Department of Numbers

Ames, Iowa Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Ames fell 0.5 percentage points in November 2021 to 2.0%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 1.7 percentage points lower than the Iowa rate. The unemployment rate in Ames peaked in April 2020 at 8.5% and is now 6.5 percentage points lower. You can also compare Ames unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate November 2021 Month/Month Year/Year
National 4.2% -0.4 -2.5
Iowa 3.7% -0.2 -0.2
Ames 2.0% -0.5 -0.7
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with November 2021 data as December metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: Ames, Iowa, National

Ames, Iowa monthly unemployment rate chart

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

Ames, Iowa Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in Ames peaked in April 2020 at 4,899. There are now 3,779 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. Ames employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Ames, Iowa) is also available.

Unemployed Persons November 2021 Month/Month Year/Year
Ames 1,120 -254 -341

Number of Unemployed Persons

Ames, Iowa Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate		 Iowa
Unemployment Rate		 Ames
Unemployment Rate		 Ames
Unemployed
December
2021		 3.9% — — —
November
2021		 4.2% 3.7% 2.0% 1,120
October
2021		 4.6% 3.9% 2.5% 1,374
September
2021		 4.7% 4.0% 2.4% 1,341
August
2021		 5.2% 4.1% 2.9% 1,648
July
2021		 5.4% 4.1% 3.0% 1,650
June
2021		 5.9% 4.0% 3.0% 1,669
May
2021		 5.8% 3.9% 3.0% 1,672
April
2021		 6.0% 3.8% 3.0% 1,660
March
2021		 6.0% 3.7% 3.1% 1,668
February
2021		 6.2% 3.7% 3.1% 1,679
January
2021		 6.4% 3.6% 2.6% 1,373

1. Metro area unemployment rates are now seasonally adjusted. The BLS has started publishing smoothed seasonally adjusted metropolitan area data which makes comparisons to state and national data more relevant than the unadjusted numbers. ↩

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