Midwest Information Office

Ames

Title	BLS Subject	Product Type	Date Published
	AllEmploymentUnemploymentPay
Midwest Economy - Labor Force Statistics	Employment, Unemployment	Table	May 2026
Occupational Employment and Wages in Ames — May 2024	Employment, Pay	News Release	Apr 2025

Ames, IA Economy at a Glance:

Ames, IA

Data Series	Back Data	Oct 2025	Nov 2025	Dec 2025	Jan 2026	Feb 2026	Mar 2026
Labor Force Data
Civilian Labor Force(1)		(2)-	72.2	(p)71.6	70.0	(p)70.9
Employment(1)		(2)-	70.4	(p)69.8	67.7	(p)68.8
Unemployment(1)		(2)-	1.8	(p)1.7	2.3	(p)2.1
Unemployment Rate(3)		(2)-	2.5	(p)2.4	3.2	(p)3.0
Nonfarm Wage and Salary Employment
Total Nonfarm(4)		64.1	64.1	63.6	61.6	62.7	(p)62.7
12-month % change		-2.3	-2.7	-2.6	-0.5	-2.0	(p)-1.7
Mining and Logging(4)		0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	(p)0.1
12-month % change		0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	(p)0.0
Construction(4)		2.7	2.7	2.6	2.5	2.4	(p)2.5
12-month % change		0.0	0.0	0.0	8.7	4.3	(p)0.0
Manufacturing(4)		5.3	5.3	5.3	5.3	5.3	(p)5.3
12-month % change		-3.6	-3.6	-3.6	-1.9	-1.9	(p)-1.9
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities(4)		9.2	9.3	9.2	9.0	9.1	(p)8.9
12-month % change		-3.2	-3.1	-4.2	-3.2	-2.2	(p)-3.3
Information(4)		0.8	0.8	0.8	0.7	0.7	(p)0.7
12-month % change		0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	-12.5	(p)0.0
Financial Activities(4)		2.1	2.1	2.1	2.1	2.1	(p)2.1
12-month % change		0.0	0.0	0.0	5.0	5.0	(p)5.0
Professional and Business Services(4)		5.6	5.5	5.4	5.4	5.4	(p)5.4
12-month % change		-3.4	-5.2	-3.6	0.0	-1.8	(p)-1.8
Education and Health Services(4)		6.3	6.3	6.3	6.3	6.3	(p)6.3
12-month % change		1.6	0.0	0.0	1.6	0.0	(p)0.0
Leisure and Hospitality(4)		5.8	5.8	5.6	5.2	5.3	(p)5.3
12-month % change		-6.5	-4.9	-6.7	-1.9	-7.0	(p)-3.6
Other Services(4)		1.6	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.5	(p)1.5
12-month % change		0.0	-6.3	-6.3	0.0	-6.3	(p)-6.3
Government(4)		24.6	24.7	24.7	23.5	24.5	(p)24.6
12-month % change		-2.0	-2.4	-1.6	-0.8	-2.0	(p)-1.6
Footnotes (1) Number of persons, in thousands, not seasonally adjusted. (2) Data unavailable due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations. (3) In percent, not seasonally adjusted. (4) Number of jobs, in thousands, not seasonally adjusted. See About the data. (p) Preliminary