State Stix

General funds

The general funds end-of-month balance in August was $5.425 million. The low balance was due to an early school payment for September paid on August 31. The average daily available balance in August was $152.617 million.
Source: Office of the Comptroller.

State's jobless rate plunges

The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 7.6 percent in August from July's 7.5 percent. In Illinois the seasonally adjusted rate fell to 6.5 percent from 8.4 percent in July.

In August the state's civilian labor force consisted of 6.051 million people (51,000 fewer than in July). Of these, 5.655 million people were working (65,000 more than in July and a record for the month of August), and 396,000 were unemployed (a drop of 116,000 from the 512,000 looking for work in July).
Source Department of Employment Security.

Metro area unemployment rates

During July jobless rates in the state's metro areas fell. (Because numbers continue to be revised after initial release, there are slight discrepancies in comparison to June rates published in August/September "State Stix.") July unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) in the state's metro areas were:
Aurora-Elgin PMSA (Kane and Kendall counties), 8.2 percent (down 0.8 percent).
Bloomington-Normal MSA (McLean County), 5.4 percent (down 0.1 percent).
Champaign-Urbana-Rantoul MSA (Champaign County), 5.5 percent (down 0.4 percent).
Chicago PMSA (Cook, DuPage and McHenry counties), 7.9 percent (down 0.7 percent).
Davenport-Rock Island-Moline MSA, Illinois portion (Henry and Rock Island counties), 8.3 percent (down 0.8 percent).
Decatur MSA (Macon County), 10.4 percent (down 1.0 percent).
Joliet PMSA (Grundy and Will counties), 8.7 percent (down 0.9 percent).
• Kankakee MSA (Kankakee County), 8.8 percent (down 0.9 percent).
Lake County PMSA, 4.9 percent (down 0.6 percent).
Peoria MSA (Peoria, Tazewell and Wood-ford counties), 7.5 percent (down 0.6 percent).
Rockford MSA (Boone and Winnebago counties), 9.5 percent (down 0.5 percent).
Springfield MSA (Menard and Sangamon counties), 5.7 percent (down 0.6 percent).
St. Louis MSA, Illinois portion (Clinton, Jersey, Madison, Monroe and St. Clair counties), 8.8 percent (down 1.1 percent).
Source: Same as above.

Margaret S. Knoepfle

36/October 1992/Illinois Issues