JOBS
Unemployment Rate Climbs to 5.0% in Metro Chicago
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) reported this week on unemployment trends in the twelve major metropolitan areas of Illinois in March 2026. Working with data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the report shows unemployment is up in many metro areas of Illinois.
In the key metro area of greater Chicago, which includes Cook and DuPage Counties, unemployment climbed to 5.0%, a level that is generally used by economists as signaling the end of an economic recovery. Job creation in greater Chicago, which had grown slowly since the end of the 2020-2022 pandemic, appears to have ceased.
Several Illinois metro areas now have unemployment rates above 6.0%, the level that is often seen as marking a serious economic slowdown. Examples include Decatur at 6.6%, Kankakee at 6.6%, Rockford at 6.5%, and Lake County at 6.0%. All four metro areas in this category had March 2026 unemployment rates that were up more than 1.0% from year-earlier rates.
The number of active nonfarm payroll jobs dropped in most Illinois metro areas as of March 2026. For example, greater Chicago supported 4,500 fewer jobs in March 2026 than were supported within the same geographic area one year earlier.
Morton Salt Joins Exodus of Business Fleeing Illinois
In recent years, many Illinois-based business firms have moved their headquarters out of Illinois or wound down their operations within this state. Examples include Caterpillar, Sears, Boeing, and Citadel. When financial investment titan Ken Griffin moved Citadel from Chicago to Miami in 2022, he specifically cited Illinois’ high tax rates and its legal climate as reasons for the move.
Morton Salt, founded in 1848, has now joined the exodus of businesses fleeing Illinois. Begun in Abraham Lincoln’s time as a Chicago salt warehouse and distributor, the firm began to package household salt in a familiar series of blue cardboard cylinders. Morton also began to make and sell industrial salt, road salt, and salt-based chemicals, as it still does. The Joy Morton family became major benefactors of the Chicago area, best known for their work creating the DuPage County, Illinois-based Morton Arboretum.
The time of Morton headquarters operations in Chicago would, however, come to an end. In 2024, the salt and chemical firm announced the movement of its headquarters to Overland Park, Kansas, best known as part of the Kansas City suburban region where the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs will build a new stadium. Morton’s HQ move has now been completed.
State Representative Mike Coffey commented on Morton’s decision to leave its historic headquarters city.
“We must take a serious approach about crafting policies that are business-friendly or we will continue to see an exodus of businesses move to other states,” said Coffey. “Democrats should be focused on growing business in the state of Illinois instead of raising taxes and pulling out more red tape that kills opportunities.”
TAXES
Illinois’ Combined State, Local Tax Rate Tops the Country
Illinoisans continue to pay the highest combined state and local tax rate in the country, according to WalletHub.
“We must end the trend of Democrats overspending and using the pockets of taxpayers to fund bad public policies,” said Coffey. They need to work with House Republicans to bring affordability back to our state.”
Effective state and local tax rates totaled almost 17% for a median Illinois household last year, compared with the national average of just over 11.02% and higher than No. 2 New York, at 14.95%.
The median amount of state and local taxes for an Illinois household was $12,538 last year, fourth-highest in the country. The national median was around $8,949. (These amounts use a different household measurement.)
Illinois’ burden is driven by property, sales and excise taxes that exceed national averages and those in neighboring states.
Property taxes are especially high, with an effective rate of 1.92% of the value of a typical home, more than double the national median of 0.89%.
Sales taxes are also elevated in Illinois, with a 6.25% state rate and a nearly 9% combined state and local rate on average.
Read more from the Illinois Policy Institute.
CRIME
Nearly 1 in 12 Defendants on Electronic Monitoring in Cook County Have Gone AWOL
Nearly 1 in 12 criminal defendants released pre-trial on ankle monitors in Chicago have gone AWOL, and authorities have no idea where they are, even as some in the program allegedly go on to commit violent crimes.
Data from the Circuit Clerk of Cook County shows that 246 out of 3,048 defendants released pre-trial and placed on ankle monitoring are missing and aren’t actively wearing their ankle monitor. Several individuals released pre-trial have gone on to allegedly commit violent crimes, like Alphanso Talley, who’s accused of murdering Chicago Police Department Officer John Bartholomew.
Hundreds of defendants on pre-trial release through the ankle monitor program accused of violent crimes:
- 13 individuals charged with attempted murder
- 103 individuals charged with sexual assault
- 21 individuals charged with murder
- 173 individuals charged with aggravated battery
House Bill 4275 was filed by Rep. Coffey to give judges the ability to detain offenders accused of a felony offense and close the “revolving door” for repeat offenders.
“Sheriff Crouch, State’s Attorney Milhiser and I share the same objective – to make our communities in Sangamon County and across Illinois safer,” said Rep. Coffey. “Since the SAFE-T Act was signed into law, our judges have lost authority to keep some dangerous criminals behind bars. I filed legislation that would give that power back to judges, so repeat offenders are not let back into our communities to continue to commit crimes. “