Evanston’s unemployment rate fell to 7.3 percent in November, down from 7.5 percent in October.
One-hundred-eight-two more residents had jobs in November and 67 fewer people were looking for work.
Data from the Illinois Department of Employment Security shows the city’s labor force, at 42,318 workers in November, is slightly larger than the 41,930 in the workforce at the start of the year.
But the jobless rate is still higher now than the 7.1 percent level it was at a year ago.
The unemployment rate for the Chicago metro area was unchanged in November at 9.6 percent, up from 9.0 percent a year ago.
Statewide the jobless rate in November edged down to 9.4 percent from 9.5 percent in October, still up from 9.1 percent a year ago.
Fourteen of the nearly 100 towns in Illinois with more than 25,000 residents had lower jobless numbers than Evanston in November. The lowest rate, 6.1 percent, was in Highland Park. Other nearby towns with lower rates included Wilmette at 6.6 percent, Northbrook at 6.7 percent and Glenview at 6.8 percent.