First Quarter 2015 Economic Indicators

Here is the economic indicators report for the first quarter of 2015.

Sales Tax Receipts

Beginning with sales tax receipts, which are always reported one quarter in arrears, the DuPage County total sales tax receipts were $364 million in the first quarter of 2015 compared to $344 million for the during the same time last year. This is an increase of 5.79 percent.

Unemployment Rate

The unemployment rate rose to 5.3% in the quarter of 2015, compared to 4.2% in the last quarter of 2014. This is 2% lower than the unemployment rate reported at this time last year. DuPage County has the lowest unemployment rate in the region, and is lower than both the state unemployment rate of 6.7% and the national unemployment rate of 5.5%.

Job Market

According to the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the professions that currently have the most online job postings include:
  • Truck Driver
  • Registered Nurse
  • Computer Systems Analyst
  • Retail Sales Supervisor
  • Marketing Manager
  • Customer Service Representative
  • Accountant
  • Management Analyst
  • Website Developer
  • and
  • Office and Administrative Supervisors

Office Vacancy Rates

The office vacancy rate dropped to 16.8% in the first quarter of 2015, compared to 17% in the last quarter of 2014. While DuPage County has the second highest office vacancy rate in the region, we’ve showed promising recent activity. The rate is currently lower than at this time last year.

Industrial Vacancy Rates

The industrial vacancy rate rose slightly to 5.7% compared to 5.6% in the fourth quarter of 2014. DuPage County continues to have the lowest industrial vacancy rate in region.