Posted 26 January, 2026
Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.5 percent in December, level with November and up slightly from 3.3 percent one year ago. The labor force participation rate increased to 67.7 percent in December, as Iowa gained 4,600 workers in comparison to the previous month. The participation rate was up from 67.6 percent in November and 66.9 percent one year ago. Meanwhile, the U.S. unemployment rate decreased to 4.4 percent.
The total number of unemployed Iowans decreased to 61,400 in December from 61,800 in November.
The total number of working Iowans rose to 1,688,700 in December. This figure is 5,000 higher than November and 27,300 higher than one year ago.
“December’s report shows that Iowa ended 2025 with 32,400 more workers than we had at the end of 2024,” said Beth Townsend, Executive Director of Iowa Workforce Development. “And the numbers show that 27,300 additional Iowans were able to successfully find jobs in 2025, which is consistent with the increases we’ve seen over the past two months in the labor force participation rate. With almost 50,000 open jobs on IowaWORKS.gov, there are still employers looking for their next great hire, and we can help you connect.”