Wabash County ended 2022 with the lowest unemployment in southern Illinois. According to year-end data from the Illinois Department of Employment Security,
Wabash County’s jobless rate in December stood at just 2.9% which was not only the lowest in southern Illinois but also good enough for 7th lowest in the entire state. Brown County, in the west-central part of the state, had the lowest unemployment rate at just 1.8%.
In November, Wabash County’s rate was 3.3% which was also the rate in December of 2021. The I-D-E-S reports in the Mt. Carmel-Olney area, December employment gains were posted in government, natural resources and mining, leisure and hospitality, trade, transportation and utilities, and information. Payrolls decreased in manufacturing and education and health services. The highest December jobless rate in southern Illinois was again in Pulaski County at 6.6%.