The Illinois Department of Employment Security says unemployment rose in January in all but one of the state's metro areas. The statewide unemployment rate went up to 6.3%.
According to the monthly report, the sharpest increases were in the Peoria and Danville areas. Unemployment in Peoria rose from 7.2% in January 2015 to 8.6% this January. Caterpillar Inc. in Peoria announced plans last year to lay off thousands of employees around the world.
Danville had the state's highest jobless rate at 9.1%.
The Chicago area had the state's only unemployment decrease. The jobless rate in the state's largest metro area dropped from 6.9% to 6.6%.
