The Quad-Cities area tied with Champaign-Urbana for the third lowest unemployment in the state in March at 7.6 percent, behind Bloomington-Normal at 6.7 percent and Springfield at 7.4 percent, according to Illinois Department of Employment Security data released Thursday.

Compared to March 2011, the March 2012 unemployment rate dropped in all of the state's 12 reporting metro areas, according to IDES data.

The state's non-seasonally adjusted March unemployment rate was 9 percent, compared to the national rate of 8.4 percent.

The largest March declines in state unemployment were: Rockford, down 1.7 percent to 11.7 percent; Kankakee-Bradley, down 1.5 percent to 11.6 percent; Peoria, down 1.5 percent to 7.8 percent; and Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, down .4 to 9 percent.

Rockford still had the highest unemployment in the state at 11.7, followed by Kankakee-Bradley at 11.6 percent; and Decatur at 10.1.

Besides Bloomington-Normal, Springfield, Champaign-Urbana and the Quad-Cities area, which includes Davenport, other reporting areas below 10 percent were Peoria at 7.8 percent; Chicago-Joliet-Naperville at 9 percent; Lake Kenosha, Ill.-Wis. at 9.3 percent; St. Louis (Ill. section) at 9.5 percent; and Danville at 9.7 percent.

Compared to March 2011, there were 1,400 fewer non-farm jobs in the Quad-Cities area in March 2012. While transportation-warehousing-utility gained 300 jobs, there were 1,000 fewer professional-business jobs; 800 fewer leisure-hospitality jobs; and 500 fewer government jobs, according to IDES.

March jobless rates in the Quad-Cities region were, as follows:

— Rock Island County: 8.1 percent, down from 8.9 in March 2011.

— Scott County, Iowa: 6.7 percent, down from 7 percent in 2011.

— Henry County: 7.9 percent, down from 8.5 percent in 2011.

— Mercer County: 10.1 percent, down from 11.2 percent in 2011.

— Whiteside County: 9.4 percent, down from 9.9 percent in 2011.

— Rock Island city: 8.7 percent, the same as 2011.

— Moline city: 7.8 percent, down from 8.4 percent in 2011.

Illinois has added 142,100 jobs since January 2010, when growth returned to the state.



Leading sectors in Illinois are professional and business services (75,900 more jobs); manufacturing (33,800 more jobs); education and health services (29,700); and leisure and hospitality (18,700 more jobs). Government has lost the most jobs since January 2010, down 25,700 positions.