Department of Numbers

Sioux City, Iowa Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Sioux City fell 0.0 percentage points in May 2023 to 2.4%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.3 percentage points lower than the Iowa rate. The unemployment rate in Sioux City peaked in April 2020 at 9.4% and is now 7.0 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 2.3% in February 2022, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.1 percentage points. You can also compare Sioux City unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate May 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
National 3.7% +0.3 +0.1
Iowa 2.7% 0.0 +0.3
Sioux City 2.4% 0.0 0.0
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with May 2023 data as June metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: Sioux City, Iowa, National

Sioux City, Iowa monthly unemployment rate chart

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

Sioux City, Iowa Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in Sioux City peaked in April 2020 at 8,576. There are now 6,275 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 2,146 in March 2022, the number of unemployed has now grown by 155.

Unemployed Persons May 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
Sioux City 2,301 -6 +39

Number of Unemployed Persons

Sioux City, Iowa Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate
Iowa
Unemployment Rate
Sioux City
Unemployment Rate
Sioux City
Unemployed
June
2023
3.6%
May
2023
3.7% 2.7% 2.4% 2,301
April
2023
3.4% 2.7% 2.4% 2,307
March
2023
3.5% 2.8% 2.5% 2,363
February
2023
3.6% 2.9% 2.6% 2,466
January
2023
3.4% 3.0% 2.7% 2,520
December
2022
3.5% 3.0% 2.8% 2,622
November
2022
3.6% 3.1% 2.8% 2,634
October
2022
3.7% 3.1% 2.8% 2,652
September
2022
3.5% 3.1% 2.8% 2,639
August
2022
3.7% 2.9% 2.8% 2,590
July
2022
3.5% 2.8% 2.7% 2,495

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.