Department of Numbers

Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa Job Growth

There were 394,200 jobs in Des Moines, Iowa in January 2023 according to the CES survey of employers. The CPS survey of households showed 363,213 employed persons for the month. Des Moines added 3,400 jobs in January 2023 according to the CES survey while the broader CPS measure of employment rose by 2,134 (Comparing CES and CPS employment numbers.). You can also compare Des Moines job growth to job growth in other cities.

Employment Survey January 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
CES 394,200 +3,400 +15,600
CPS 363,213 +2,134 +10,774

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 charts below show the monthly job growth for Des Moines 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 for Des Moines, Iowa

CES employment for Des Moines in January 2023 is at a new high of 394,200.

CPS employment reached a maximum of 364,218 for Des Moines in October 2019. 1,005 jobs have been lost in Des Moines since then according to the household survey. From a May 2020 low of 321,102, Des Moines has added 42,111 jobs according to the CPS survey.

Employment: CES, CPS

CES and CPS employment chart through January 2023

Des Moines, Iowa Employment History

Date CES
Employment
CES
Month/Month
CPS
Employment
CPS
Month/Month
January 2023 394,200 3,400 363,213 2,134
December 2022 390,800 2,400 361,079 -192
November 2022 388,400 -1,000 361,271 -477
October 2022 389,400 2,400 361,748 519
September 2022 387,000 2,000 361,229 886
August 2022 385,000 600 360,343 290
July 2022 384,400 900 360,053 274
June 2022 383,500 1,100 359,779 1,538
May 2022 382,400 -300 358,241 1,379
April 2022 382,700 300 356,862 1,416
March 2022 382,400 1,100 355,446 1,090
February 2022 381,300 2,700 354,356 1,917