Iowa Jobs and Labor Force Update – April 2026

May 22, 2026

Summary

Iowa gained 3,400 nonfarm jobs in April, with government employment growing by 300 and private-sector employment growing by 3,100. The BLS also revised March 2026 nonfarm employment upward by 1,100 jobs. Taken together, Iowa’s cumulative job growth so far in 2026 still marks the second lowest April print of the post-pandemic period. Over the past year, Iowa has shed 15,100 jobs (-0.9%), ranking 46th nationally in job growth rate—well below the national average of +0.2%. Despite weak annual growth, Iowa has the 10th-lowest unemployment rate in the nation at 3.3% and the 3rd-highest labor force participation rate at 67.5%.

Key Findings

• Iowa’s job growth rate ranks poorly over the last year. Iowa’s -0.9% nonfarm growth rate ranks 46th among all states over the last 12 months. The national average was 0.2%.
• Job growth rebounded in April. Iowa gained 3,400 total nonfarm jobs, led by leisure & hospitality, education & health services, and other services.
• Iowa has gained 2,300 jobs in the first four months of 2026. This is more than triple last year’s 700, but short of the 2,700 added by this point in 2024.
• Only 4 of Iowa’s 11 job sectors grew over the last year. Education & health services, construction, mining & logging, and other services grew, while all other sectors saw declines.

Download the report above for a PDF version of the full labor market.