How many jobs were added in last month?

Updated May. 22, 2026Refreshed monthly
Iowa gained 3,400 jobs in April 2026, ranking it 23rd among states in job growth. Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' state employment report, which tracks monthly job changes. Job numbers can swing month to month as local economies expand or contract, but over the past five years the state has averaged about 820 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.

+3.4K

month to month change in number of jobs (April 2026)

23rd

rank among states in monthly job growth (April 2026)
April 2026's gain of 3,400 jobs was the second consecutive month of positive job growth in Iowa. Monthly job growth was up from the 600 new jobs in March 2026.
During the latest five year period (May 2021 to April 2026), Iowa gained jobs in 35 out of 60 months. April 2026 had the 13th-highest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in February 2024 (+14,000) while job growth was weakest in January 2024 (-11,500).

There were 3,400 more jobs in April 2026 in Iowa than the previous month.

Monthly change in nonfarm employment, May 2021–April 2026, seasonally adjusted

Which Iowa sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in April 2026?

The three supersectors with the highest job growth in April 2026 were accommodation and food services, other services, and private educational services. Accommodation and food services added 1,600 jobs, more than the entire economy. Other services gained 600 jobs, while private educational services added 600. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.

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The health care and social assistance sector gained 300 jobs during April 2026.

Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Iowa (April 2026)

How does Iowa's job growth in 2026 compare to previous years?

In 2025, the state has lost an average of 1,400 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly decrease of 517, and the lowest since 2020. The 2025 average ranks as third-lowest in job growth since 2006.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 4,000 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 1,700 on average every month in 2013.

In 2025, Iowa lost an average of 1,400 jobs every month.

Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted

Job growth among eight metro areas primarily in Iowa during April 2026 ranged from a loss of 300 jobs in the Waterloo, IA area to a gain of 1,400 jobs in the Des Moines, IA area metro area.

Monthly job growth, by metro area

Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within Iowa

Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areaChange in jobs

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.