Business Employment Dynamics in Iowa — Fourth Quarter 2025

From September 2025 to December 2025, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in Iowa were 81,954, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 70,010, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment gain of 11,944 jobs in the private sector during the fourth quarter of 2025. (See table 1.) During the previous quarter, gross job losses exceeded gross job gains by 15,174. (See chart 1.)

Chart 1 is a line chart of private-sector gross job gains and losses in Iowa from December 2020–December 2025. Data are seasonally adjusted. An accessible version is available in the View Chart Data link below the chart.

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses in Iowa, December 2020–December 2025, seasonally adjusted
Period	Gross job gains	Gross job losses
Dec 2020	84,446	62,913
Mar 2021	77,701	68,821
Jun 2021	75,599	76,313
Sep 2021	79,077	75,879
Dec 2021	84,403	67,802
Mar 2022	83,629	68,991
Jun 2022	76,900	79,619
Sep 2022	76,404	76,973
Dec 2022	83,494	80,880
Mar 2023	80,253	70,732
Jun 2023	79,331	77,797
Sep 2023	73,571	76,104
Dec 2023	79,609	74,854
Mar 2024	80,955	74,569
Jun 2024	73,223	75,463
Sep 2024	68,302	78,242
Dec 2024	73,268	73,301
Mar 2025	75,001	71,372
Jun 2025	73,435	76,285
Sep 2025	62,023	77,197
Dec 2025	81,954	70,010

The change in the number of jobs over time is the net result of increases and decreases in employment that occur at all private businesses in the economy. Business Employment Dynamics (BED) statistics track these changes in employment at private-sector establishments from the third month of one quarter to the third month of the next. The difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses is the net change in employment. (See the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.)

Gross job gains

In the fourth quarter of 2025, gross job gains represented 6.3 percent of private-sector employment in Iowa; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.9 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 2.) Gross job gains are the sum of increases in employment due to expansions at existing establishments and the addition of new jobs at opening establishments. In Iowa, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 62,048 in the fourth quarter of 2025, an increase of 7,581 jobs compared to the previous quarter. Opening establishments accounted for 19,906 jobs gained in the fourth quarter of 2025, an increase of 12,350 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Private-sector gross job gains as a percent of employment, United States and Iowa, December 2020–December 2025, seasonally adjusted
Period	Iowa	United States
Dec 2020	6.8	7.4
Mar 2021	6.2	7.0
Jun 2021	6.0	6.8
Sep 2021	6.2	7.3
Dec 2021	6.6	7.7
Mar 2022	6.5	6.7
Jun 2022	5.9	6.5
Sep 2022	5.9	6.9
Dec 2022	6.4	6.3
Mar 2023	6.1	6.3
Jun 2023	6.0	6.2
Sep 2023	5.6	5.9
Dec 2023	6.1	6.0
Mar 2024	6.2	5.9
Jun 2024	5.6	5.8
Sep 2024	5.3	5.8
Dec 2024	5.6	5.9
Mar 2025	5.8	5.6
Jun 2025	5.6	5.7
Sep 2025	4.8	5.6
Dec 2025	6.3	5.9

Gross job losses

In the fourth quarter of 2025, gross job losses represented 5.4 percent of private-sector employment in Iowa; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.5 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 3.) Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing establishments and the loss of jobs at closing establishments. In Iowa, contracting establishments lost 57,285 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2025, a decrease of 3,711 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 12,725 jobs, a decrease of 3,476 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 3. Private-sector gross job losses as a percent of employment, United States and Iowa, December 2020–December 2025, seasonally adjusted
Period	United States	Iowa
Dec 2020	5.7	5.1
Mar 2021	5.5	5.5
Jun 2021	5.9	6.0
Sep 2021	6.0	6.1
Dec 2021	5.4	5.4
Mar 2022	5.5	5.4
Jun 2022	6.2	6.2
Sep 2022	5.9	5.9
Dec 2022	5.9	6.2
Mar 2023	5.5	5.4
Jun 2023	5.9	5.9
Sep 2023	5.9	5.8
Dec 2023	5.7	5.7
Mar 2024	5.5	5.7
Jun 2024	5.9	5.8
Sep 2024	5.8	6.0
Dec 2024	5.7	5.6
Mar 2025	5.4	5.5
Jun 2025	6.0	5.8
Sep 2025	5.7	5.9
Dec 2025	5.5	5.4

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 9 of the 10 published industry sectors in Iowa in the fourth quarter of 2025. Leisure and hospitality had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 3,345 jobs. This was the result of 16,032 gross job gains and 12,687 gross job losses. The construction industry had a net gain of 2,969 jobs. Retail trade showed a net loss of 994 jobs, the only sector reporting job losses in the state.

For more information

The BED data series includes gross job gains and gross job losses by industry subsector, for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, as well as gross job gains and gross job losses at the firm level by employer size class. BED data for the states have been included in table 2 of this release. Additional information is available online at the Business Employment Dynamics homepage and the Business Employment Dynamics Summary.

The Business Employment Dynamics for First Quarter 2026 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. (CT).

Revisions to Business Employment Dynamics (BED) Data

The release of First Quarter 2026 Business Employment Dynamics data, scheduled for October 28, 2026, will incorporate annual revisions in accordance with standard procedures. The revisions will include the previous four quarters of not seasonally adjusted data and five years of seasonally adjusted data.

Technical Note

The Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data are a product of a federal-state cooperative program known as Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). The BED data are compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) from existing QCEW records.

More information on formal definitions of the data used in this release, along with coverage, concepts, and methodology, can be found in the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

Table 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses by industry, Iowa, seasonally adjusted
Category	Gross job gains and losses (3 months ended)					Gross job gains and losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
Category	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	June 2025	Sept. 2025	Dec. 2025	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	June 2025	Sept. 2025	Dec. 2025
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	73,268	75,001	73,435	62,023	81,954	5.6	5.8	5.6	4.8	6.3
At expanding establishments	57,403	59,599	60,202	54,467	62,048	4.4	4.6	4.6	4.2	4.8
At opening establishments	15,865	15,402	13,233	7,556	19,906	1.2	1.2	1.0	0.6	1.5
Gross job losses	73,301	71,372	76,285	77,197	70,010	5.6	5.5	5.8	5.9	5.4
At contracting establishments	61,448	58,608	64,109	60,996	57,285	4.7	4.5	4.9	4.7	4.4
At closing establishments	11,853	12,764	12,176	16,201	12,725	0.9	1.0	0.9	1.2	1.0
Net employment change (2)	-33	3,629	-2,850	-15,174	11,944	0.0	0.3	-0.2	-1.1	0.9
Construction
Gross job gains	7,217	9,209	7,761	7,780	10,949	8.7	10.8	9.1	9.4	12.9
At expanding establishments	5,809	7,090	6,559	6,944	7,941	7.0	8.3	7.7	8.4	9.4
At opening establishments	1,408	2,119	1,202	836	3,008	1.7	2.5	1.4	1.0	3.5
Gross job losses	7,868	7,369	7,944	7,805	7,980	9.5	8.6	9.3	9.4	9.4
At contracting establishments	6,417	6,178	6,754	5,811	6,501	7.7	7.2	7.9	7.0	7.7
At closing establishments	1,451	1,191	1,190	1,994	1,479	1.8	1.4	1.4	2.4	1.7
Net employment change (2)	-651	1,840	-183	-25	2,969	-0.8	2.2	-0.2	0.0	3.5
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	5,440	7,362	5,610	3,787	5,966	2.5	3.4	2.6	1.7	2.8
At expanding establishments	4,983	6,925	5,174	3,690	5,278	2.3	3.2	2.4	1.7	2.5
At opening establishments	457	437	436	97	688	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.0	0.3
Gross job losses	8,228	7,127	6,796	6,932	5,091	3.8	3.3	3.1	3.2	2.4
At contracting establishments	7,818	6,685	5,717	6,479	4,447	3.6	3.1	2.6	3.0	2.1
At closing establishments	410	442	1,079	453	644	0.2	0.2	0.5	0.2	0.3
Net employment change (2)	-2,788	235	-1,186	-3,145	875	-1.3	0.1	-0.5	-1.5	0.4
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	3,323	3,420	2,765	2,535	3,229	5.0	5.1	4.1	3.8	4.9
At expanding establishments	2,686	2,751	2,281	2,172	2,693	4.0	4.1	3.4	3.3	4.1
At opening establishments	637	669	484	363	536	1.0	1.0	0.7	0.5	0.8
Gross job losses	2,822	3,423	3,412	3,408	2,876	4.2	5.1	5.1	5.2	4.4
At contracting establishments	2,344	2,889	2,841	2,875	2,346	3.5	4.3	4.2	4.4	3.6
At closing establishments	478	534	571	533	530	0.7	0.8	0.9	0.8	0.8
Net employment change (2)	501	-3	-647	-873	353	0.8	0.0	-1.0	-1.4	0.5
Retail trade
Gross job gains	8,029	8,651	7,972	8,053	7,877	4.7	5.0	4.6	4.6	4.6
At expanding establishments	7,050	7,745	6,974	7,503	6,410	4.1	4.5	4.0	4.3	3.7
At opening establishments	979	906	998	550	1,467	0.6	0.5	0.6	0.3	0.9
Gross job losses	8,752	7,542	9,548	8,950	8,871	5.1	4.4	5.5	5.2	5.2
At contracting establishments	7,868	6,694	8,507	7,580	7,823	4.6	3.9	4.9	4.4	4.6
At closing establishments	884	848	1,041	1,370	1,048	0.5	0.5	0.6	0.8	0.6
Net employment change (2)	-723	1,109	-1,576	-897	-994	-0.4	0.6	-0.9	-0.6	-0.6
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	4,787	2,860	5,446	3,125	5,215	7.6	4.5	8.7	5.0	8.2
At expanding establishments	3,042	2,182	5,020	2,954	4,426	4.8	3.4	8.0	4.7	7.0
At opening establishments	1,745	678	426	171	789	2.8	1.1	0.7	0.3	1.2
Gross job losses	3,098	3,874	6,174	3,986	3,420	4.9	6.1	9.8	6.3	5.4
At contracting establishments	2,472	3,343	5,728	3,399	2,822	3.9	5.3	9.1	5.4	4.5
At closing establishments	626	531	446	587	598	1.0	0.8	0.7	0.9	0.9
Net employment change (2)	1,689	-1,014	-728	-861	1,795	2.7	-1.6	-1.1	-1.3	2.8
Financial activities
Gross job gains	3,481	3,589	3,958	3,101	3,756	3.3	3.4	3.8	3.0	3.6
At expanding establishments	2,570	2,809	3,150	2,514	2,691	2.4	2.7	3.0	2.4	2.6
At opening establishments	911	780	808	587	1,065	0.9	0.7	0.8	0.6	1.0
Gross job losses	3,567	3,856	4,067	4,260	3,590	3.4	3.7	3.9	4.1	3.4
At contracting establishments	2,752	3,029	3,033	3,324	2,746	2.6	2.9	2.9	3.2	2.6
At closing establishments	815	827	1,034	936	844	0.8	0.8	1.0	0.9	0.8
Net employment change (2)	-86	-267	-109	-1,159	166	-0.1	-0.3	-0.1	-1.1	0.2
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	9,311	9,033	10,202	8,944	11,169	6.4	6.4	7.1	6.3	7.8
At expanding establishments	6,408	6,674	7,733	7,426	7,871	4.4	4.7	5.4	5.2	5.5
At opening establishments	2,903	2,359	2,469	1,518	3,298	2.0	1.7	1.7	1.1	2.3
Gross job losses	11,034	9,229	9,504	10,823	10,342	7.7	6.5	6.6	7.6	7.3
At contracting establishments	8,646	7,090	7,457	7,665	7,801	6.0	5.0	5.2	5.4	5.5
At closing establishments	2,388	2,139	2,047	3,158	2,541	1.7	1.5	1.4	2.2	1.8
Net employment change (2)	-1,723	-196	698	-1,879	827	-1.3	-0.1	0.5	-1.3	0.5
Education and health services
Gross job gains	11,540	10,234	9,951	9,383	11,406	5.3	4.6	4.5	4.2	5.1
At expanding establishments	9,180	8,458	7,796	8,486	8,707	4.2	3.8	3.5	3.8	3.9
At opening establishments	2,360	1,776	2,155	897	2,699	1.1	0.8	1.0	0.4	1.2
Gross job losses	9,451	9,456	9,699	9,440	9,213	4.3	4.3	4.4	4.3	4.1
At contracting establishments	7,648	7,505	8,421	7,493	7,360	3.5	3.4	3.8	3.4	3.3
At closing establishments	1,803	1,951	1,278	1,947	1,853	0.8	0.9	0.6	0.9	0.8
Net employment change (2)	2,089	778	252	-57	2,193	1.0	0.3	0.1	-0.1	1.0
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	14,363	15,322	14,151	10,224	16,032	10.1	10.6	9.8	7.2	11.2
At expanding establishments	11,234	11,100	11,063	8,352	11,565	7.9	7.7	7.7	5.9	8.1
At opening establishments	3,129	4,222	3,088	1,872	4,467	2.2	2.9	2.1	1.3	3.1
Gross job losses	13,080	13,560	13,135	15,644	12,687	9.2	9.5	9.1	10.9	8.9
At contracting establishments	10,895	10,440	11,001	12,178	10,642	7.7	7.3	7.6	8.5	7.5
At closing establishments	2,185	3,120	2,134	3,466	2,045	1.5	2.2	1.5	2.4	1.4
Net employment change (2)	1,283	1,762	1,016	-5,420	3,345	0.9	1.1	0.7	-3.7	2.3
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	2,723	2,764	2,651	2,513	2,999	6.8	6.8	6.6	6.2	7.5
At expanding establishments	2,091	2,066	2,099	2,096	2,073	5.2	5.1	5.2	5.2	5.2
At opening establishments	632	698	552	417	926	1.6	1.7	1.4	1.0	2.3
Gross job losses	2,555	2,694	2,473	3,080	2,746	6.3	6.7	6.1	7.8	6.9
At contracting establishments	2,137	2,161	1,983	2,099	2,069	5.3	5.4	4.9	5.3	5.2
At closing establishments	418	533	490	981	677	1.0	1.3	1.2	2.5	1.7
Net employment change (2)	168	70	178	-567	253	0.5	0.1	0.5	-1.6	0.6
Footnotes: (1) Includes unclassified sector not shown separately. (2) The net employment change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses. (3) Except public administration.

Table 2. Private-sector gross job gains and losses as a percent of total employment by state, seasonally adjusted
Category	Gross job gains as a percent of employment (3 months ended)					Gross job losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
Category	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	June 2025	Sept. 2025	Dec. 2025	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	June 2025	Sept. 2025	Dec. 2025
United States(1)	5.9	5.6	5.7	5.6	5.9	5.7	5.4	6.0	5.7	5.5
Alabama	5.8	5.3	5.5	5.4	6.1	5.3	5.6	5.6	5.5	5.4
Alaska	10.3	10.0	9.9	7.5	11.8	9.5	8.1	10.3	10.0	9.3
Arizona	6.1	5.8	5.3	5.8	5.7	5.9	5.3	6.3	5.5	5.4
Arkansas	5.8	5.1	5.1	5.3	6.0	4.8	5.1	5.5	5.3	5.0
California	6.7	6.0	6.6	6.2	6.8	6.4	6.2	6.7	6.0	6.1
Colorado	6.2	6.2	6.4	6.5	6.2	6.5	6.8	7.1	6.5	6.4
Connecticut	5.5	5.6	5.8	5.3	5.5	5.5	5.3	5.8	5.9	5.5
Delaware	6.1	5.9	5.9	5.3	5.5	6.3	5.3	6.1	6.1	5.5
District of Columbia	5.0	4.8	5.7	4.6	5.2	5.5	5.8	5.9	5.9	5.0
Florida	6.0	5.8	5.7	5.9	5.9	6.2	5.5	5.8	6.0	5.7
Georgia	6.0	5.5	5.5	5.7	5.9	5.4	5.7	5.6	5.8	5.5
Hawaii	5.3	4.9	4.8	5.1	5.0	5.0	5.0	5.2	4.8	4.7
Idaho	8.2	7.3	7.7	6.7	8.1	6.8	7.3	7.2	7.6	6.3
Illinois	5.1	5.0	5.2	4.7	5.3	5.1	5.0	5.2	5.0	5.3
Indiana	5.5	5.4	5.0	5.1	5.5	5.1	5.2	5.6	5.1	5.1
Iowa	5.6	5.8	5.6	4.8	6.3	5.6	5.5	5.8	5.9	5.4
Kansas	5.9	5.5	5.4	5.8	5.7	5.2	5.4	6.3	5.8	5.3
Kentucky	5.3	5.2	5.0	5.3	5.2	5.5	4.8	5.4	5.6	5.0
Louisiana	6.2	5.6	5.5	5.9	6.0	5.5	5.6	6.3	6.0	5.9
Maine	7.0	7.4	7.2	6.2	6.8	7.1	6.3	7.4	7.0	7.0
Maryland	6.0	5.9	5.7	5.7	6.0	5.9	5.7	6.2	6.5	5.6
Massachusetts	5.3	5.0	5.5	5.3	5.4	5.5	5.1	5.8	5.9	5.6
Michigan	5.4	5.2	5.8	4.9	5.6	5.9	5.3	5.5	5.9	5.3
Minnesota	5.5	5.1	5.8	5.3	5.6	5.1	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.5
Mississippi	6.3	5.7	6.3	6.4	6.4	6.2	6.1	6.5	6.1	5.8
Missouri	5.7	5.4	5.5	5.6	6.1	5.3	5.2	6.1	5.9	5.5
Montana	8.4	8.0	7.7	7.0	8.4	7.8	7.5	8.3	7.9	7.4
Nebraska	5.6	5.2	5.4	5.5	5.7	5.5	5.3	5.5	5.8	5.2
Nevada	6.1	5.4	6.2	6.9	6.2	5.6	5.9	6.3	5.2	5.4
New Hampshire	6.3	6.5	6.3	5.6	6.2	5.9	6.1	6.7	6.8	5.7
New Jersey	6.0	5.6	5.8	5.3	5.7	5.5	5.4	5.5	5.8	5.3
New Mexico	6.1	5.9	5.9	5.8	6.1	5.9	5.8	6.0	6.2	6.0
New York	5.7	6.6	5.9	5.9	5.6	5.5	5.0	7.0	5.8	5.6
North Carolina	6.1	5.4	5.6	5.4	6.0	5.5	5.5	5.4	5.7	5.1
North Dakota	6.5	6.7	6.4	6.2	6.9	6.6	6.5	6.7	6.6	6.4
Ohio	5.4	5.2	5.3	5.1	5.3	5.1	4.9	5.4	5.3	5.0
Oklahoma	6.0	5.5	5.5	6.0	6.2	5.5	5.3	6.2	6.4	5.1
Oregon	6.2	5.8	6.4	5.7	6.0	6.6	6.2	6.5	6.7	6.0
Pennsylvania	5.2	5.0	4.9	5.0	5.1	4.8	4.7	5.2	5.2	4.7
Rhode Island	7.3	6.6	6.3	6.0	6.6	6.3	5.9	6.7	6.7	6.2
South Carolina	6.4	6.1	5.8	6.3	6.7	5.9	5.5	6.6	6.5	5.5
South Dakota	6.7	6.2	6.0	5.9	6.0	5.9	6.5	6.1	6.0	5.6
Tennessee	5.5	5.4	5.1	5.7	6.2	6.2	5.1	5.9	5.2	5.2
Texas	5.8	5.1	5.2	5.3	5.6	5.2	5.1	5.4	5.3	4.9
Utah	6.8	6.6	6.6	6.7	6.5	6.3	6.0	6.6	6.4	6.1
Vermont	6.7	6.9	6.9	6.6	6.9	6.7	6.8	7.5	7.8	7.0
Virginia	5.8	5.6	5.8	5.9	5.8	5.5	5.1	5.8	6.1	5.1
Washington	5.8	5.7	6.0	5.2	5.6	5.7	5.5	5.4	5.6	5.3
West Virginia	6.5	6.4	5.5	5.8	5.9	6.1	5.7	6.3	6.0	6.0
Wisconsin	5.3	5.0	5.3	4.9	5.6	5.2	4.9	5.5	5.6	5.1
Wyoming	8.9	8.1	8.3	7.7	9.0	8.3	8.7	8.9	8.4	8.0
Puerto Rico	4.3	6.3	7.0	5.4	4.4	5.4	5.4	6.1	5.7	5.2
Virgin Islands	5.2	5.4	15.0	7.1	9.1	10.8	7.6	9.5	8.4	7.2
Footnotes (1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Last Modified Date: Thursday, August 06, 2026

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Business Employment Dynamics in Iowa — Fourth Quarter 2025