THE FOLLOWING IS A VERMILION ADVANTAGE RELEASE
Vermilion County is one of eight Illinois counties in the state’s Regional Research Pilot Program. Its first monthly report has arrived, and it puts numbers on a labor market most residents have only guessed at.
DANVILLE, Ill. — September 1, 2026 — Employers across Vermilion County had 932 distinct job postings active during the month of July. Of those, 821 were for full-time positions and 111 were part-time, a ratio of better than seven to one.
The figures come from the program’s first deliverable to Vermilion Advantage, received a few months after the county was selected. Reports will now arrive monthly, with statewide macroeconomic indicators quarterly.
Registered nurse positions advertised a median salary of $88,576. Across all full-time postings that disclosed pay, the median advertised figure was $60,288 — a number that blends every occupation together and reflects only the minority of postings that publish a salary, a group that skews toward lower-wage roles.
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821
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full-time postings
active countywide during July
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7 to 1
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full-time to part-time
821 full-time postings, 111 part-time
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$88,576
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advertised for a registered nurse
39 postings; elevator work advertises $85,248
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$146,586
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median home sale price
about a year and a half of that nurse’s salary
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Where the demand is
Hospitals accounted for 90 full-time postings at a median advertised salary of $74,496. Speech language pathologist positions advertised $91,520.
Two sectors stood out against national rates. Elevator and moving stairway manufacturing appeared in the county’s postings at 180 times the national rate, with 35 full-time postings advertising a median of $85,248. Postings for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers appeared at nearly three times the national rate, advertising $85,248, above the national median for the same work.
What the wages buy
Over the three months ending in June, the median home sold in Vermilion County went for $146,586, according to Redfin’s analysis of MLS and public records. Homes sold in an average of 26 days, and 44 percent closed above asking price.
Measured against a registered nurse’s advertised salary in the county, that is about a year and a half of a single income. Zillow puts the average American home value at $371,774, which is more than four years of the same salary.
“This is the first month we can answer questions about our own labor market with evidence instead of impression. Eight hundred twenty-one full-time postings is a different story than the one this county often tells about itself, and the housing math is a story almost nobody outside this county has heard.”
Amy Brown, President & CEO, Vermilion Advantage: How the data will be used
Vermilion Advantage intends to apply each month’s report in business recruitment and retention work, in workforce training discussions with Danville Area Community College, and in responses to site selector inquiries. Over successive months the organization expects the reports to show trends rather than single-month snapshots.
Employers whose hiring may not be captured in the data are encouraged to contact the organization. Reporters seeking interviews with local employers or recently hired workers can be connected through the contact below.
“One month tells us what is open right now. Twelve months will tell us what to build. That is the part we are ready for.”
Amy Brown, Vermilion Advantage: Graphic available for publication
About the data. Job postings, wage, occupation, industry and employer figures are drawn from the July 2026 Job Postings Snapshot prepared by the Illinois EDC Economic Research Center for the Regional Research Pilot Program, using the Lightcast data set, which aggregates and de-duplicates postings from job boards, employer career sites and staffing firms. Advertised salary figures reflect only postings in which an employer disclosed pay. Full-time is defined as more than 32 hours per week. Postings data measures advertised demand rather than total hiring. Counts reflect postings active during the month rather than openings created that month, and a single posting can represent several openings, so employers who hire through one standing listing may be underrepresented. Each monthly snapshot is point-in-time and is not comparable to a multi-month total. Geography: Vermilion County, Illinois.
Housing data. Redfin, based on MLS and public records, for the three months ending June 2026, Vermilion County. National home value: Zillow, 2026.
Media contact. Amy Brown, President & CEO, Vermilion Advantage, 2 E Main Street, Danville, Illinois. abrown@vermilionadvantage.com · vermilionadvantage.com
About Vermilion Advantage. Vermilion Advantage is the combined chamber of commerce and economic development organization serving Vermilion County, Illinois. Its vision is to build community and create opportunity. Its mission is to lead, develop and connect people, businesses and resources to cultivate economic success in Vermilion County.
