Iowa City, Iowa Job Growth

There were 101,300 jobs in Iowa City, Iowa in May 2023 according to the CES survey of employers. The CPS survey of households showed 97,695 employed persons for the month. Iowa City added 300 jobs in May 2023 according to the CES survey while the broader CPS measure of employment rose by 159 (Comparing CES and CPS employment numbers.). You can also compare Iowa City job growth to job growth in other cities.

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

Iowa City, Iowa Employment Changes

The charts below show the monthly job growth for Iowa City 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 Iowa City, Iowa

CES employment for Iowa City peaked in December 2017 at 102,700. Since then 1,400 jobs have been lost in Iowa City according to the employer survey. From a trough of 90,100 in April 2020, Iowa City has gained 11,200 jobs according to CES employment figures.

CPS employment reached a maximum of 98,851 for Iowa City in February 2020. 1,156 jobs have been lost in Iowa City since then according to the household survey. From a April 2020 low of 87,039, Iowa City has added 10,656 jobs according to the CPS survey.

Employment: CES, CPS

Iowa City, Iowa Employment History