Iowa released unemployment numbers for the month of December, and the unemployment rate dropped to 3.2% percent, which contrasts with the U.S. unemployment rate at 3.7%. A total of 56,000 Iowans claimed to be unemployed, and the number working Iowans dropped to 1,665,000 in the state.
Totals from Iowa Workforce Development:
| Employment and Unemployment in Iowa, Seasonally Adjusted Data | |||||
| Change from | |||||
| December | November | December | November | December | |
| 2023 | 2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| Civilian labor force | 1,720,800 | 1,729,300 | 1,722,700 | -8,500 | -1,900 |
| Unemployment | 55,800 | 57,200 | 52,300 | -1,400 | 3,500 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.2% | 3.3% | 3.0% | -0.1 | 0.2 |
| Employment | 1,665,000 | 1,672,100 | 1,670,400 | -7,100 | -5,400 |
| Labor Force Participation Rate | 67.7% | 68.1% | 68.2% | -0.4 | -0.5 |
| U.S. unemployment rate | 3.7% | 3.7% | 3.5% | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Nonfarm Employment in Iowa, Seasonally Adjusted Data | |||||
| Total Nonfarm Employment | 1,593,200 | 1,591,100 | 1,583,000 | 2,100 | 10,200 |
| Mining | 2,300 | 2,200 | 2,400 | 100 | -100 |
| Construction | 85,300 | 83,900 | 82,300 | 1,400 | 3,000 |
| Manufacturing | 229,000 | 227,900 | 224,200 | 1,100 | 4,800 |
| Trade, transportation and utilities | 309,700 | 310,500 | 311,700 | -800 | -2,000 |
| Information | 19,800 | 19,600 | 19,100 | 200 | 700 |
| Financial activities | 106,300 | 106,200 | 108,700 | 100 | -2,400 |
| Professional and business services | 137,900 | 138,000 | 145,400 | -100 | -7,500 |
| Education and health services | 241,400 | 241,400 | 233,300 | 0 | 8,100 |
| Leisure and hospitality | 142,700 | 141,900 | 140,900 | 800 | 1,800 |
| Other services | 56,600 | 57,200 | 56,500 | -600 | 100 |
| Government | 262,200 | 262,300 | 258,500 | -100 | 3,700 |
| Above Data Subject to Revision | |||||
| Unemployment Insurance Claims for Iowa | |||||
| % Change from | |||||
| December | November | December | November | December | |
| 2023 | 2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| Initial claims | 22,709 | 12,770 | 20,138 | 77.8% | 12.8% |
| Continued claims | |||||
| Benefit recipients | 13,425 | 9,617 | 17,037 | 39.6% | -21.2% |
| Weeks paid | 39,181 | 29,381 | 55,721 | 33.4% | -29.7% |
| Amount paid | $19,749,006 | $14,785,708 | $26,174,948 | 33.6% | -24.5% |
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On the other side of the Mississippi River, unemployment rates in Illinois rose in December to 4.8%, which is a 0.1% increase from November. That total is a little over one point higher than the national rate. The number of unemployed workers in Illinois rose to 310,000.
Totals from Illinois Department of Employment Security:
- Monthly 2018-2022 seasonally adjusted labor force data for Illinois, and all other states, have been revised as required by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The monthly historical revisions to state labor force estimates reflect new national benchmark controls, state working-age population controls, outlier specifications, seasonal factors, as well as updated total nonfarm jobs and unemployment benefits claims inputs. Illinois labor force data were also smoothed to eliminate large monthly changes as a result of volatility in the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) and national benchmarking. For these reasons, the comments and tables citing unemployment rates in previous news releases/materials may no longer be valid.
- Monthly seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for Illinois and the Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metropolitan Division are available here.
- Monthly 1990-2022 seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment data for Illinois have been revised. To control for potential survey error, the estimates are benchmarked annually to universal counts derived primarily from unemployment insurance tax reports.
- Not seasonally adjusted jobs data with industry detail are available here. “Other Services” include activities in three broad categories: personal and laundry; repair and maintenance; and religious, grant making, civic and professional organizations. Seasonally adjusted data for subsectors within industries are not available.
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