DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa State Capital Bureau) - Iowa’s unemployment rate is rising faster than the national average, according to the delayed figures released on Wednesday by Iowa Workforce Development. The information is based on September’s data, which just became public after getting delayed by the partial federal government shutdown.

Iowa’s September unemployment rate stood at 3.7%, which is an increase of 0.4% from September 2024. Meantime, the U.S. unemployment rate rose from 4.1% to 4.4% over that year period.

The number of unemployed Iowans increased 8,400 from September 2024 to September 2025.

Manufacturing has suffered the most losses over the period. Mass layoffs at John Deere, Kinze Manufacturing, and Bridgestone Firestone show the continued challenges in agricultu

See Full Page