4.5 (1)- 4.5 (p)4.5 (p)0.0

South Dakota

 1.9 (1)- 2.1 (p)2.2 (p)0.3

Wisconsin

 3.1 (1)- 3.1 (p)3.1 (p)0.0

Footnotes
(1) Data unavailable due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.
(p) Preliminary

Source: Local Area Unemployment Statistics
The State and regional data above are a product of the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program, a Federal-State cooperative program in which total employment and unemployment are measured for approximately 7,200 areas.
 
Unemployment rates in Midwest states by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), not seasonally adjusted (in percent)
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

(news release)
 Back
data		 Dec
2024		 Oct
2025		 Nov
2025		 Dec
2025		 Net change
Dec 2024 to
Dec 2025

Illinois

Bloomington

 3.4 (1)- (p)4.0    

Cape Girardeau, MO-IL

 2.9 (1)- (p)3.2    

Champaign-Urbana

 3.3 (1)- (p)4.2    

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

 4.5 (1)- (p)4.5    

Chicago-Naperville-Schaumburg, IL(2)

 4.4 (1)- 4.5 (p)4.4 (p)0.0

Elgin

 4.3 (1)- (p)4.5    

Lake County, IL(2)

 4.5 (1)- (p)4.6    

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL

 4.4 (1)- (p)4.5    

Decatur

 5.2 (1)- (p)6.0    

Kankakee

 5.0 (1)- (p)5.7    

Peoria

 4.5 (1)- (p)4.8    

Rockford

 4.8 (1)- (p)5.3    

St Louis, MO-IL

 3.3 (1)- (p)3.6    

Springfield

 3.8 (1)- (p)4.3    

Indiana

Bloomington

 3.4 (1)- (p)2.9    

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

 4.5 (1)- (p)4.5    

Lake County-Porter County-Jasper County(2)

 5.4 (1)- (p)4.1    

Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN

 4.1 (1)- (p)3.8    

Columbus

 3.9 (1)- (p)3.1    

Elkhart-Goshen

 4.4 (1)- (p)3.3    

Evansville, IN

 3.6 (1)- (p)3.2    

Fort Wayne

 3.7 (1)- (p)3.1    

Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood

 3.7 (1)- (p)3.1    

Kokomo

 7.3 (1)- (p)4.7    

Lafayette-West Lafayette

 3.5 (1)- (p)2.9    

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN

 4.4 (1)- (p)4.0    

Michigan City-LaPorte

 4.7 (1)- (p)3.6    

Muncie

 4.3 (1)- (p)3.5    

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI

 4.7 (1)- (p)3.7    

Terre Haute

 4.2 (1)- (p)3.5    

Iowa

Ames

 2.2 (1)- (p)2.5    

Cedar Rapids

 3.2 (1)- (p)3.4    

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL

 4.4 (1)- (p)4.5    

Des Moines-West Des Moines

 3.0 (1)- (p)3.2    

Dubuque

 3.4 (1)- (p)2.9    

Iowa City

 2.2 (1)- (p)2.4    

Omaha, NE-IA

 2.8 (1)- (p)3.1    

Sioux City, IA-NE-SD

 3.0 (1)- (p)3.1    

Waterloo-Cedar Falls

 3.5 (1)- (p)3.5    

Kansas

Kansas City, MO-KS

 3.2 (1)- (p)3.7    

Lawrence

 2.8 (1)- (p)2.9    

Manhattan

 3.0 (1)- (p)3.0    

Topeka

 3.3 (1)- (p)3.4    

St. Joseph, MO-KS

 3.2 (1)- (p)3.4    

Wichita

 3.7 (1)- (p)3.4    

Michigan

Ann Arbor

 3.9 (1)- (p)4.0    

Battle Creek

 5.7 (1)- (p)5.1    

Bay City

 5.9 (1)- (p)5.2    

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

 4.7 (1)- 5.1 (p)4.7 (p)0.0

Detroit-Dearborn-Livonia(2)

 5.5 (1)- (p)6.2    

Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills(2)

 4.2 (1)- (p)4.5    

Flint

 6.1 (1)- (p)5.6    

Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood

 4.3 (1)- (p)4.0    

Jackson

 5.3 (1)- (p)4.7    

Kalamazoo-Portage

 4.5 (1)- (p)4.2    

Lansing-East Lansing

 4.5 (1)- (p)4.2    

Midland

 4.8 (1)- (p)4.4    

Monroe

 5.3 (1)- (p)5.0    

Muskegon-Norton Shores

 5.8 (1)- (p)5.1    

Niles

 5.6 (1)- (p)4.7    

Saginaw

 6.3 (1)- (p)5.6    

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI

 4.7 (1)- (p)3.7    

Traverse City

 4.9 (1)- (p)4.0    

Minnesota

Duluth, MN-WI

 3.2 (1)- (p)4.5    

Fargo, ND-MN

 2.3 (1)- (p)2.5    

Grand Forks, ND-MN

 2.3 (1)- (p)2.5    

La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN

 2.5 (1)- (p)2.4    

Mankato

 2.2 (1)- (p)2.9    

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

 2.4 (1)- (p)3.7    

Rochester

 2.2 (1)- (p)2.9    

St. Cloud

 3.0 (1)- (p)3.8    

Missouri

Cape Girardeau, MO-IL

 2.9 (1)- (p)3.2    

Columbia

 2.5 (1)- (p)2.9    

Jefferson City

 2.6 (1)- (p)2.7    

Joplin, MO-KS

 3.1 (1)- (p)3.3    

Kansas City, MO-KS

 3.2 (1)- (p)3.7    

Springfield

 2.9 (1)- (p)3.1    

St. Joseph

 3.2 (1)- (p)3.4    

St. Louis, MO-IL

 3.3 (1)- (p)3.6    

Nebraska

Grand Island

 2.9 (1)- (p)3.0    

Lincoln

 2.4 (1)- (p)2.9    

Omaha, NE-IA

 2.8 (1)- (p)3.1    

Sioux City, IA-NE-SD

 3.0 (1)- (p)3.1    

North Dakota

Bismarck

 2.4 (1)- (p)2.2    

Fargo, ND-MN

 2.3 (1)- (p)2.5    

Grand Forks, ND-MN

 2.3 (1)- (p)2.5    

Minot

 2.5 (1)- (p)2.4    

Ohio

Akron

 4.6 (1)- (p)4.1    

Canton-Massillon

 4.6 (1)- (p)4.1    

Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN

 4.1 (1)- (p)3.8    

Cleveland

 3.3 (1)- 3.2 (p)3.4 (p)0.1

Columbus

 3.9 (1)- (p)3.6    

Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek

 4.4 (1)- (p)4.1    

Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH

 4.7 (1)- (p)4.7    

Lima

 4.4 (1)- (p)4.3    

Mansfield

 5.1 (1)- (p)4.6    

Sandusky

 6.1 (1)- (p)5.0    

Springfield

 4.7 (1)- (p)4.4    

Toledo

 5.4 (1)- (p)4.4    

Wheeling, WV-OH

 4.3 (1)- (p)4.4    

Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH

 5.2 (1)- (p)5.1    

Youngstown-Warren, OH

 5.1 (1)- (p)4.6    

South Dakota

Rapid City

 1.8 (1)- (p)2.1    

Sioux City, IA-NE-SD

 3.0 (1)- (p)3.1    

Sioux Falls, SD-MN

 1.8 (1)- (p)2.0    

Wisconsin

Appleton

 2.4 (1)- (p)2.3    

Duluth, MN-WI

 3.2 (1)- (p)4.5    

Eau Claire

 3.0 (1)- (p)2.5    

Fond du Lac

 2.6 (1)- (p)2.4    

Green Bay

 2.5 (1)- (p)2.4    

Janesville-Beloit

 3.0 (1)- (p)2.8    

La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN

 2.5 (1)- (p)2.4    

Madison

 2.2 (1)- (p)2.2    

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI

 3.0 (1)- (p)3.0    

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

 2.4 (1)- (p)3.7    

Oshkosh-Neenah

 2.5 (1)- (p)2.5    

Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI

 3.2 (1)- (p)3.2    

Sheboygan

 2.3 (1)- (p)2.4    

Wausau

 2.4 (1)- (p)2.3    

Footnotes
(1) Data unavailable due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.
(2) Metropolitan Division
(p) Preliminary

Source: Local Area Unemployment Statistics
The State and regional data above are a product of the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program, a Federal-State cooperative program in which total employment and unemployment are measured for approximately 7,200 areas.
 
Nonfarm wage and salary employment in Midwest States, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
Area

(news release)		 Back
data		 Dec
2024		 Oct
2025		 Nov
2025		 Dec
2025		 Dec 2024 to
Dec 2025
Net
change		 Percent
change

United States

 158,942 159,420 (p)159,476 (p)159,526 (p)584 (p)0.4

Illinois

 6,161.0 6,155.3 6,147.5 (p)6,159.3 (p)-1.7 (p)0.0

Indiana

 3,270.2 3,290.3 3,286.0 (p)3,278.3 (p)8.1 (p)0.2

Iowa

 1,592.8 1,595.2 1,598.8 (p)1,595.5 (p)2.7 (p)0.2

Kansas

 1,458.9 1,458.9 1,462.0 (p)1,457.5 (p)-1.4 (p)-0.1

Michigan

 4,509.5 4,536.3 4,538.2 (p)4,543.3 (p)33.8 (p)0.7

Minnesota

 3,034.4 3,065.2 3,068.5 (p)3,068.5 (p)34.1 (p)1.1

Missouri

 3,000.0 3,048.8 3,052.0 (p)3,052.8 (p)52.8 (p)1.8

Nebraska

 1,060.3 1,058.5 1,058.0 (p)1,055.3 (p)-5.0 (p)-0.5

North Dakota

 449.2 448.9 449.8 (p)449.0 (p)-0.2 (p)0.0

Ohio

 5,654.6 5,702.2 5,705.4 (p)5,708.9 (p)54.3 (p)1.0

South Dakota

 470.5 474.7 473.5 (p)473.1 (p)2.6 (p)0.6

Wisconsin

 3,047.6 3,045.5 3,045.3 (p)3,054.3 (p)6.7 (p)0.2

Footnotes
(p) Preliminary

Source: Current Employment Statistics - National - State and Metropolitan Area
The Current Employment Statistics (CES) Survey is a monthly survey of business establishments which provides estimates of employment, hours, and earnings data by industry for the nation as a whole, all States, and most major metropolitan areas since 1939. The CES survey is a Federal-State cooperative program in which State employment security agencies prepare the data using concepts, definitions, and technical procedures prescribed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.