Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa Job Growth

There were 320,600 jobs in Des Moines, Iowa in March 2012 according to the CES survey of employers. The CPS survey of households showed 294,642 employed persons for the month. Des Moines added 600 jobs in March 2012 according to the CES survey while the broader CPS measure of employment rose by 802 (Comparing CES and CPS employment numbers.). You can also compare Des Moines job growth to job growth in other cities.

Employment Survey	March 2012	Month/Month	Year/Year
CES	320,600	+600	+3,600
CPS	294,642	+802	-1,609

Note: The CPS survey data is now seasonally adjusted at the metropolitan level by with the new BLS SSA series.

Des Moines, Iowa Employment Changes

The chart below shows the monthly job growth for Des Moines as measured by the CES survey. To illustrate the trend, the 3 month moving average change in employment is shown in green. The CPS data is not shown since it is not seasonally adjusted at the metropolitan level.

CES Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

CPS Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

Total Employment for Des Moines, Iowa

CES employment for Des Moines peaked in June 2008 at 326,900. Since then 6,300 jobs have been lost in Des Moines according to the employer survey. From a trough of 314,000 in August 2010, Des Moines has gained 6,600 jobs according to CES employment figures.

CPS employment reached a maximum of 302,832 for Des Moines in February 2008. 8,190 jobs have been lost in Des Moines since then according to the household survey. From a February 2012 low of 293,840, Des Moines has added 802 jobs according to the CPS survey.

Employment: CES, CPS

Des Moines, Iowa Employment History

Date	CES Employment	CES Month/Month	CPS Employment	CPS Month/Month
March 2012	320,600	600	294,642	802
February 2012	320,000	1,200	293,840	-417
January 2012	318,800	-700	294,257	-866
December 2011	319,500	-300	295,123	-485
November 2011	319,800	-200	295,608	304
October 2011	320,000	1,700	295,304	-11
September 2011	318,300	-400	295,315	-662
August 2011	318,700	800	295,977	-469
July 2011	317,900	2,100	296,446	-218
June 2011	315,800	-1,700	296,664	-681
May 2011	317,500	-700	297,345	260
April 2011	318,200	1,200	297,085	834
March 2011	317,000	100	296,251	940