Department of Numbers

Iowa City, Iowa Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Iowa City rose 0.1 percentage points in November 2023 to 2.7%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.6 percentage points lower than the Iowa rate. The unemployment rate in Iowa City peaked in April 2020 at 9.7% and is now 7.0 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 2.1% in April 2022, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.6 percentage points. You can also compare Iowa City unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate November 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
National 3.7% -0.1 +0.1
Iowa 3.3% +0.1 +0.2
Iowa City 2.7% +0.1 +0.3
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with November 2023 data as December metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: Iowa City, Iowa, National

Iowa City, Iowa monthly unemployment rate chart

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

Iowa City, Iowa Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in Iowa City peaked in April 2020 at 9,335. There are now 6,655 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 2,072 in May 2022, the number of unemployed has now grown by 608. Iowa City employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Iowa City, Iowa) is also available.

Unemployed Persons November 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
Iowa City 2,680 +43 +253

Number of Unemployed Persons

Iowa City, Iowa Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate		 Iowa
Unemployment Rate		 Iowa City
Unemployment Rate		 Iowa City
Unemployed
December
2023		 3.7% — — —
November
2023		 3.7% 3.3% 2.7% 2,680
October
2023		 3.8% 3.2% 2.6% 2,637
September
2023		 3.8% 3.0% 2.5% 2,510
August
2023		 3.8% 2.9% 2.4% 2,416
July
2023		 3.5% 2.7% 2.3% 2,292
June
2023		 3.6% 2.7% 2.3% 2,261
May
2023		 3.7% 2.7% 2.3% 2,270
April
2023		 3.4% 2.7% 2.3% 2,293
March
2023		 3.5% 2.8% 2.3% 2,327
February
2023		 3.6% 2.9% 2.4% 2,372
January
2023		 3.4% 3.0% 2.4% 2,376

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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