Evanston released its 2013 year-in-review economic report Wednesday, detailing the addition of new businesses and construction projects and a drop in the city’s overall unemployment rate. 

The city added 72 businesses and 210 new full time jobs last year, lowering the unemployment rate more than a full percentage point from 7.4 percent to 6.3 percent in December, according to the report. 

Evanston’s unemployment rate last December falls about two percentage points below that of Illinois as whole. 

The report also showed 96 new jobs were announced in the last quarter of 2013, nearly half of the overall job additions during the year. 

The Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program’s employment rate also went up giving jobs to more than 300 individuals, a 46 percent increase from last year. 

Evanston underwent a series of construction projects including the opening of Trader Joe’s and the nation’s first net-zero Walgreens store. These projects combined totaled more than $30 million. In addition to filling vacant areas with office and retail space, Erie Family Health Center, Evanston Hospital and DaVita Dialysis were other top construction projects in the city. 

Northwestern also underwent about $188 million of building activity through construction of the visitors center, the Music and Communication Building and other projects. 

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @beccasavransky