Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Bloomington-Normal, IL MSA — October 2026
Bloomington-Normal's labor market is tight and holding steady.
McLean County's 3.4% unemployment rate beats the 4.1% national and 4.6% Illinois averages, but nonfarm job growth of just 125 positions and a coexistence of low layoffs with low hiring point to a metro holding steady.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- McLean County unemployment: 3.4% — vs 4.1% US, 4.6% Illinois
- Local nonfarm job growth: +125 jobs — July 2026 year-over-year, metro total ~25,100
- Local average weekly wage: $1,498 — +6.2% YoY vs +2.5% Illinois statewide
- Illinois labor force change: -1.3% — year-over-year statewide, despite falling jobless rate
Key takeaways
Bloomington-Normal's labor market is tight and holding steady.
A 3.4% unemployment rate sits well below national and state averages, but nonfarm job growth of just +125 shows the tightness comes from limited labor supply more than hiring momentum. Commerce leaders pitching the metro for investment should distinguish a low jobless rate from actual capacity to absorb new employers.
Wage growth here is outrunning the state average by a wide margin.
Local average weekly wages rose 6.2% year-over-year versus 2.5% statewide, a divergence that may reflect concentration in higher-paying sectors tied to State Farm and healthcare more than broad-based wage pressure. That pattern matters for cost-of-living and affordability conversations more than for any single employer's pay decisions.
Low layoffs and low hiring together point to employer caution.
The county shows unusually quiet activity on both ends -- few layoffs, limited new hiring -- consistent with employers holding steady. That stasis is a more useful signal for forecasting near-term economic momentum than either indicator alone.
Sector gains are concentrated, and that narrows the growth story.
July data show gains limited to Trade-Transportation-Utilities (+300), Private Education-Health Services (+225), and Leisure-Hospitality (+25), while Professional-Business Services and Manufacturing lost ground. A metro's growth resting on two or three sectors is more exposed to a single downturn than one with broader-based gains.
Median advertised pay by role — Bloomington-Normal, IL MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $31,200 | $33,280 | $36,254 | Stable | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $28,973 | $32,760 | $34,320 | Stable | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $33,870 | $38,753 | $41,900 | Moderate decline | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $60,366 | $80,466 | $91,095 | Moderate increase | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $31,118 | $37,440 | $44,000 | Moderate increase | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $40,040 | $48,880 | $48,880 | Moderate increase | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $62,400 | $70,491 | $77,511 | Stable | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $37,440 | $41,600 | $43,918 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $25,515 | $35,015 | $41,600 | Moderate increase | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $37,325 | $37,326 | $38,395 | Stable | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $39,520 | $44,200 | $46,280 | Moderate decline | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $35,360 | $42,640 | $45,240 | Stable | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $57,425 | $57,500 | $60,264 | Stable | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $86,784 | $100,723 | $113,038 | Stable | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $110,625 | $125,000 | $135,000 | Moderate increase | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer | $100,250 | $134,767 | $156,750 | Moderate increase | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $57,850 | $76,950 | $81,597 | Significant increase | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $76,950 | $106,288 | $124,417 | Significant increase | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $54,109 | $71,169 | $74,607 | Significant increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist | $79,538 | $116,150 | $116,150 | Significant increase | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $75,000 | $98,658 | $105,495 | Moderate increase | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $35,880 | $42,640 | $51,033 | Moderate decline | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $63,081 | $85,000 | $100,006 | Moderate increase | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $65,000 | $88,516 | $91,749 | Stable | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $73,244 | $80,000 | $91,153 | Significant decline | $98,302 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $60,320 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $57,200 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $37,440 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $67,600 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Information | $151,183 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $58,500 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $64,758 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $67,891 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $33,866 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Government | $65,634 | Stable | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
McLean County's unemployment rate held at 3.4% in October, roughly a full point below the national rate of 4.1% and nearly a point and a half below Illinois' 4.6%, a gap that reflects the stabilizing presence of Illinois State University and State Farm's corporate operations more than a broad local hiring surge. Local average weekly wages reached $1,498 as of March 2026, up 6.2% year-over-year and well ahead of the statewide wage gain of 2.5%, even as the metro's own employment growth slowed to +125 nonfarm jobs and low layoff activity paired with low hiring intensity point to employer caution.
What it means
Tight local labor supply alongside soft net job growth signals a metro operating near capacity, a dynamic that favors employers already rooted here over those weighing new entry, and that commerce leaders should read as a capacity constraint. Sector divergence matters for site-selection and investment conversations: Trade-Transportation-Utilities and Private Education-Health Services added jobs locally even as Professional-Business Services and Manufacturing contracted, suggesting uneven readiness across the metro's industrial base. Current conditions suggest economic development leaders evaluate which sectors have room to absorb new investment versus which are already labor-constrained before promoting the metro for expansion.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: Professional-Business Services and Manufacturing contracted locally even as national manufacturing employment grew modestly. Whether that local softness persists into November data will clarify if McLean County is tracking a national trend or facing a metro-specific pullback.
Early indicator: Statewide, Illinois' labor force shrank 1.3% year-over-year even as unemployment fell, a sign of workers exiting the labor force more than finding jobs. Watch whether McLean County's labor force participation follows that statewide pattern or continues to diverge given its university and insurance-sector anchors.
Potential inflection point: Advertised pay for Accountant, Financial Analyst, and Marketing Specialist roles locally shows significant upward movement, outpacing national figures in each case. If that persists, it may indicate a shift in the metro's professional-services mix worth tracking for economic development planning.
Expected: Illinois' statewide WARN filings rose 24% in affected workers year-over-year, concentrated in manufacturing and retail distribution outside the Bloomington-Normal area. Local commerce leaders should monitor whether any of that displaced talent or capacity shifts toward McLean County in coming months.
Sources
- WGLT — McLean County unemployment rate at 3.4% in October 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — McLean County average weekly wages $1,498, up 6.2% year-over-year
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — National unemployment rate stable at 4.1% in October 2026
- Illinois Department of Employment Security — Illinois unemployment fell to 4.6% in September, third straight monthly decline
- Illinois Department of Employment Security — Illinois labor force shrank 1.3% year-over-year despite falling unemployment
- Illinois Department of Employment Security — McLean County nonfarm employment gains by sector, July 2026
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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