Unemployment up in all Illinois metropolitan areas

Officials say the unemployment rate is up in all the state's 12 metropolitan areas.

Rockford had the highest unemployment rate at 8.8 percent in September. The northern Illinois city also had the biggest unemployment jump, a 3 percent increase from September 2007.

Second-highest was Kankakee-Bradley with 8.5 percent, followed by Danville, in east-central Illinois, with 8.4 percent.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security released the numbers Thursday.

Agency Director Maureen O'Donnell says the national economic slowdown is affecting Illinois.

Earlier this month IDES said Illinois' unemployment rate overall for September was 6.9 percent. That's compared with 6.1 percent nationally.

September 2008 unemployment rate and September 2007 rate in parentheses:

-- Bloomington-Normal: 5.1 percent (up from 3.8 percent)

-- Champaign-Urbana: 5.7 percent (up from 4.5 percent)

-- Chicago-Naperville-Joliet: 6.4 percent (up from 4.8 percent)

-- Danville: 8.4 percent (up from 6.4 percent)

-- Davenport-Moline-Rock Island: 5.1 percent (up from 4.4 percent)

-- Decatur: 7.4 percent (up from 5.7 percent)

-- Kankakee-Bradley: 8.5 percent (up from 6.2 percent)

-- Lake-Kenosha: 6.3 percent (up from 4.7 percent)

-- Peoria: 5.7 percent (up from 4.4 percent)

-- Rockford: 8.8 percent (up from 5.8 percent)

-- Springfield: 6.1 percent (up from 4.6 percent)

-- St. Louis (Illinois section): 7.3 percent (up from 5.8 percent)