March 16, 2026

The Free Enterprise Report is a marquis report that provides an objective, non-partisan, fact-based analysis of the Iowa economic landscape and the state’s most pressing issues. The study is a year long undertaking and includes the CSI Economic Performance Index as well as a Free Enterprise Competitiveness Index across eight different policy areas.

Both indices provide an opportunity to look backwards and better understand where Iowa has been and what direction we are moving. We can better understand how we are performing relative to other states and we can equip policy makers, civic and business leaders with the best understanding of how our state is performing, where we are winning, where we are losing and how free enterprise principles can get us back on track.

RECENT/RELATED RESEARCH

Jobs & Our Economy
Economic Impact of the Iowa State Fair 2026
Introduction Held from August 13-23, 2026, the Iowa State Fair welcomed 1,218,834 attendees this year, the most in its 172-year…

August 24, 2026


Andrzej Wieciorkowski
Jobs & Our Economy
Iowa Jobs and Labor Force Update – July 2026
Summary Iowa shed 3,100 nonfarm jobs in July, with government employment falling by 2,100 and private-sector employment falling by 1,000.…

August 21, 2026


Andrzej Wieciorkowski
Jobs & Our Economy
Inflation in the Midwest – July 2026
All the data referenced in this report come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index (CPI) database.…

August 12, 2026


Andrzej Wieciorkowski
Taxes & Fees
Iowa Leads the Nation in Property Tax Relief: Ranking State Reforms of the Past Decade
Introduction In June 2026, CSI evaluated the impact the state’s recent property tax reforms would have on Iowa’s local tax…

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