Local unemployment was 4.7% in September in LaSalle, Bureau, and Putnam counties. That’s down from 6.0% in August. The September 2020 rate was 7.3%. The Illinois Department of Employment Security says the individual rates for the counties in September were: 5.0% for LaSalle, 4.0% in Bureau, and 4.2% in Putnam.
The rates count people who wanted work but didn’t have it. They don’t include people who are no longer looking for work, such as those who have retired or who are going back to school.