Department of Numbers

Ames, Iowa Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Ames fell 0.5 percentage points in August 2020 to 4.2%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 1.8 percentage points lower than the Iowa rate. The unemployment rate in Ames peaked in April 2020 at 9.1% and is now 4.9 percentage points lower. You can also compare Ames unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate August 2020 Month/Month Year/Year
National 8.4% -1.8 +4.7
Iowa 6.0% -0.8 +3.2
Ames 4.2% -0.5 +2.3
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with August 2020 data as September 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 4,930. There are now 2,575 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. Ames employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Ames, Iowa) is also available.

Unemployed Persons August 2020 Month/Month Year/Year
Ames 2,355 -286 +1,228

Number of Unemployed Persons

Ames, Iowa Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate		 Iowa
Unemployment Rate		 Ames
Unemployment Rate		 Ames
Unemployed
September
2020		 7.9% — — —
August
2020		 8.4% 6.0% 4.2% 2,355
July
2020		 10.2% 6.8% 4.7% 2,641
June
2020		 11.1% 8.4% 5.6% 3,203
May
2020		 13.3% 10.2% 7.3% 4,023
April
2020		 14.7% 11.0% 9.1% 4,930
March
2020		 4.4% 3.3% 2.3% 1,352
February
2020		 3.5% 2.8% 2.0% 1,200
January
2020		 3.6% 2.8% 2.0% 1,189
December
2019		 3.5% 2.8% 2.0% 1,223
November
2019		 3.5% 2.8% 2.0% 1,198
October
2019		 3.6% 2.8% 2.0% 1,172

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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