East Central Reporter

Coles County recorded an unemployment rate of 7.3% among residents aged 16 and 65 years old in 2021. That’s 1,859 people out of the 47,542 living in Coles County at the time, according to data obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The unemployment rate in Coles County has increased compared to the 6.8% registered in 2020.

The percentage of people unemployed in Coles County was greater than the statewide unemployment rate of 6.2%.

Of the 23,438 people who had a job during that time, 25 were employed in the Armed Forces and 23,413 belonged to the civilian labor force.

Employment status	Number of people	Percentage of population
Unemployed	1,859	7.3%
Employed	23,438	92.7%
Employed in civilian labor force	23,413	92.6%
Employed in armed forces	25	0.1%