Evanston’s unemployment rate remained unchanged in January at 6.7 percent, but it was down 0.6 percent from a year earlier
By contrast, the statewide jobless rate rose to 9.9 percent in January from 9.3 percent in December. That was down 0.2 percent from a year earlier.
The jobless rate for the Chicago metro area also rose in January to 9.6 percent from 9.3 percent in December. That was down 0.4 percent from a year earlier.
The 2,704 people looking for jobs in Evanston in January was down by 5 from revised numbers for December. But the number of people with jobs shrank to 40,123 from 40,625 as just over 500 people left the labor force and didn’t report they were looking for work.
Ten of the nearly 100 towns in Illinois with more than 25,000 residents had lower jobless numbers than Evanston in January. The lowest rate, 5.7 percent was in Wilmette. Other nearby towns with lower rates included Glenview at 6.1 percent, Highland Park at 6.6 percent, and Northbrook at 5.9 percent.