Here are the 20 largest employers in the Peoria area

Dean Muellerleile, Journal Star
·5 min read

The Peoria-area employment picture has changed in the last half decade, with corporate relocations and, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic all shaking up the workforce.

Here is a list of the top 20 employers in the Peoria area, as compiled by the Greater Peoria Data Hub website. It defines Greater Peoria as Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, Logan and Mason counties.

The list is based on a combination of self-reporting and data collected by the digital data firm EMSI. The numbers were pulled from the website in early May 2022 and are not meant to represent day-to-day fluctuations.

1. OSF HealthCare

An aerial view of the OSF Healthcare St. Francis complex.
An aerial view of the OSF Healthcare St. Francis complex.

OSF HealthCare is Greater Peoria’s largest employer with roughly 13,500 employees. In the five-county region, the medical provider has facilities in Bartonville, Brimfield, Chillicothe, East Peoria, Havana, Hopedale, Metamora, Minonk, Morton, Pekin, Peoria, Roanoke, Tremont and Washington. It is headquartered in Peoria.

Peoria news: As work on new OSF HealthCare headquarters nears finale, here's how the renovations look

2. Caterpillar

It took more than a week to construct the Caterpillar Pac-Man maze at Edwards. The maze was 162 feet wide and 180 feet long.
It took more than a week to construct the Caterpillar Pac-Man maze at Edwards. The maze was 162 feet wide and 180 feet long.

Caterpillar employs some 12,000 people in the region. The machinery and equipment manufacturer has area facilities in East Peoria, Edwards, Mapleton, Morton, Mossville and Peoria. Its visitors center and museum is in Peoria.

Related: A new Caterpillar video mimics an NBC show. It also highlights a need for service techs

3. UnityPoint Health

UnityPoint Health-Methodist in Peoria is home to a child-and-adolescent behavioral-health center that has become too big for its facility, according to hospital officials.
UnityPoint Health-Methodist in Peoria is home to a child-and-adolescent behavioral-health center that has become too big for its facility, according to hospital officials.

Another medical provider, UnityPoint Health employs roughly 5,000 people in the five-county region. It has area facilities in Bartonville, Chillicothe, East Peoria, Eureka, Hopedale, Lincoln, Metamora, Morton, Pekin, Peoria, Peoria Heights, Princeville and Washington.

Expanding: Here's why UnityPoint plans to convert Heddington Oaks into behavorial health center for youth

4. Peoria Public Schools

The entrance to the Peoria Public Schools Administration Building is seen in Peoria.
The entrance to the Peoria Public Schools Administration Building is seen in Peoria.

The Peoria Public Schools district has 2,668 employees. The education system has 27 active school buildings: three high schools, a career and technical center, a credit recovery center, seven middle schools, 10 primary and three K-8 buildings, an early childhood center and a special education center.

Upcoming: Goodbye, traditional calendar: Peoria school district shortens summer break for 2023

5. Illinois Central College

The campus of Illinois Central College in East Peoria is seen in this 2013 file photo.
The campus of Illinois Central College in East Peoria is seen in this 2013 file photo.

Established in 1967, Illinois Central College employs 1,800 people in the region. The public community college has campuses in East Peoria, Peoria and Pekin serving more than 7,000 students.

Workforce equity: In Peoria, new higher education programs tackle institutional racism

6. Bradley University

The statue of Bradley University founder Lydia Moss Bradley stands Monday, June 29, 2020 adorned with a Class of 2020 mortarboard.
The statue of Bradley University founder Lydia Moss Bradley stands Monday, June 29, 2020 adorned with a Class of 2020 mortarboard.

Founded in 1897, Bradley University in Peoria has some 1,300 employees. The private university is consistently rated among the nation's best in various categories. Its enrollment includes about 4,600 undergraduate and 1,300 graduate students.

BU entrepreneur: Essence of Peoria: How a foul fragrance became the talk of the town (and beyond)

7. Advanced Technology Services

With its headquarters in Peoria, Advanced Technology Services has a workforce of 1,073. The industrial machinery repair and maintenance company works with manufacturers to lower costs and improve productivity. Founded in 1985, Advanced Technology Services has been cited by Forbes as one of America's Best Midsize Employers.

More coverage: Advanced Technology Services provides tech services around the world

8. SC2 Services

A supply chain and logistics concern, Peoria-based SC2 Services employs 1,030 people in the region. The employee-owned company provides packaging services, warehousing, industrial painting, logistics and dealer returns at locations in Bartonville, Delavan, East Peoria, Mossville, Pekin and Peoria.

Related: Bartonville to CityLink Transit Center route has lots its grant

9. Liberty Steel & Wire

Located in Peoria, Liberty Steel & Wire has 912 employees and is one of the nation's largest wire and rod mills, producing some 700,000 tons of steel each year. Formerly Keystone Steel and Wire, the company manufactures billets, rebar, rod, industrial wire and agricultural fencing.

Related: Throughout a history of change, Keystone's purpose remains the same

10. City of Peoria

The seat of city government, Peoria City Hall, 419 Fulton St. in Downtown Peoria, is framed in the recently restored "Sonar Tide" sculpture. City Hall was built in 1899.
The seat of city government, Peoria City Hall, 419 Fulton St. in Downtown Peoria, is framed in the recently restored "Sonar Tide" sculpture. City Hall was built in 1899.

The city of Peoria has 888 employees, including public administration, fire, police, public works and other departments serving some 113,000 residents.

Related: More police, more road repairs: Highlights of Peoria's new $262 million budget

11. CEFCU

Founded in 1937 and once known as Caterpillar Employees Federal Credit Union, CEFCU has 867 employees providing banking services. In the five-county region, it has locations in Chillicothe, East Peoria, Eureka, Germantown Hills, Lincoln, Morton, Pekin, Peoria and Washington.

12. Komatsu American Corp.

A manufacturer of construction machinery and equipment, Komatsu American Corp. employs about 850 people at its Peoria facility. There, the Tokyo-based manufacturer produces massive dump trucks for the mining industry.

More coverage: Averyville gets a face-lift with Komatsu's demolition of century-old factory buildings

13. County of Peoria

Formed in 1825, Peoria County has 783 employees serving a population of over 181,000. Among its departments are administrative services, development and infrastructure, health and human services, real estate tax cycle services, and public safety and justice. The latter includes the Peoria County Sheriff's Office.

Related: Why the Peoria County sheriff says he won't run for reelection in 2022

14. Pekin Insurance

With 750 employees, Pekin Insurance has a home office in Pekin and affiliated agencies in Bartonville, Brimfield, Chillicothe, Delavan, East Peoria, Elmwood, Eureka, Glasford, Mackinaw, Manito, Metamora, Minier, Morton, Pekin, Peoria, Princeville, Tremont and Washington.

Pekin news: Pekin Insurance celebrates 100 years of business

15. Eaton Corp.

A multinational power management company, Eaton Corp. has 700 area employees engaged in electrical equipment and appliances manufacturing at its Lincoln factory.

Related: Eaton employees top United Way giving

16. USPS

The United States Postal Service employs 650 people at locations throughout the Greater Peoria area.

More coverage: Mega amounts of mail sort through post office during the holiday season

17. Par-a-Dice Hotel and Casino

Built in 1991, the Par-A-Dice Casino and Hotel sits on the banks of the Illinois River in East Peoria.
Built in 1991, the Par-A-Dice Casino and Hotel sits on the banks of the Illinois River in East Peoria.

Opened in 1991 in Peoria, the Par-a-Dice Hotel and Casino now operates out of East Peoria, where it employs 615 people.

If you go: Par-A-Dice: A Vegas-style experience on a true riverboat

18. Morton Industries

Braze operators David Smith, foreground, and Billy Atwater braze components together at Morton Industries on Commerce Drive in Morton.
Braze operators David Smith, foreground, and Billy Atwater braze components together at Morton Industries on Commerce Drive in Morton.

Specializing in tube and sheet metal fabrication and laser cutting, Morton Industries has 600 employees at its Morton facility.

Help wanted: Hamburgers and hot dogs join wages and benefits as job perks at a Morton company

19. Matcor

With two metal fabrication manufacturing locations in Morton, Matcor employs 520 people in the five-county region.

More: Students tour manufacturing plants

20. Ameren

An Ameren Illinois logo is seen on the back of a workers' shirt in a file photo.
An Ameren Illinois logo is seen on the back of a workers' shirt in a file photo.

The electricity and gas delivery company Ameren has 510 workers in Greater Peoria.

More: Think your Ameren energy bill was high last winter? Just wait for this summer

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: OSF HealthCare, Caterpillar are the biggest employers in Peoria metro