Nearly 13% of Sangamon County workers worked from home in 2024, placing the county among the top 10 large counties in Illinois for remote work.
According to a community announcement, a new study from whatarethebest.com analyzed U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey data to compare work-from-home rates across Illinois counties and measure how those figures have changed since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sangamon County ranked eighth in Illinois, with 12.9% of workers working remotely in 2024. The figure was up from 6.1% in 2019, meaning the county’s share of remote workers has more than doubled over the five-year period.
Lake County recorded the highest share of workers working from home among Illinois counties included in the study. In 2024, 17.3% of workers in Lake County worked remotely, up from 7.6% in 2019. The county ranked 56th nationally.
Macon County had the state’s lowest remote-work rate among the 22 large counties analyzed, with 6.3% of workers working from home in 2024.
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Illinois exceeds national average
Illinois ranked 16th among states for remote work, according to the study. Statewide, 13.6% of workers worked from home in 2024, compared with 13.3% nationally.
The study found all 22 Illinois counties analyzed posted higher remote-work rates than they did in 2019, though levels remained below a statewide peak of 19.3% recorded in 2021.
Albert Richer, founder of whatarethebest.com, said that differences between counties reflect varying industries and employer types.
“What stands out in Illinois is the gap between the Chicago-area collar counties and downstate,” Richer said according to the announcement. “Lake County and DuPage County have more than double the remote work rate of counties like Macon and Rock Island, which reflects the different types of industries and employers in those areas.”
This story was produced with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the review, editing and publishing process. Learn more atcm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register:Sangamon County ranks eighth in Illinois for remote work
