Employment Indicators for Cook County, Illinois (2024)

Total Employed

2,597,162
Civilian 16+

Private For-Profit

71.7 %
Largest Sector

Self-Employed

4.8%
Entrepreneurship

Government

12.2%
Public Sector

Cook County, Illinois Workforce by Sector & Gender

Employment sector breakdown by gender in
Figure 1: Male vs Female participation in employment sectors (2024).

Cook County, Illinois Employment Sector Breakdown

SectorTotal WorkersPercentage
Private For-Profit1,861,91471.7%
Government317,45912.2%
Self-Employed123,9874.8%
Private Non-Profit289,44911.1%

Cook County, Illinois Gender Ratio Analysis by Employment Sector (2024)

SectorMale:Female Ratio
Private For-Profit1.25:1
Government0.72:1
Self-Employed1.31:1

Cook County, Illinois Employment Trends (2010–2024)

Long-term employment trends in

Cook County, Illinois Historical Employment Sector Trends

YearPrivateGovSelf-EmpNon-Profit
202471.7%12.2%4.8%11.1%
202372.2%12.1%4.7%10.8%
202272.6%11.9%4.7%10.6%
202173.0%11.6%4.7%10.5%
202073.5%11.3%4.7%10.3%
201974.2%11.0%4.6%10.0%
201874.4%11.0%4.6%9.9%
201774.4%11.1%4.6%9.9%
201674.2%11.3%4.6%9.8%
201574.1%11.5%4.5%9.8%
201473.7%11.9%4.6%9.8%
201373.6%12.1%4.5%9.7%
201273.6%12.2%4.5%9.6%
201173.7%12.2%4.5%9.4%
201073.7%12.3%4.6%9.3%

Employment Sector FAQs for Cook County, Illinois

The largest employment sector in Cook County, Illinois is Private For-Profit, which employs 71.7% of the local workforce.

There are approximately 2,597,162 civilian workers aged 16 and over currently employed in Cook County, Illinois.

In the private for-profit sector, the male-to-female ratio is 1.25:1. This metric helps highlight gender participation across the most prominent industry classes.

Yes, the non-profit sector is notable in Cook County, Illinois, accounting for 11.1% of all workers.

Since 2010, the total number of workers in Cook County, Illinois has shown an increase, moving from 2,438,989 to 2,597,162 according to Census Bureau records.