May saw a second month of across-the-board declines in metro jobless rates across Illinois. The largest single drop was in the Rockford area, where unemployment fell from 10.3 percent a year ago to 8.9 percent. Springfield and Bloomington-Normal have the lowest rates — 6 percent.
| County | May 2014 | Rank | May 2013 | Rank |
| Alexander | 9.9 | 1 | 10.4 | 6 |
| Franklin | 9.6 | 3 | 11.2 | 1 |
| Gallatin | 8.1 | 22 | 9.3 | 25 |
| Hamilton | 6.8 | 56 | 7.3 | 73 |
| Hardin | 9.8 | 2 | 11.2 | 1 |
| Jackson | 6.3 | 76 | 7.2 | 75 |
| Jefferson | 6.8 | 56 | 8 | 50 |
| Johnson | 8.4 | 18 | 10 | 15 |
| Massac | 7.5 | 33 | 7.9 | 55 |
| Perry | 9.2 | 7 | 10.7 | 3 |
| Pope | 9.5 | 4 | 9.2 | 28 |
| Pulaski | 9.2 | 7 | 10.5 | 4 |
| Randolph | 6.8 | 56 | 7.8 | 58 |
| Saline | 7.9 | 26 | 9.5 | 21 |
| Union | 9.4 | 5 | 10.3 | 8 |
| Washington | 5.3 | 99 | 6.1 | 98 |
| White | 6.6 | 66 | 7.4 | 71 |
| Williamson | 7.0 | 45 | 7.9 | 55 |
| Illinois | 7.5 | 9.2 |