According to data released this morning (Tuesday) by Iowa Workforce Development (IWD), December’s unemployment figures in the seven-county region trended upward. However, the average rate was pulled down by a substantial increase in Crawford County. Audubon County’s unemployment fell to 2.0 percent, a 0.1 percentage point increase from November but still 0.1 points higher than a year ago. Carroll County followed close behind at 2.1 percent, a 0.3-point reduction month to month but 0.3 points higher than December 2023. Greene County’s unemployment held steady, while Sac County improved by 0.2 points, both at 2.3 percent. Calhoun County’s unemployment dropped to 2.9 percent from 3.2 percent but remains 0.7 points higher than last year’s figures. Guthrie County’s rate ticked 0.1 points higher to 3.3 percent and remains 0.6 points higher than a year ago. Crawford County saw the most significant increase in unemployment, jumping 1.4 points from 3.9 percent in November to 5.3 percent in December. Across the seven-county region, unemployment rates averaged 2.9 percent. Iowa’s December 2024 unemployment rate climbed slightly to 3.2 percent, while the national rate dropped to 4.1 percent. A link to the full IWD dataset is included below.
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