This morning, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released preliminary July 2015 unemployment rates for all Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs). The unemployment rate measures the percentage of the local workforce that reports itself as being out of work, information that the government collects by surveying households.

Illustrated in the map and chart below, in July, an estimated 293,809 people in the 14-county Chicago metropolitan statistical area (MSA) were unemployed out of a labor force of approximately 4.975 million, resulting in a preliminary unemployment rate of 5.9% (not seasonally adjusted).

• The July 2015 unemployment rate was 1.4 points lower than July 2014 (7.3%).
• Between July 2014 and July 2015, the Chicago MSA gained an estimated 63,624 employed residents, increasing total regional employment to approximately 4.681 million (not seasonally adjusted).
• Unemployment rates were lower in July than a year earlier in 359 of 387 U.S. metros, 20 metros saw a year-over-year increase, and 8 experienced no change

Current and historic data reflects data revisions completed on April 21, 2015. For more information about these revisions please visit the BLS website.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS and CPS)

Chaired by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, World Business Chicago is the public-private partnership leading the Plan for Economic Growth and Jobs in order to drive business development, cultivate talent, and put Chicago at the forefront of the global economy.

WBC’s “Economic Briefs” track indicators from month to month to gauge the strength of several aspects of Chicago’s economy, including unemployment, population, venture capital, job openings and new hires, home sales, tourism, etc. This data provides a clear analytic framework for specific Plan strategies and initiatives. For a summary of these and other economic indicators, refer to WBC’s monthly Chicago By The Numbers.