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Will County, IL Economy
Unemployment was 5.1% in Aug 2026 and jobs paid $62,418 a year on average.
- Unemployment rate
- 5.1%
- +0.8 pts in a year
- Labor force
- 379,738
- -2.8% in a year
- Income per person
- $70,456
- 11th of 102 in IL
- Average annual pay
- $62,418
- 267,868 jobs, 2025
Unemployment rate in Will County
Monthly. County rates are not seasonally adjusted, so they rise and fall with the seasons.
Show as a table
| Period | Will County |
|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | 5.1% |
| Dec 2025 | 4.5% |
| Dec 2024 | 4.4% |
| Dec 2023 | 4.0% |
| Dec 2022 | 3.9% |
| Dec 2021 | 3.7% |
| Dec 2020 | 7.5% |
| Dec 2019 | 3.1% |
| Dec 2018 | 3.8% |
| Dec 2017 | 4.5% |
| Dec 2016 | 5.3% |
| Dec 2015 | 6.0% |
| Dec 2014 | 6.2% |
| Dec 2013 | 8.7% |
| Dec 2012 | 9.6% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics ยท Last updated 09/01/2026
Jobs and pay by industry
Private employers in Will County, annual average 2025. Industries with too few employers to publish are left out.
Swipe the table sideways to see more columns.
| Industry | Jobs | 1-year change | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transportation and warehousing | 39,194 | +3.2% | $56,832 |
| Retail trade | 30,322 | +0.8% | $37,623 |
| Health care and social assistance | 28,846 | +2.2% | $62,111 |
| Manufacturing | 24,261 | +1.6% | $81,708 |
| Accommodation and food services | 22,317 | +1.0% | $24,824 |
| Wholesale trade | 17,931 | +0.5% | $101,718 |
| Administrative and support services | 16,675 | -1.4% | $49,776 |
| Construction | 14,926 | -1.0% | $96,911 |
| Other services | 11,341 | +5.1% | $53,370 |
| Professional and technical services | 9,947 | +5.0% | $84,493 |
| Educational services | 4,484 | +2.1% | $42,860 |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 4,099 | +13.0% | $33,299 |
| Finance and insurance | 3,866 | -0.4% | $86,909 |
| Real estate and rental | 2,516 | +4.3% | $71,586 |
| Utilities | 1,549 | -1.1% | $165,465 |
| Information | 1,404 | +9.9% | $73,355 |
| Management of companies | 406 | -34.5% | $107,898 |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 307 | -9.2% | $58,985 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 275 | -0.7% | $111,236 |
Latest quarter (Q1 2026): 265,689 jobs (+1.7% from a year earlier), average weekly wage $1,208.
Income and output
Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024
- Total personal income
- $49.92B
- +5.0% in a year
- Income per person
- $70,456
- IL: $74,522
- GDP
- $50.33B
- Current dollars
- Real GDP growth
- +2.3%
- Adjusted for inflation
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| Period | Will County |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $70,456 |
| 2023 | $67,627 |
| 2022 | $64,368 |
| 2021 | $62,288 |
| 2020 | $57,219 |
| 2019 | $54,331 |
| 2018 | $52,422 |
| 2017 | $50,793 |
| 2016 | $48,978 |
| 2015 | $48,069 |
| 2014 | $45,674 |
| 2013 | $44,294 |
| 2012 | $43,345 |
| 2011 | $42,075 |
| 2010 | $40,186 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts
Businesses by industry, trucking companies, banks and bankruptcies in Will County.
Business profileBusinesses in Will County
County Business Patterns 2023 and Nonemployer Statistics 2024
- Employer businesses
- 17,085
- Employees
- 267,545
- Mid-March
- Annual payroll
- $14.94B
- Self-employed businesses
- 64,479
- $3.64B receipts
By industry
- Health care and social assistance2,12312.4%
- Transportation and warehousing1,96711.5%
- Construction1,90011.1%
- Professional and technical services1,75710.3%
- Retail trade1,6699.8%
- Other services1,5939.3%
- Accommodation and food services1,3798.1%
- Administrative and support services1,0846.3%
By number of employees
- 1 to 410,05358.8%
- 5 to 92,53914.9%
- 10 to 191,99711.7%
- 20 to 491,5048.8%
- 50 to 995503.2%
- 100 to 2493071.8%
- 250 to 499870.5%
- 500 to 999320.2%
- 1,000 or more160.1%
Neighboring counties
Unemployment rate, Aug 2026
| County | Rate | 1 year |
|---|---|---|
| Kendall County | 3.8% | -0.7 pts |
| Kankakee County | 4.3% | -1.3 pts |
| DuPage County | 4.7% | +0.9 pts |
| Lake County, IN | 4.8% | -0.2 pts |
| Grundy County | 4.9% | +0.8 pts |
| Will CountyThis county | 5.1% | +0.8 pts |
| Cook County | 5.9% | +1.2 pts |
Federal money in Will County
Federal awards, pandemic loans and political donations
Frequently asked questions
- What is the unemployment rate in Will County, IL?
- The unemployment rate in Will County was 5.1% in Aug 2026, not seasonally adjusted, with 379,738 people in the labor force.
- What is the average salary in Will County?
- Jobs in Will County paid an average of $62,418 in 2025 ($1,200 a week), across 267,868 jobs covered by unemployment insurance.
- What are the biggest industries in Will County?
- The largest private industries by jobs are transportation and warehousing (39,194), retail trade (30,322), health care and social assistance (28,846).
- What is the income per person in Will County?
- Personal income per person was $70,456 in 2024, compared with $74,522 for Illinois. It counts wages, business income, investment income and government benefits.
- How many businesses are in Will County?
- Will County had 17,085 business establishments with paid employees in 2023, plus 64,479 businesses with no employees.