The Mercer County unemployment rate is 3.9%.
The number is for September and compares to a 5.0% figure that was recorded at the same time a year ago, according to data from the Illinois Department of Employment Security. The unemployment rate in Mercer County was 3.6% in August.
Unemployment was also lower in year-over-year levels in Henderson, Henry, Knox, Rock Island, and Warren Counties in September.
The unemployment rate identifies those who are out of work and seeking employment. A person who exhausts benefits or is ineligible will still be reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.
Statewide, the unemployment rate was 4.2% in September.