July 2026 | Released August 21, 2026

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United States

Employment snapshot

• In July, among the 50 states and the District of Columbia unemployment fell in 29, rose in 4, and remained unchanged in 18.

• The highest unemployment rate was 5.9 percent in District of Columbia, and the lowest was 2 percent in South Dakota. Nationally, the unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage point to 4.1 percent.

• In July, payroll jobs rose in 27 states and fell in 24. The largest payroll job percent increase was 0.4 percent in Maryland. The largest payroll job percent decline was 0.6 percent in New Jersey.

Iowa

Employment snapshot

• In July, Iowa lost 3,100 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.2 percent. In the prior month, Iowa added 2,700 net payroll jobs.

• Over the past 12 months, Iowa lost 1,800 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate fell by 0.3 percentage points from 3.5 percent.

• Nationally, nonfarm payrolls fell by 23,000 in July, or 0 percent. Iowa is tied for 39th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.

• In July, Iowa’s private sector lost 1,000 net private payroll jobs, and over the past 12 months it lost 1,200 private payroll jobs. In the prior month, Iowa added 2,800 net private payroll jobs.

• In July, employment in Iowa fell by 2,246, and over the past 12 months it fell by 3,065.

• Iowa’s labor force participation rate fell to 67.1 percent in July from 67.3 percent and ranks 4th in the nation. In the past 12 months, the labor force participation rate has fallen by 0.6 percentage points.

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Iowa

Payroll employment

• Iowa lost 3,100 net payroll jobs, or -0.2 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during July. In the prior month, Iowa added 2,700 jobs. Iowa nonfarm payroll employment has increased in 7 of the past 12 months.

• Nationally, nonfarm payrolls fell by 23,000 in July, or 0 percent. Iowa is tied for 39th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.

• Iowa lost 1,000 private sector jobs, or -0.1 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during July. In the prior month, Iowa added 2,800 jobs. Iowa private sector payroll employment has increased in 6 of the past 12 months.

• Nationally, private sector payroll jobs rose by 30,000 jobs in July, or 0 percent. Iowa is tied for 40th in the nation for percentage gain in private sector payroll employment over the past 12 months.

From June 2026 to July 2026:

• The best performing sectors were Construction (+900) and Leisure and Hospitality (+300).
• The worst performing sectors were State and Local Government (-2,000) and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (-1,800).

From July 2025 to July 2026:

• The best performing sectors were Private Education and Health Services (+5,400) and Construction (+3,300).
• The worst performing sectors were Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (-5,000) and Leisure and Hospitality (-2,100).

Iowa

Labor force

The labor force participation rate is the percentage of the civilian noninstitutionalized population age 16 and older who are employed or actively looking for work.

• The labor force participation rate in Iowa fell to 67.1 percent in July from 67.3 percent in the prior month.

• Iowa ranks 4th in the nation.

• The 10-year high for the labor force participation rate in Iowa was 70.2 percent occurring in August 2019, and the 10-year low was 65.3 percent in August 2020.

• The national labor force participation rate fell by 0.1 percentage points to 61.4 percent in July.