The Illinois section of the St. Louis metro posted a 3.5% unemployment rate in July 2026, down 1.0 percentage point from 4.5% a year earlier.
Total nonfarm employment still fell by 800 jobs from July 2025, showing the lower jobless rate came alongside a smaller payroll base.
Private Education-Health Services added 900 jobs, while Financial Activities gained 200 and Leisure-Hospitality rose 100.
Professional-Business Services led declines with 700 lost jobs, followed by Transportation-Warehousing-Utilities at 600; Manufacturing, Government and Wholesale Trade each also contracted.
The figures are not seasonally adjusted, and Illinois said year-over-year comparisons are the valid gauge after 2025 metro data revisions earlier in 2026.