Iowa’s Unemployment Rate Remains at 3.2 Percent in August - Iowa Workforce Development (.gov)

Iowa Workforce Development Communications For Immediate Release Date: September 17, 2026 Contact: Jesse Dougherty Telephone: 515-725-5487 Email: [email protected] Printer Friendly Version of August 2026 Release (PDF) (156.59 KB) .pdf DES MOINES, IOWA – Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 3.2 percent in August, steady for the fourth consecutive month and down from a jobless rate of 3.5 percent one year ago. The U.S. unemployment rate also held steady at 4.1 percent. The total number of unemployed Iowans was 54,700 in August, unchanged from July. The total number of working Iowans decreased to 1,669,600 in August, largely due to Iowa workers leaving the workforce for retirement.