In April, unemployment rates dipped below two percent for more than half the counties in the Carroll Broadcasting coverage area. According to data released Tuesday by Iowa Workforce Development (IWD), April 2024 unemployment rates for the seven-county region averaged 2.1 percent. Carroll and Greene counties led the way with the lowest unemployment rate at 1.6 percent, 0.5 percentage points lower than March 2024, and below rates seen a year ago. Audubon County followed close behind at 1.7 percent, 0.5 points improved from the prior month and 0.3 points below April 2023. Guthrie County measured 1.9 percent, a point lower than last month, while Sac and Calhoun counties both came in at 2.1 percent. Crawford County again recorded the highest rate for the area, with an unemployment rate of 4.0 percent. On average, unemployment decreased by 0.7 points from March to April and 0.3 points from April 2023 to April 2024. Sac County recorded the only increase from a year ago, climbing from 1.8 percent to 2.1 percent. The state’s unemployment rate in April decreased to 2.8 percent, while national figures rose to 3.9 percent. A link to the IWD full dataset is included below.
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