Department of Numbers

Iowa City, Iowa Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Iowa City fell 0.0 percentage points in January 2023 to 2.3%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.7 percentage points lower than the Iowa rate. The unemployment rate in Iowa City peaked in April 2020 at 9.5% and is now 7.2 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 2.2% in September 2022, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.1 percentage points. You can also compare Iowa City unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate January 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
National 3.4% -0.1 -0.6
Iowa 3.0% 0.0 +0.3
Iowa City 2.3% 0.0 -0.8
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with January 2023 data as February 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 9,315. There are now 7,013 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 2,198 in September 2022, the number of unemployed has now grown by 104. Iowa City employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Iowa City, Iowa) is also available.

Unemployed Persons January 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
Iowa City 2,302 -50 -680

Number of Unemployed Persons

Iowa City, Iowa Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate		 Iowa
Unemployment Rate		 Iowa City
Unemployment Rate		 Iowa City
Unemployed
February
2023		 3.6% — — —
January
2023		 3.4% 3.0% 2.3% 2,302
December
2022		 3.5% 3.0% 2.3% 2,352
November
2022		 3.6% 3.1% 2.3% 2,343
October
2022		 3.7% 3.1% 2.3% 2,252
September
2022		 3.5% 3.1% 2.2% 2,198
August
2022		 3.7% 2.9% 2.3% 2,240
July
2022		 3.5% 2.8% 2.3% 2,258
June
2022		 3.6% 2.6% 2.4% 2,360
May
2022		 3.6% 2.4% 2.5% 2,485
April
2022		 3.6% 2.3% 2.7% 2,630
March
2022		 3.6% 2.4% 2.9% 2,805

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. ↩

Data on deptofnumbers.com is for informational purposes only. No warranty or guarantee of accuracy is offered or implied. Nothing on this site constitutes investment advice. Contact [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or suggestions. Privacy policy.