Department of Numbers

Iowa Job Growth

There were 1,496,300 jobs in Iowa in April 2012 according to the CES survey of employers. The CPS survey of households showed 1,578,182 employed persons for the month. Iowa added 5,800 jobs in April 2012 according to the CES survey while the broader CPS employment measure rose by 2,443 (Comparing CES and CPS employment numbers.). Also available is Iowa job growth compared to other states.

Employment Survey April 2012 Month/Month Year/Year
CES 1,496,300 +5,800 +18,100
CPS 1,578,182 +2,443 +12,066

Iowa Employment Changes

The charts below shows the monthly job growth for Iowa as measured by the CES and CPS surveys. To illustrate the trend, the 3 month moving average change in employment is shown in green.

CES Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

CPS Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

Total Employment in Iowa

CES employment peaked in May 2008 for Iowa at 1,528,400. Since then 32,100 jobs have been lost in Iowa according to the employer survey. From a trough of 1,462,900 in January 2010, Iowa has gained 33,400 jobs according to CES employment figures.

CPS employment in Iowa reached a maximum of 1,612,548 in February 2008. 34,366 jobs have been lost in Iowa since then according to the household survey. From a November 2009 low of 1,558,281, Iowa has added 19,901 jobs according to the CPS survey.

Employment: CES, CPS

CES and CPS employment chart through April 2012

Iowa Employment History

Date CES
Employment
CES
Month/Month
CPS
Employment
CPS
Month/Month
April 2012 1,496,300 5,800 1,578,182 2,443
March 2012 1,490,500 -1,600 1,575,739 -67
February 2012 1,492,100 7,300 1,575,806 -503
January 2012 1,484,800 4,200 1,576,309 3,058
December 2011 1,480,600 -1,700 1,573,251 3,346
November 2011 1,482,300 1,300 1,569,905 3,247
October 2011 1,481,000 3,100 1,566,658 3,678
September 2011 1,477,900 -3,700 1,562,980 2,445
August 2011 1,481,600 1,000 1,560,535 1,091
July 2011 1,480,600 8,900 1,559,444 -1,090
June 2011 1,471,700 -7,300 1,560,534 -2,487
May 2011 1,479,000 800 1,563,021 -3,095
April 2011 1,478,200 1,000 1,566,116 -2,013