Mixed Bag as Far as Jobless Rates for June

It depends on where you live in the area as to whether your county saw improvement or regression as far as unemployment over the past year.

The figures from the Illinois Department of Employment Security typically show all area counties with improvement or lack of same as far as joblessness from one year to the next, but June was a different story.

Effingham County's jobless rate in June was 4.4%, down from 4.5% one year earlier.

Also seeing improvement was Cumberland County at 5%, down from 5.1%, Shelby County at 5.6%, down from 5.8%, and Jasper County at 5.6%, down from 5.9%.

However, Clay County's June rate was 6.6%, up from 6.4% one year earlier, and Fayette County was at 6.3%, up from 6% last June.

Coles County's jobless rate for June was 6.6%, the same rate as one year earlier. Likewise, the state rate of 6% was unchanged from one year earlier.