Taking A Snapshot Of Workers On Labor Day

Some of us will be laboring on Labor Day, though many will have time off to read facts like the following:  

• The Illinois unemployment rate was 9.5 percent for the month of July. The three month average, ending July, was 9.2 percent. The national rate for July was 9.1 percent, which stayed the same for August.

• In Cook County, 2,380,135 people were employed in the fourth quarter of 2010. Of those, the private sector employed 2,080,188, state and local government employed 258,981 and the federal government employed 40,966. More information about how many worked in each industry can be found here. 

• Cook County workers earned total wages of $35.7 billion in the fourth quarter of 2010. 

• In Lake County, 309,167 people were employed in the fourth quarter of 2010. Of those, 267,317 were employed in the private sector, 36,152 in state and local government and 5,698 by the federal government. More information about how many worked in each industry can be found here. 

• Lake County workers earned total income of $5,072,068 in the fourth quarter of 2010. 

• Detailed employment information for metropolitan areas, states and the U.S. can be found on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website.