Posted 20 July, 2026
Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 3.2 percent in June, down from a jobless rate of 3.5 percent one year ago. The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 4.2 percent in June.
The total number of unemployed Iowans decreased to 55,200 in June from 56,100 in May.
The total number of working Iowans decreased to 1,674,300 in June. This figure is 1,700 lower than May and equal to the year-ago number. The labor force participation rate fell slightly to 67.3 percent in June from 67.4 percent in May.
“June’s report shows a continuation of slow-but-stable growth across Iowa’s economy,” said Beth Townsend, Executive Director of Iowa Workforce Development. “Significant new job gains last month in trade and financial industries were partially offset by pullbacks in manufacturing and professional and businesses services. But the state added 600 jobs overall thanks to small increases across a wide variety of industries. Meanwhile, Iowans searching for work continue to find new careers among the more than 58,000 open positions that are now posted on IowaWORKS.gov.”