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News Release Information

21-2193-CHI
Wednesday, January 05, 2022

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

Chicago Area Employment — November 2021

Total nonfarm employment for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, metropolitan area increased 162,300 over the year in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See chart 1 and table 1.) Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the local rate of job gain, 3.7 percent, compared to the 4.1-percent national rise. (All data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year analysis is used throughout.)


Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, is made up of four metropolitan divisions—separately identifiable employment centers within the greater metropolitan area. Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL, with 80 percent of the area’s total nonfarm employment, gained 141,000 jobs over the year. Over-the-year changes in total nonfarm employment were not significant in the remaining three divisions: Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI (9 percent of the area’s employment); Gary, IN (6 percent of the area’s employment); and Elgin, IL (5 percent of the area’s employment).

Industry employment

In Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, leisure and hospitality had the largest gain (+66,900) among local private-industry supersectors, with three divisions recording significant increases. (See chart 2.) The 20.5-percent gain in the metropolitan area’s leisure and hospitality supersector compared to the 14.3-percent rise on a national level.


Trade, transportation, and utilities rose by 36,900 jobs over the year in the metropolitan area. The Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL, division added 29,600 jobs, or 80 percent of the metropolitan area’s employment gain in this industry. The metropolitan area had a 4.0-percent gain compared to the 3.0-percent increase for the nation.

Professional and business services added 19,200 jobs in the metropolitan area. Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL, added 23,300 jobs in this supersector. The 2.4-percent gain in the metropolitan area’s professional and business services supersector compared to the 5.5-percent rise on a national level.

Employment in education and health services increased by 14,200 over the year in the metropolitan area. Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL, added 13,600 jobs in this supersector. The metropolitan area had a 2.0-percent gain compared to the 2.1-percent increase for the nation.

Twelve largest metropolitan areas

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, was 1 of the nation’s 12 largest metropolitan statistical areas in November 2021. All 12 areas added jobs over the year. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA, had the largest increase (+348,200). Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, had the smallest gain (+110,00) among the largest areas. (See table 2 and chart 3.)

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, had a 6.1-percent rate of job gain, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, and Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ (+5.6 percent each). The rates of job gains in the remaining nine areas ranged from 5.5 percent in Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH, to 3.7 percent in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI.

The Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment release for December 2021 is scheduled to be released on February 2, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on November 2021 Establishment Survey Data

BLS has continued to review all estimation and methodological procedures for the establishment survey, which included the review of data, estimation processes, the application of the birth-death model, and seasonal adjustment. Business births and deaths cannot be adequately captured by the establishment survey as they occur. Therefore, the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program uses a model to account for the relatively stable net employment change generated by business births and deaths. Due to the impact of COVID-19, the relationship between business births and deaths is no longer stable. Typically, reports with zero employment are not included in estimation. For the October final and November preliminary estimates, CES included a portion of these reports in the estimates and made modifications to the birth-death model. In addition for both months, the establishment survey included a portion of the reports that returned to reporting positive employment from reporting zero employment. For more information, see www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cesbd.htm.

In the establishment survey, workers who are paid by their employer for all or any part of the pay period including the 12th of the month are counted as employed, even if they were not actually at their jobs. Workers who are temporarily or permanently absent from their jobs and are not being paid are not counted as employed, even if they are continuing to receive benefits. The length of the reference period does vary across the respondents in the establishment survey; one-third of businesses have a weekly pay period, slightly over 40 percent a bi-weekly, about 20 percent semi-monthly, and a small amount monthly.


Technical Note

Special technical note: This technical note describes the procedures regularly used on a monthly basis to develop estimates from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the procedures described in this technical note have been modified. The modifications are briefly described in the box note of this news release. More information on the changes to the CES business birth-death model is available at www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cesbd.htm.

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 that 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 2017 version of the North American Industry Classification System.

Method of estimation. CES State and Area employment data are produced using several estimation procedures. Where possible these data are produced using a "weighted link relative" estimation technique in which a ratio of current-month weighted employment to that of the previous-month weighted employment is computed from a sample of establishments reporting for both months. The estimates of employment for the current month are then obtained by multiplying these ratios by the previous month's employment estimates. The weighted link relative technique is utilized for data series where the sample size meets certain statistical criteria.

For some employment series, the sample of establishments is very small or highly variable. In these cases, a model-based approach is used in estimation. These models use the direct sample estimates (described above), combined with forecasts of historical (benchmarked) data to decrease volatility in estimation. Two different models (Fay-Herriot Model and Small Domain Model) are used depending on the industry level being estimated. For more detailed information about each model, refer to the BLS Handbook of Methods at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/ces-20110307.pdf.

Annual revisions. Employment estimates are adjusted annually to a complete count of jobs, called benchmarks, derived principally from tax reports that 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 surveys, administrative data, and modeling 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 also are 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 specific estimation processes used. The sums of individual items may not always equal the totals shown in the same tables because of rounding.

Employment estimates. Changes in metropolitan area nonfarm payroll employment are cited in the analysis of this release only if they have been determined to be statistically significant at the 90-percent confidence level. Measures of sampling error for the total nonfarm employment series are available for metropolitan areas and metropolitan divisions at www.bls.gov/web/laus/790stderr.htm. Measures of sampling error for more detailed series at the area and division level are available upon request. Measures of sampling error for states at the supersector level and for the private service-providing, goods-producing, total private and total nonfarm levels are available on the BLS website at https://www.bls.gov/web/laus/790stderr.htm. Information on recent benchmark revisions is available online at www.bls.gov/web/laus/bmrk_article.htm.

Area definitions. The substate area data published in this news release reflect the delineations issued by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget on April 10, 2018

The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area 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, IL Metropolitan Division includes Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kendall, McHenry, and Will Counties in Illinois.
  • The Elgin, IL Metropolitan Division includes DeKalb and Kane Counties in Illinois.
  • The Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI Metropolitan Division includes Lake County in Illinois and Kenosha County in Wisconsin.
  • The Gary, IN Metropolitan Division includes Jasper, Lake, Newton, and Porter Counties in Indiana.

Additional information

Employment data from the CES program are available on the BLS website 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 IndustryNov
2020
Sep
2021
Oct
2021
Nov
2021(p)
Nov 2020 to
Nov 2021(p)
Net
change
Percent
change

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

Total nonfarm

4,409.44,501.94,558.44,571.7162.33.7

Mining and logging

1.71.81.81.80.15.9

Construction

173.1179.3179.9177.94.82.8

Manufacturing

393.1398.0397.1400.97.82.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities

933.1930.1945.8970.036.94.0

Information

71.770.571.171.1-0.6-0.8

Financial activities

316.0313.7318.7317.11.10.3

Professional and business services

795.3803.3825.4814.519.22.4

Education and health services

699.1700.7709.8713.314.22.0

Leisure and hospitality

327.1395.7398.6394.066.920.5

Other services

174.5181.3184.4183.48.95.1

Government

524.7527.5525.8527.73.00.6

Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division

Total nonfarm

3,507.23,589.83,637.33,648.2141.04.0

Mining and logging

1.31.31.31.30.00.0

Construction

128.5136.3136.4135.06.55.1

Manufacturing

265.5267.1264.2267.11.60.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities

730.9728.1740.5760.529.64.0

Information

64.763.364.064.0-0.7-1.1

Financial activities

274.6273.0277.9276.01.40.5

Professional and business services

669.7681.4701.9693.023.33.5

Education and health services

576.5579.8587.3590.113.62.4

Leisure and hospitality

248.0303.9308.2305.057.023.0

Other services

143.4149.6152.4151.48.05.6

Government

404.1406.0403.2404.80.70.2

Elgin, IL Metropolitan Division

Total nonfarm

241.1244.5248.2249.48.33.4

Mining and logging

0.10.20.20.20.1100.0

Construction

13.613.713.913.70.10.7

Manufacturing

33.234.034.634.71.54.5

Trade, transportation, and utilities

49.550.952.152.63.16.3

Information

2.42.52.42.50.14.2

Financial activities

10.19.89.910.0-0.1-1.0

Professional and business services

30.830.531.131.30.51.6

Education and health services

31.530.730.831.2-0.3-1.0

Leisure and hospitality

19.421.921.721.62.211.3

Other services

9.19.39.59.50.44.4

Government

41.441.042.042.10.71.7

Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI Metropolitan Division

Total nonfarm

401.2407.6410.2410.49.22.3

Mining and logging

0.10.10.10.10.00.0

Construction

14.814.814.914.5-0.3-2.0

Manufacturing

61.763.363.964.62.94.7

Trade, transportation, and utilities

94.293.494.897.12.93.1

Information

2.93.03.02.90.00.0

Financial activities

22.822.422.422.6-0.2-0.9

Professional and business services

70.467.567.966.0-4.4-6.3

Education and health services

44.842.743.544.2-0.6-1.3

Leisure and hospitality

30.439.037.936.76.320.7

Other services

12.212.412.512.50.32.5

Government

46.949.049.349.22.34.9

Gary, IN Metropolitan Division

Total nonfarm

259.9260.0262.7263.73.81.5

Mining and logging

0.20.20.20.20.00.0

Construction

16.214.514.714.7-1.5-9.3

Manufacturing

32.733.634.434.51.85.5

Trade, transportation, and utilities

58.557.758.459.81.32.2

Information

1.71.71.71.70.00.0

Financial activities

8.58.58.58.50.00.0

Professional and business services

24.423.924.524.2-0.2-0.8

Education and health services

46.347.548.247.81.53.2

Leisure and hospitality

29.330.930.830.71.44.8

Other services

9.810.010.010.00.22.0

Government

32.331.531.331.6-0.7-2.2

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)
AreaNov
2020
Sep
2021
Oct
2021
Nov
2021(p)
Nov 2020 to
Nov 2021(p)
Net
change
Percent
change

United States(1)

Total nonfarm

144,121147,650149,226150,0045,8834.1

Mining and logging

599646653648498.2

Construction

7,4137,6267,6667,6051922.6

Manufacturing

12,19112,46512,51712,5583673.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities

27,52027,40927,76128,3438233.0

Information

2,6592,7712,7902,7971385.2

Financial activities

8,7638,8608,9078,9151521.7

Professional and business services

20,58021,20721,60321,7081,1285.5

Education and health services

23,51023,58423,91724,0064962.1

Leisure and hospitality

13,41815,39715,43515,3321,91414.3

Other services

5,4755,7265,7735,7813065.6

Government

21,99321,95922,20422,3113181.4

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

Total nonfarm

2,723.22,799.22,836.12,863.0139.85.1

Mining and logging

1.71.61.71.70.00.0

Construction

127.3129.7129.8131.44.13.2

Manufacturing

162.6168.8170.8173.410.86.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities

602.1598.1606.9620.718.63.1

Information

98.8103.6106.1106.88.08.1

Financial activities

179.4181.5182.3182.63.21.8

Professional and business services

533.4561.5574.0574.040.67.6

Education and health services

357.6367.0375.5377.319.75.5

Leisure and hospitality

239.2260.5259.2264.024.810.4

Other services

91.295.095.795.64.44.8

Government

329.9331.9334.1335.55.61.7

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

Total nonfarm

2,584.72,679.92,718.82,726.8142.15.5

Mining, logging, and construction

122.0129.0129.7130.18.16.6

Manufacturing

176.3183.2185.1186.09.75.5

Trade, transportation, and utilities

401.6400.4406.6411.910.32.6

Information

77.382.383.083.15.87.5

Financial activities

179.7181.9181.2181.11.40.8

Professional and business services

502.3525.1536.6539.537.27.4

Education and health services

554.8559.1569.6573.819.03.4

Leisure and hospitality

183.4229.2231.8223.740.322.0

Other services

84.689.290.491.26.67.8

Government

302.7300.5304.8306.43.71.2

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

Total nonfarm

4,409.44,501.94,558.44,571.7162.33.7

Mining and logging

1.71.81.81.80.15.9

Construction

173.1179.3179.9177.94.82.8

Manufacturing

393.1398.0397.1400.97.82.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities

933.1930.1945.8970.036.94.0

Information

71.770.571.171.1-0.6-0.8

Financial activities

316.0313.7318.7317.11.10.3

Professional and business services

795.3803.3825.4814.519.22.4

Education and health services

699.1700.7709.8713.314.22.0

Leisure and hospitality

327.1395.7398.6394.066.920.5

Other services

174.5181.3184.4183.48.95.1

Government

524.7527.5525.8527.73.00.6

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

Total nonfarm

3,730.83,831.83,881.63,941.0210.25.6

Mining, logging, and construction

220.5221.5218.4221.51.00.5

Manufacturing

279.8286.1285.1287.27.42.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities

828.0831.5852.3870.442.45.1

Information

78.179.178.679.71.62.0

Financial activities

329.6330.6332.0334.44.81.5

Professional and business services

638.1687.2709.3720.282.112.9

Education and health services

449.1452.1458.7464.615.53.5

Leisure and hospitality

336.3367.8365.0376.239.911.9

Other services

115.0121.3124.0125.810.89.4

Government

456.3454.6458.2461.04.71.0

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

Total nonfarm

2,985.63,066.73,095.23,128.3142.74.8

Mining and logging

66.071.071.976.210.215.5

Construction

207.5203.7206.3204.9-2.6-1.3

Manufacturing

208.4211.0211.3213.45.02.4

Trade, transportation, and utilities

629.6630.5639.0655.826.24.2

Information

28.828.928.829.20.41.4

Financial activities

163.6165.5165.6166.12.51.5

Professional and business services

480.3511.7515.1513.733.47.0

Education and health services

397.5407.5418.2422.324.86.2

Leisure and hospitality

282.6312.6306.8308.425.89.1

Other services

104.0117.6119.4121.517.516.8

Government

417.3406.7412.8416.8-0.5-0.1

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

Total nonfarm

5,649.55,870.95,942.05,994.3344.86.1

Mining and logging

1.91.91.91.90.00.0

Construction

246.1251.0253.8252.56.42.6

Manufacturing

454.7459.7461.2461.56.81.5

Trade, transportation, and utilities

1,066.31,061.21,073.71,103.236.93.5

Information

201.4213.3217.4216.415.07.4

Financial activities

323.9321.5322.3322.2-1.7-0.5

Professional and business services

896.0931.4946.7956.960.96.8

Education and health services

1,052.71,071.01,084.31,092.740.03.8

Leisure and hospitality

538.3667.1671.4670.5132.224.6

Other services

161.3177.6180.9180.118.811.7

Government

706.9715.2728.4736.429.54.2

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

Total nonfarm

2,552.72,613.32,655.62,688.7136.05.3

Mining and logging

0.80.80.80.80.00.0

Construction

137.1142.3143.6144.27.15.2

Manufacturing

88.488.389.190.92.52.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities

586.4588.9600.4613.326.94.6

Information

46.447.047.348.01.63.4

Financial activities

188.1191.5193.0195.57.43.9

Professional and business services

438.7457.7466.3469.430.77.0

Education and health services

399.2399.9407.0409.410.22.6

Leisure and hospitality

257.2283.8290.8296.539.315.3

Other services

105.3111.4113.2114.08.78.3

Government

305.1301.7304.1306.71.60.5

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

Total nonfarm

9,044.99,162.09,295.19,393.1348.23.8

Mining, logging, and construction

387.7376.6377.9374.8-12.9-3.3

Manufacturing

327.5337.7337.5339.111.63.5

Trade, transportation, and utilities

1,598.41,571.11,596.71,642.544.12.8

Information

286.9301.3304.3310.823.98.3

Financial activities

760.0747.5749.5749.2-10.8-1.4

Professional and business services

1,471.01,515.31,549.91,563.692.66.3

Education and health services

1,961.81,961.02,004.22,021.359.53.0

Leisure and hospitality

595.9721.0719.1714.1118.219.8

Other services

344.6352.7357.0360.716.14.7

Government

1,311.11,277.81,299.01,317.05.90.5

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

Total nonfarm

2,798.02,852.22,886.42,908.0110.03.9

Mining, logging, and construction

116.9122.7123.3123.26.35.4

Manufacturing

174.8176.0176.9177.93.11.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities

521.3518.8529.2543.622.34.3

Information

50.453.053.053.73.36.5

Financial activities

215.4216.7216.9217.72.31.1

Professional and business services

450.6461.1469.9469.919.34.3

Education and health services

641.5646.1655.0656.915.42.4

Leisure and hospitality

193.1224.6225.0224.631.516.3

Other services

102.8105.6106.7107.64.84.7

Government

331.2327.6330.5332.91.70.5

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

Total nonfarm

2,162.12,236.92,262.42,282.1120.05.6

Mining and logging

2.82.82.82.80.00.0

Construction

137.6138.5136.5136.3-1.3-0.9

Manufacturing

133.0136.2137.0137.74.73.5

Trade, transportation, and utilities

436.0443.5451.1462.526.56.1

Information

36.535.836.436.70.20.5

Financial activities

206.0207.3208.2209.13.11.5

Professional and business services

362.8379.1388.8391.528.77.9

Education and health services

343.3360.1363.0366.523.26.8

Leisure and hospitality

192.5218.7222.4221.929.415.3

Other services

66.569.969.869.32.84.2

Government

245.1245.0246.4247.82.71.1

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA

Total nonfarm

2,250.42,315.92,346.42,363.8113.45.0

Mining and logging

0.30.30.30.30.00.0

Construction

121.1125.3125.6122.61.51.2

Manufacturing

139.7140.9139.8140.00.30.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities

343.6332.5338.2346.52.90.8

Information

135.0139.1140.0141.06.04.4

Financial activities

140.5139.9141.1140.4-0.1-0.1

Professional and business services

482.8509.7518.0523.140.38.3

Education and health services

352.8356.3360.6363.310.53.0

Leisure and hospitality

162.0209.1210.9210.548.529.9

Other services

66.371.773.374.68.312.5

Government

306.3291.1298.6301.5-4.8-1.6

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

Total nonfarm

3,173.33,238.33,281.53,302.0128.74.1

Mining, logging, and construction

162.8162.3164.4165.42.61.6

Manufacturing

54.355.656.256.52.24.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities

397.6390.9397.3411.814.23.6

Information

72.872.573.373.40.60.8

Financial activities

153.4154.5153.6152.6-0.8-0.5

Professional and business services

769.6787.1803.3801.231.64.1

Education and health services

422.9435.5440.2441.218.34.3

Leisure and hospitality

236.7274.5280.9282.045.319.1

Other services

189.5193.8193.8194.55.02.6

Government

713.7711.6718.5723.49.71.4

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

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, January 05, 2022