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News Release Information

16-544-CHI
Thursday, April 14, 2016

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (312) 353-1138

Chicago Area Employment — February 2016

Employment Growth Below National Average

Total nonfarm employment for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. Metropolitan Statistical Area stood at 4,542,000 in February 2016, up 77,000, or 1.7 percent, over the year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. During the same period, the national job count increased 1.9 percent. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that the Chicago metropolitan area has had over-the-year employment increases each month since October 2010. (See chart 1 and table 1; the Technical Note at the end of this release contains metropolitan area definitions. All data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year analysis is used throughout.)

The Chicago metropolitan area is made up of four metropolitan divisions—separately identifiable employment centers within the larger metropolitan area. The Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metropolitan Division, which accounted for 80 percent of the area’s workforce, added 62,100 jobs from February a year ago. Employment in the Lake County-Kenosha County, Ill.-Wis. Metropolitan Division increased by 8,800, while employment in the Elgin Metropolitan Division and the Gary, Ind. Metropolitan Division grew by 4,500 and 1,600, respectively, over the year.

Industry employment

The largest over-the-year employment increase in the Chicago metropolitan area in February 2016 was in the leisure and hospitality industry, up 21,100, or 5.0 percent. The Chicago metropolitan area has had over-the-year employment increases each month since August 2010 in the leisure and hospitality industry. Local area employment growth was concentrated in the Chicago division which added 18,200 jobs. Nationwide, employment in leisure and hospitality rose 2.9 percent from the previous February. (See chart 2.)

Trade, transportation, and utilities, the largest supersector in the Chicago area, added 16,200 jobs, a 1.8-percent gain from February a year ago. This supersector has had over-the-year employment increases each month since October 2010. In the recent annual period, the Chicago division added 8,300 jobs and the Lake division added 5,500 jobs. Nationally, employment in the trade, transportation, and utilities supersector increased 1.8 percent from February 2015. Local growth in this supersector was strong in retail trade which gained 10,300 jobs since last February. The Chicago division added 6,600 jobs and the Gary division gained 2,000 jobs over-the-year. Nationally, employment in retail trade increased 2.3 percent from the previous February.

Locally, education and health services employment increased by 15,400, a 2.2-percent gain from February 2015 to February 2016. This supersector has experienced over-the-year increases of greater than 1,000 each month since December 1999. In the recent 12-month period, employment in the Chicago division was up by 14,400 or 2.5 percent. Nationwide, employment in this supersector rose 3.2 percent from February a year ago.

Employment in the 12 largest metropolitan areas

Chicago was 1 of the nation’s 12 largest metropolitan statistical areas in February 2016. All 12 areas experienced over-the-year job growth during the period, with 9 exceeding the national average of 1.9 percent. All 12 areas experienced over-the-year job growth during the period, with 9 exceeding the national average of 1.9 percent. The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington and Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale areas had the fastest rates of job growth, up 3.5 percent each, followed by San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward at 3.4 percent. The Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area had the slowest rate of job growth, up 0.3 percent. (See chart 3 and table 2.)

The New York-Newark-Jersey City area added the largest number of jobs, 181,700, since February 2015. The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim and Dallas areas added more than 100,000 jobs each. Houston had the smallest gain, adding 9,000 jobs over the 12-month period.

Professional and business services had the most job growth in 5 of the 12 metropolitan areas from February a year ago—Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria. Education and health services added the most jobs in Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, Los Angeles, and New York.

Manufacturing had the largest over-the-year loss of jobs in four areas—Boston, Dallas, Houston, and Los Angeles. Three areas experienced no annual job losses in any supersector since last February—Miami, New York, and Philadelphia.

Metropolitan area employment data for March 2016 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, April 27, 2016.

Changes to Current Employment Statistics Data

Effective with the release of January 2016 data, nonfarm payroll employment estimates for states and metropolitan areas were revised to reflect 2015 benchmark levels. For more information on benchmark procedures, see https://www.bls.gov/sae/benchmark2016.pdf.


Technical Note

This release presents nonfarm payroll employment estimates from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program. The CES survey is a Federal-State cooperative endeavor between State employment security agencies and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Definitions. Employment data refer to persons on establishment payrolls who receive pay for any part of the pay period which includes the 12th of the month. Persons are counted at their place of work rather than at their place of residence; those appearing on more than one payroll are counted on each payroll. Industries are classified on the basis of their principal activity in accordance with the 2012 version of the North American Industry Classification System.

Method of estimation. The employment data are estimated using a "link relative" technique in which a ratio (link relative) of current-month employment to that of the previous month is computed from a sample of establishments reporting for both months. The estimates of employment for the current month are obtained by multiplying the estimates for the previous month by these ratios. Small-domain models are used as the official estimators for approximately 39 percent of CES published series which have insufficient sample for direct sample-based estimates.

Annual revisions. Employment estimates are adjusted annually to a complete count of jobs, called benchmarks, derived principally from tax reports which are submitted by employers who are covered under state unemployment insurance (UI) laws. The benchmark information is used to adjust the monthly estimates between the new benchmark and the preceding one and also to establish the level of employment for the new benchmark month. Thus, the benchmarking process establishes the level of employment, and the sample is used to measure the month-to-month changes in the level for the subsequent months.

Reliability of the estimates. The estimates presented in this release are based on sample survey and administrative data and thus are subject to sampling and other types of errors. Sampling error is a measure of sampling variability—that is, variation that occurs by chance because a sample rather than the entire population is surveyed. Survey data are also subject to nonsampling errors, such as those which can be introduced into the data collection and processing operations. Estimates not directly derived from sample surveys are subject to additional errors resulting from the special estimation processes used. The sums of individual items may not always equal the totals shown in the same tables because of rounding.

Employment estimates. Measures of sampling error for state CES data at the supersector level are available on the BLS Web site at www.bls.gov/sae/additional-resources/reliability-of-state-and-area-estimates.htm. Information on recent benchmark revisions for states is available at www.bls.gov/sae/.

Area definitions. The substate area data published in this release reflect the delineations issued by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget on February 28, 2013. A detailed list of the geographic definitions is available at www.bls.gov/lau/lausmsa.htm.

The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) includes Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties in Illinois; Jasper, Lake, Newton, and Porter Counties in Indiana; and Kenosha County in Wisconsin.

  • The Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, Ill. Metropolitan Division (MD) includes Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kendall, McHenry, and Will Counties in Illinois.
  • The Elgin, Ill. Metropolitan Division (MD) includes DeKalb and Kane Counties.
  • The Lake County-Kenosha County, Ill.-Wis. Metropolitan Division (MD) includes Lake County in Illinois and Kenosha County in Wisconsin.
  • The Gary, Ind. Metropolitan Division (MD) includes Jasper, Lake, Newton, and Porter Counties in Indiana.

 

Additional information

More complete information on the technical procedures used to develop these estimates and additional data appear in Employment and Earnings, which is available online at www.bls.gov/opub/ee/home.htm. Industry employment data for states and metropolitan areas from the Current Employment Statistics program are also available in the above mentioned news releases and from the Internet at www.bls.gov/sae/.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry supersector, the Chicago metropolitan area and its components, not seasonally adjusted (numbers in thousands)
Area and Industry
 
Feb
2015
Dec
2015
Jan
2016
Feb
2016 (P)
Feb 2015 to
Feb 2016 (P)
Net
change
Percent
change

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area

 

Total nonfarm

4,465.04,640.64,514.94,542.077.01.7

Mining and logging

1.31.41.21.2-0.1-7.7

Construction

141.5165.7150.3149.47.95.6

Manufacturing

411.6414.3410.6411.5-0.10.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities

904.1958.1923.5920.316.21.8

Information

80.482.380.980.90.50.6

Financial activities

289.1295.0290.8290.11.00.3

Professional and business services

781.9802.8774.9782.70.80.1

Education and health services

695.9711.3704.8711.315.42.2

Leisure and hospitality

420.4452.2437.3441.521.15.0

Other services

191.8195.2192.6195.23.41.8

Government

547.0562.3548.0557.910.92.0

Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division

 

Total nonfarm

3,561.43,699.53,601.13,623.562.11.7

Mining and logging

0.91.11.01.00.111.1

Construction

106.7123.7113.0112.96.25.8

Manufacturing

281.9282.4280.2280.3-1.6-0.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities

716.9755.3727.2725.28.31.2

Information

71.573.271.971.90.40.6

Financial activities

249.5254.5250.9250.00.50.2

Professional and business services

659.2679.2655.9662.93.70.6

Education and health services

568.1580.9576.5582.514.42.5

Leisure and hospitality

332.3359.2346.3350.518.25.5

Other services

156.9159.6157.5159.82.91.8

Government

417.5430.4420.7426.59.02.2

Elgin, IL Metropolitan Division

 

Total nonfarm

246.1255.9247.5250.64.51.8

Mining and logging

0.20.10.10.1-0.1-50.0

Construction

9.813.211.611.41.616.3

Manufacturing

35.135.534.935.10.00.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities

45.347.546.346.10.81.8

Information

3.53.43.43.4-0.1-2.9

Financial activities

10.810.910.710.7-0.1-0.9

Professional and business services

35.234.133.634.0-1.2-3.4

Education and health services

32.033.132.932.80.82.5

Leisure and hospitality

22.925.324.524.51.67.0

Other services

8.99.39.29.30.44.5

Government

42.443.540.343.20.81.9

Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI Metropolitan Division

 

Total nonfarm

388.3406.3396.6397.18.82.3

Mining and logging

0.00.10.00.00.00.0

Construction

11.413.512.212.00.65.3

Manufacturing

59.060.159.760.21.22.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities

84.393.490.789.85.56.5

Information

3.53.73.63.60.12.9

Financial activities

20.320.920.720.80.52.5

Professional and business services

65.466.864.664.9-0.5-0.8

Education and health services

45.846.946.146.10.30.7

Leisure and hospitality

34.335.634.834.50.20.6

Other services

12.713.012.812.90.21.6

Government

51.652.351.452.30.71.4

Gary, IN Metropolitan Division

 

Total nonfarm

269.2278.9269.7270.81.60.6

Mining and logging

0.20.10.10.1-0.1-50.0

Construction

13.615.313.513.1-0.5-3.7

Manufacturing

35.636.335.835.90.30.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities

57.661.959.359.21.62.8

Information

1.92.02.02.00.15.3

Financial activities

8.58.78.58.60.11.2

Professional and business services

22.122.720.820.9-1.2-5.4

Education and health services

50.050.449.349.9-0.1-0.2

Leisure and hospitality

30.932.131.732.01.13.6

Other services

13.313.313.113.2-0.1-0.8

Government

35.536.135.635.90.41.1

Footnotes
(P) Preliminary
 

Table 2. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry supersector, United States and 12 largest metropolitan areas, not seasonally adjusted (numbers in thousands)
AreaFeb
2015
Dec
2015
Jan
2016
Feb
2016 (P)
Feb 2015 to
Feb 2016 (P)
Net
change
Percent
change

United States (1)

 

Total nonfarm

139,343144,116141,150141,9872,6441.9

Mining and logging

861765740716-145-16.8

Construction

5,9626,5076,2126,2152534.2

Manufacturing

12,21912,32312,24512,236170.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities

26,34427,86726,99726,8304861.8

Information

2,7292,7682,7262,764351.3

Financial activities

8,0168,2018,1558,1581421.8

Professional and business services

19,13720,07919,64319,7235863.1

Education and health services

21,88722,55922,26122,5907033.2

Leisure and hospitality

14,37415,00014,66114,7924182.9

Other services

5,5555,6415,5895,621661.2

Government

22,25922,40621,92122,342830.4

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

 

Total nonfarm

2,534.02,643.82,598.82,606.572.52.9

Mining and logging

1.41.51.51.50.17.1

Construction

104.5111.7109.7110.15.65.4

Manufacturing

155.6161.3160.5159.94.32.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities

567.0604.5587.4585.918.93.3

Information

86.787.486.686.1-0.6-0.7

Financial activities

160.0163.4163.0161.81.81.1

Professional and business services

467.6489.6476.3483.015.43.3

Education and health services

314.7323.7320.1322.57.82.5

Leisure and hospitality

257.2275.8271.1271.113.95.4

Other services

94.598.797.296.41.92.0

Government

324.8326.2325.4328.23.41.0

Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH (NECTA)

 

Total nonfarm

2,578.82,681.12,618.02,625.646.81.8

Mining, logging, and construction

89.8107.0102.099.59.710.8

Manufacturing

191.3191.1189.4189.1-2.2-1.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities

406.1428.6417.3409.43.30.8

Information

76.077.377.176.80.81.1

Financial activities

178.2184.3183.7183.95.73.2

Professional and business services

439.2458.3445.4446.27.01.6

Education and health services

551.9566.9558.0569.117.23.1

Leisure and hospitality

234.4248.6237.4236.52.10.9

Other services

96.5103.0100.699.93.43.5

Government

315.4316.0307.1315.2-0.2-0.1

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

 

Total nonfarm

4,465.04,640.64,514.94,542.077.01.7

Mining and logging

1.31.41.21.2-0.1-7.7

Construction

141.5165.7150.3149.47.95.6

Manufacturing

411.6414.3410.6411.5-0.10.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities

904.1958.1923.5920.316.21.8

Information

80.482.380.980.90.50.6

Financial activities

289.1295.0290.8290.11.00.3

Professional and business services

781.9802.8774.9782.70.80.1

Education and health services

695.9711.3704.8711.315.42.2

Leisure and hospitality

420.4452.2437.3441.521.15.0

Other services

191.8195.2192.6195.23.41.8

Government

547.0562.3548.0557.910.92.0

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

 

Total nonfarm

3,331.03,483.63,422.23,447.8116.83.5

Mining, logging, and construction

197.7200.8195.1197.5-0.2-0.1

Manufacturing

263.6260.4259.3259.2-4.4-1.7

Trade, transportation, and utilities

702.2758.9741.2740.738.55.5

Information

79.380.679.680.71.41.8

Financial activities

271.1283.0282.8283.312.24.5

Professional and business services

548.7575.6558.6565.116.43.0

Education and health services

407.7423.5422.5424.717.04.2

Leisure and hospitality

333.5361.4355.2358.424.97.5

Other services

116.8118.3114.5117.30.50.4

Government

410.4421.1413.4420.910.52.6

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

 

Total nonfarm

2,974.63,021.32,973.52,983.69.00.3

Mining and logging

107.094.392.589.3-17.7-16.5

Construction

214.4224.4220.9221.57.13.3

Manufacturing

257.4238.7237.4234.3-23.1-9.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities

604.6627.5612.6609.95.30.9

Information

32.031.531.631.8-0.2-0.6

Financial activities

149.7152.1151.8151.41.71.1

Professional and business services

470.3468.6458.4459.0-11.3-2.4

Education and health services

361.6377.5375.3377.816.24.5

Leisure and hospitality

288.3309.0305.3309.020.77.2

Other services

105.2106.1105.6105.40.20.2

Government

384.1391.6382.1394.210.12.6

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

 

Total nonfarm

5,743.75,952.55,834.75,893.3149.62.6

Mining and logging

4.24.34.34.20.00.0

Construction

206.3223.7220.3224.918.69.0

Manufacturing

519.2514.5508.4509.1-10.1-1.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities

1,059.61,118.41,088.11,077.517.91.7

Information

227.3233.1224.1237.510.24.5

Financial activities

326.5335.8331.1332.45.91.8

Professional and business services

874.1906.9883.3895.421.32.4

Education and health services

932.4969.6957.0975.142.74.6

Leisure and hospitality

669.6706.4691.8697.628.04.2

Other services

197.8200.5196.6200.83.01.5

Government

726.7739.3729.7738.812.11.7

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

 

Total nonfarm

2,487.02,572.72,542.72,554.867.82.7

Mining and logging

0.60.60.60.60.00.0

Construction

107.0119.1115.7115.88.88.2

Manufacturing

82.985.084.886.03.13.7

Trade, transportation, and utilities

578.9605.3592.4591.512.62.2

Information

47.548.548.048.00.51.1

Financial activities

172.4177.6178.4180.58.14.7

Professional and business services

399.4417.3408.4412.413.03.3

Education and health services

363.7376.5372.7373.710.02.7

Leisure and hospitality

308.9313.5313.4315.97.02.3

Other services

120.5122.7123.0122.92.42.0

Government

305.2306.6305.3307.52.30.8

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA

 

Total nonfarm

9,114.69,537.19,258.39,296.3181.72.0

Mining, logging, and construction

331.9382.2358.2354.923.06.9

Manufacturing

363.9370.8367.7368.44.51.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities

1,683.61,778.21,714.21,693.610.00.6

Information

282.3289.1284.2287.14.81.7

Financial activities

752.0772.2760.4762.310.31.4

Professional and business services

1,434.31,516.11,466.61,469.935.62.5

Education and health services

1,764.61,828.61,792.41,816.652.02.9

Leisure and hospitality

807.5859.0823.0824.016.52.0

Other services

402.7417.5410.0413.110.42.6

Government

1,291.81,323.41,281.61,306.414.61.1

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

 

Total nonfarm

2,766.92,879.22,814.32,826.960.02.2

Mining, logging, and construction

99.3112.6107.4105.05.75.7

Manufacturing

180.2182.0181.1180.60.40.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities

505.4539.6518.2513.37.91.6

Information

46.146.946.446.30.20.4

Financial activities

205.9210.4209.1209.23.31.6

Professional and business services

435.3459.3450.5453.418.14.2

Education and health services

604.6616.8608.2619.915.32.5

Leisure and hospitality

235.0248.5240.0238.73.71.6

Other services

115.6118.7116.9118.02.42.1

Government

339.5344.4336.5342.53.00.9

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

 

Total nonfarm

1,897.81,984.71,946.91,964.867.03.5

Mining and logging

3.43.33.33.3-0.1-2.9

Construction

96.0101.2100.9103.27.27.5

Manufacturing

118.3121.2120.6119.71.41.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities

369.5398.7383.6381.612.13.3

Information

36.538.338.638.62.15.8

Financial activities

164.3171.8172.1174.510.26.2

Professional and business services

315.7342.2331.2330.314.64.6

Education and health services

277.9291.9289.5291.813.95.0

Leisure and hospitality

207.7210.9210.2213.86.12.9

Other services

65.265.765.366.31.11.7

Government

243.3239.5231.6241.7-1.6-0.7

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA

 

Total nonfarm

2,209.22,313.12,276.32,284.775.53.4

Mining and logging

1.01.00.90.9-0.1-10.0

Construction

104.0114.7113.6113.19.18.8

Manufacturing

124.4128.4126.2126.42.01.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities

358.0386.7374.2369.811.83.3

Information

82.086.485.886.04.04.9

Financial activities

127.7129.8128.6128.50.80.6

Professional and business services

449.5475.0469.5470.521.04.7

Education and health services

325.4335.3333.1339.414.04.3

Leisure and hospitality

247.8259.9253.1255.37.53.0

Other services

82.483.281.482.80.40.5

Government

307.0312.7309.9312.05.01.6

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

 

Total nonfarm

3,111.73,222.23,171.33,180.568.82.2

Mining, logging, and construction

141.8153.8150.7149.67.85.5

Manufacturing

51.653.552.051.90.30.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities

391.7420.0405.3401.49.72.5

Information

77.075.675.075.4-1.6-2.1

Financial activities

152.3155.2154.4154.32.01.3

Professional and business services

706.9729.9724.0724.417.52.5

Education and health services

413.2419.9417.8422.29.02.2

Leisure and hospitality

291.2312.1306.1303.512.34.2

Other services

193.0200.0196.3197.74.72.4

Government

693.0702.2689.7700.17.11.0

Footnotes
(1) U.S. data are preliminary for two months after they are first published.
(P) Preliminary
 

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, April 14, 2016