From September 2024 to December 2024, gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments in Iowa were 73,013, while gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments were 71,806, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Julie Wilson noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment loss of 1,207 jobs in the private sector during the fourth quarter of 2024. (See table 1.) During the previous quarter, gross job losses exceeded gross job gains by 11,405. (See chart 1.)

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 losses

In the fourth quarter of 2024, gross job losses represented 5.6 percent of private-sector employment in Iowa; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.7 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 2.) 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 60,702 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2024, a decrease of 3,995 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 12,311 jobs, a decrease of 1,898 jobs from the previous quarter.

Gross job gains

In the fourth quarter of 2024, gross job gains represented 5.5 percent of private-sector employment in Iowa; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.8 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 3.) 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 57,021 in the fourth quarter of 2024, an increase of 3,261 jobs compared to the previous quarter. Opening establishments accounted for 14,785 jobs gained in the fourth quarter of 2024, an increase of 1,044 jobs from the previous quarter.

Industries

Gross job losses exceeded gross job gains in 5 of the 10 published industry sectors in Iowa in the fourth quarter of 2024. Manufacturing had the largest over-the-quarter net job decrease, with a loss of 2,865 jobs. This was the result of 5,386 gross job gains and 8,251 gross job losses. The professional and business services industry had a net loss of 2,187 jobs. Education and health services showed a net gain of 1,876 jobs, followed by the transportation and warehousing industry sector, with a net gain of 1,799 jobs.

For more information

The BED data series include 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 2025 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

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.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

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)
	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	79,668	80,687	72,286	67,501	71,806	6.1	6.1	5.5	5.2	5.5
At expanding establishments	64,543	65,184	59,353	53,760	57,021	4.9	4.9	4.5	4.1	4.4
At opening establishments	15,125	15,503	12,933	13,741	14,785	1.2	1.2	1.0	1.1	1.1
Gross job losses	75,075	74,669	74,255	78,906	73,013	5.7	5.6	5.7	6.0	5.6
At contracting establishments	63,125	59,844	61,737	64,697	60,702	4.8	4.5	4.7	4.9	4.7
At closing establishments	11,950	14,825	12,518	14,209	12,311	0.9	1.1	1.0	1.1	0.9
Net employment change (2)	4,593	6,018	-1,969	-11,405	-1,207	0.4	0.5	-0.2	-0.8	-0.1
Construction
Gross job gains	8,855	10,801	7,025	6,021	7,131	10.6	12.2	8.1	7.3	8.6
At expanding establishments	6,756	8,933	5,920	4,614	5,729	8.1	10.1	6.8	5.6	6.9
At opening establishments	2,099	1,868	1,105	1,407	1,402	2.5	2.1	1.3	1.7	1.7
Gross job losses	7,594	6,957	8,678	8,321	7,756	9.1	7.8	9.9	10.0	9.4
At contracting establishments	6,244	5,685	7,045	6,577	6,370	7.5	6.4	8.0	7.9	7.7
At closing establishments	1,350	1,272	1,633	1,744	1,386	1.6	1.4	1.9	2.1	1.7
Net employment change (2)	1,261	3,844	-1,653	-2,300	-625	1.5	4.4	-1.8	-2.7	-0.8
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	5,912	7,046	5,686	4,814	5,386	2.7	3.1	2.5	2.2	2.5
At expanding establishments	5,552	6,573	5,358	4,005	4,936	2.5	2.9	2.4	1.8	2.3
At opening establishments	360	473	328	809	450	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.4	0.2
Gross job losses	7,377	6,983	6,482	8,469	8,251	3.2	3.1	2.9	3.8	3.7
At contracting establishments	7,079	6,179	6,062	7,883	7,783	3.1	2.7	2.7	3.5	3.5
At closing establishments	298	804	420	586	468	0.1	0.4	0.2	0.3	0.2
Net employment change (2)	-1,465	63	-796	-3,655	-2,865	-0.5	0.0	-0.4	-1.6	-1.2
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	3,910	3,218	3,016	2,647	3,257	5.7	4.7	4.4	3.9	4.8
At expanding establishments	3,291	2,767	2,326	2,192	2,622	4.8	4.0	3.4	3.2	3.9
At opening establishments	619	451	690	455	635	0.9	0.7	1.0	0.7	0.9
Gross job losses	2,949	2,786	3,567	3,458	2,795	4.3	4.1	5.3	5.2	4.2
At contracting establishments	2,324	2,239	3,042	2,806	2,289	3.4	3.3	4.5	4.2	3.4
At closing establishments	625	547	525	652	506	0.9	0.8	0.8	1.0	0.8
Net employment change (2)	961	432	-551	-811	462	1.4	0.6	-0.9	-1.3	0.6
Retail trade
Gross job gains	8,977	9,987	8,886	8,962	7,957	5.2	5.8	5.1	5.2	4.6
At expanding establishments	7,672	8,455	7,958	8,131	7,008	4.4	4.9	4.6	4.7	4.1
At opening establishments	1,305	1,532	928	831	949	0.8	0.9	0.5	0.5	0.5
Gross job losses	9,158	8,713	8,537	9,730	8,724	5.3	5.1	4.9	5.6	5.0
At contracting establishments	7,879	7,745	7,811	8,303	7,790	4.6	4.5	4.5	4.8	4.5
At closing establishments	1,279	968	726	1,427	934	0.7	0.6	0.4	0.8	0.5
Net employment change (2)	-181	1,274	349	-768	-767	-0.1	0.7	0.2	-0.4	-0.4
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	5,308	2,708	3,486	3,663	4,801	8.5	4.3	5.6	5.9	7.6
At expanding establishments	4,712	2,280	3,184	3,272	3,059	7.5	3.6	5.1	5.3	4.8
At opening establishments	596	428	302	391	1,742	1.0	0.7	0.5	0.6	2.8
Gross job losses	3,549	4,285	3,936	3,576	3,002	5.7	6.8	6.3	5.8	4.8
At contracting establishments	3,195	3,717	3,503	3,207	2,448	5.1	5.9	5.6	5.2	3.9
At closing establishments	354	568	433	369	554	0.6	0.9	0.7	0.6	0.9
Net employment change (2)	1,759	-1,577	-450	87	1,799	2.8	-2.5	-0.7	0.1	2.8
Financial activities
Gross job gains	4,353	3,311	3,613	3,214	3,408	4.1	3.1	3.4	3.0	3.2
At expanding establishments	3,613	2,537	2,892	2,373	2,563	3.4	2.4	2.7	2.2	2.4
At opening establishments	740	774	721	841	845	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.8	0.8
Gross job losses	5,018	3,830	3,686	3,945	3,564	4.7	3.6	3.5	3.7	3.4
At contracting establishments	4,153	3,056	2,841	3,315	2,729	3.9	2.9	2.7	3.1	2.6
At closing establishments	865	774	845	630	835	0.8	0.7	0.8	0.6	0.8
Net employment change (2)	-665	-519	-73	-731	-156	-0.6	-0.5	-0.1	-0.7	-0.2
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	10,420	11,244	10,220	9,691	9,057	7.3	7.8	7.0	6.7	6.3
At expanding establishments	7,597	8,329	7,768	7,067	6,284	5.3	5.8	5.3	4.9	4.4
At opening establishments	2,823	2,915	2,452	2,624	2,773	2.0	2.0	1.7	1.8	1.9
Gross job losses	11,525	10,076	10,020	11,153	11,244	8.0	7.0	6.9	7.7	7.8
At contracting establishments	9,100	7,626	7,762	8,573	8,506	6.3	5.3	5.3	5.9	5.9
At closing establishments	2,425	2,450	2,258	2,580	2,738	1.7	1.7	1.6	1.8	1.9
Net employment change (2)	-1,105	1,168	200	-1,462	-2,187	-0.7	0.8	0.1	-1.0	-1.5
Education and health services
Gross job gains	10,882	11,291	11,165	10,010	11,191	5.1	5.2	5.1	4.5	5.1
At expanding establishments	8,784	9,406	8,895	8,621	9,234	4.1	4.3	4.1	3.9	4.2
At opening establishments	2,098	1,885	2,270	1,389	1,957	1.0	0.9	1.0	0.6	0.9
Gross job losses	9,281	10,767	9,601	9,716	9,315	4.3	4.9	4.4	4.4	4.2
At contracting establishments	7,847	7,634	8,043	7,887	7,371	3.6	3.5	3.7	3.6	3.3
At closing establishments	1,434	3,133	1,558	1,829	1,944	0.7	1.4	0.7	0.8	0.9
Net employment change (2)	1,601	524	1,564	294	1,876	0.8	0.3	0.7	0.1	0.9
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	14,983	15,814	13,691	12,798	13,922	10.6	11.1	9.6	9.0	9.8
At expanding establishments	11,702	11,942	10,686	8,727	11,143	8.3	8.4	7.5	6.1	7.8
At opening establishments	3,281	3,872	3,005	4,071	2,779	2.3	2.7	2.1	2.9	2.0
Gross job losses	12,538	14,175	14,267	15,359	12,954	8.9	9.9	10.0	10.8	9.1
At contracting establishments	10,498	11,347	11,317	12,198	10,867	7.5	7.9	7.9	8.6	7.6
At closing establishments	2,040	2,828	2,950	3,161	2,087	1.4	2.0	2.1	2.2	1.5
Net employment change (2)	2,445	1,639	-576	-2,561	968	1.7	1.2	-0.4	-1.8	0.7
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	2,986	2,774	2,763	2,583	2,686	7.5	6.9	6.9	6.4	6.7
At expanding establishments	2,424	2,211	2,227	2,131	2,089	6.1	5.5	5.6	5.3	5.2
At opening establishments	562	563	536	452	597	1.4	1.4	1.3	1.1	1.5
Gross job losses	2,523	2,824	2,601	2,608	2,553	6.4	7.0	6.6	6.5	6.4
At contracting establishments	2,127	2,290	2,093	2,044	2,112	5.4	5.7	5.3	5.1	5.3
At closing establishments	396	534	508	564	441	1.0	1.3	1.3	1.4	1.1
Net employment change (2)	463	-50	162	-25	133	1.1	-0.1	0.3	-0.1	0.3
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. See the Technical Note for further information. (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)
	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024
United States(1)	6.0	5.7	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.7	5.4	5.9	5.8	5.7
Alabama	6.2	5.7	5.6	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.5	5.6	5.9	5.3
Alaska	10.2	10.5	10.2	7.9	10.3	9.9	8.6	9.6	9.7	9.6
Arizona	6.5	8.4	5.6	6.3	6.1	6.6	6.4	6.8	6.5	6.0
Arkansas	6.2	5.6	5.2	5.2	5.8	5.0	5.2	5.8	5.2	4.8
California	6.4	5.8	6.1	6.4	6.6	6.4	5.6	6.8	6.1	6.4
Colorado	8.2	6.4	6.5	6.3	6.1	7.6	7.7	6.2	6.7	6.7
Connecticut	5.6	5.6	5.8	5.5	5.5	5.7	5.2	5.6	5.7	5.6
Delaware	6.1	6.0	5.9	6.8	6.1	5.8	5.1	6.5	6.4	6.4
District of Columbia	5.2	5.1	5.1	4.9	5.0	5.6	4.9	6.0	5.0	5.5
Florida	6.1	5.8	6.0	6.6	6.0	5.9	5.4	5.9	5.7	6.2
Georgia	6.2	6.0	5.7	5.7	6.0	5.7	5.7	5.7	6.1	5.4
Hawaii	6.1	5.4	5.1	5.6	5.3	5.0	5.1	5.4	5.0	4.9
Idaho	8.5	7.9	7.5	7.2	8.2	5.8	8.3	7.4	7.6	6.8
Illinois	5.0	5.1	5.2	5.0	5.1	5.1	4.8	5.3	5.1	5.2
Indiana	5.5	5.3	5.2	5.3	5.4	5.1	5.0	5.5	5.4	5.2
Iowa	6.1	6.1	5.5	5.2	5.5	5.7	5.6	5.7	6.0	5.6
Kansas	5.8	5.7	5.8	5.3	5.9	5.3	5.6	5.7	5.6	5.2
Kentucky	5.7	5.7	5.2	5.4	5.3	5.2	5.0	5.9	5.5	5.5
Louisiana	6.3	6.2	5.7	6.1	6.2	5.8	5.7	6.3	5.8	5.4
Maine	7.4	7.2	7.3	6.2	6.7	7.0	6.1	7.0	7.0	7.0
Maryland	6.2	5.8	7.2	6.1	6.0	5.8	5.7	6.5	6.1	5.9
Massachusetts	5.5	5.2	5.7	4.9	5.3	5.5	5.1	5.6	5.8	5.6
Michigan	5.5	5.4	5.7	5.4	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.6	5.8	6.0
Minnesota	6.9	5.8	5.7	5.1	5.5	6.9	5.7	5.4	5.9	5.1
Mississippi	6.1	5.7	5.8	6.1	6.3	5.7	6.1	6.3	5.7	6.4
Missouri	6.0	5.7	5.6	5.5	5.7	5.6	5.3	5.8	5.8	5.3
Montana	8.8	8.1	7.9	7.3	8.4	7.2	7.5	7.6	8.1	7.8
Nebraska	5.9	5.8	5.4	5.6	5.6	5.7	5.1	5.6	5.6	5.5
Nevada	6.7	5.9	5.8	6.1	6.2	5.4	6.2	5.7	5.9	5.8
New Hampshire	6.2	6.5	6.1	5.5	6.3	5.9	5.8	6.0	6.7	5.9
New Jersey	5.9	5.5	5.9	5.3	6.0	5.8	5.4	5.4	5.8	5.3
New Mexico	6.9	6.0	6.0	6.2	5.8	5.8	6.0	6.3	6.3	5.9
New York	5.7	5.9	5.9	5.6	5.6	5.6	5.0	5.5	5.7	5.5
North Carolina	6.3	5.4	5.6	5.6	6.1	4.9	5.5	5.7	6.1	5.5
North Dakota	6.7	6.9	6.6	6.5	6.5	6.3	6.1	6.6	6.6	6.7
Ohio	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.1	5.4	5.2	4.8	5.4	5.4	5.1
Oklahoma	6.1	5.6	5.6	6.0	5.9	5.8	5.2	6.4	5.6	5.4
Oregon	6.2	6.4	6.0	6.3	6.2	6.2	6.1	6.4	6.6	6.8
Pennsylvania	5.2	5.1	4.9	5.1	5.2	4.8	4.6	5.1	5.1	4.8
Rhode Island	6.8	6.9	6.6	6.2	7.2	6.3	5.7	6.7	6.5	6.3
South Carolina	6.2	6.4	5.9	6.2	6.5	5.3	6.3	6.4	5.9	6.0
South Dakota	6.6	6.3	6.0	5.9	6.7	5.8	5.8	6.3	5.9	5.9
Tennessee	6.2	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.6	5.5	4.9	5.7	5.8	5.0
Texas	5.7	5.4	5.4	5.6	5.8	5.2	5.1	5.3	5.3	5.1
Utah	6.6	6.7	6.4	6.6	6.6	6.5	6.0	6.6	6.1	6.2
Vermont	7.3	7.2	6.6	6.6	6.7	6.6	6.3	7.5	7.3	6.8
Virginia	5.9	5.7	5.7	5.8	5.8	5.5	5.2	5.6	5.5	5.5
Washington	6.0	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.4	5.3	5.3	5.4	5.3
West Virginia	6.5	6.9	6.6	5.8	6.4	5.8	5.7	6.8	6.6	6.1
Wisconsin	5.5	5.5	5.3	5.0	5.3	5.2	4.8	5.5	5.4	5.0
Wyoming	8.9	8.4	8.2	8.6	8.8	8.4	8.3	9.0	9.0	8.4
Puerto Rico	4.9	5.4	5.6	5.4	4.4	4.8	4.6	4.9	5.1	5.5
Virgin Islands	6.0	5.6	4.3	4.4	4.0	5.9	4.5	5.1	6.1	12.6
Footnotes (1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. The sum of the states will not necessarily add to the U.S. total because of the independent seasonal adjustment of each state.