Department of Numbers

Iowa Job Growth

There were 1,585,100 jobs in Iowa in October 2023 according to the CES survey of employers. The CPS survey of households showed 1,679,879 employed persons for the month. Iowa added 900 jobs in October 2023 according to the CES survey while the broader CPS employment measure fell by 8,278 (Comparing CES and CPS employment numbers.). Also available is Iowa job growth compared to other states.

Employment Survey October 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
CES 1,585,100 +900 +3,100
CPS 1,679,879 -8,278 +13,543

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 April 2023 for Iowa at 1,596,600. Since then 11,500 jobs have been lost in Iowa according to the employer survey. From a trough of 1,584,200 in September 2023, Iowa has gained 900 jobs according to CES employment figures.

CPS employment in Iowa reached a maximum of 1,702,985 in October 2019. 23,106 jobs have been lost in Iowa since then according to the household survey. From a April 2020 low of 1,508,098, Iowa has added 171,781 jobs according to the CPS survey.

Employment: CES, CPS

CES and CPS employment chart through October 2023

Iowa Employment History

Date CES
Employment
CES
Month/Month
CPS
Employment
CPS
Month/Month
October 2023 1,585,100 900 1,679,879 -8,278
September 2023 1,584,200 -1,500 1,688,157 -4,206
August 2023 1,585,700 100 1,692,363 -2,051
July 2023 1,585,600 -5,100 1,694,414 1,403
June 2023 1,590,700 -4,600 1,693,011 4,553
May 2023 1,595,300 -1,300 1,688,458 6,807
April 2023 1,596,600 3,500 1,681,651 6,076
March 2023 1,593,100 3,100 1,675,575 4,520
February 2023 1,590,000 0 1,671,055 1,166
January 2023 1,590,000 7,000 1,669,889 -471
December 2022 1,583,000 1,800 1,670,360 2,119
November 2022 1,581,200 -800 1,668,241 1,905