Unemployment falls below 8 percent for Rockford Region for first time since 2008

ROCKFORD, Jan. 29 — The Rockford metro area’s unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent in December, the first time below 8 percent since 2008. The dip is a 3.9 percentage point improvement year-over-year.

December 2014 unemployment rates fell in every metro area in the Illinois. This was the ninth consecutive month that all metro areas reported over-the-year declines in their unemployment rates, according to preliminary data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES).

Rates also fell in all 102 counties for the second consecutive month and the sixth time out of the last seven months. Not seasonally adjusted data compares December 2014 with December 2013.