Average Unemployment Rates by Region (2023)
The Areas of Substantial Unemployment (ASUs) program provides information on areas that are eligible to receive allocated funds of key workforce programs. The purpose of the following memo is to identify potential ASUs for PY 2024 allocations to states.
Iowa Workforce Development Field Information Memo
November 1, 2023
Purpose:
Identifying potential Areas of Substantial Unemployment (ASUs) for PY 2024 allocations to states.
Background:
This is a continuation of the Areas of Substantial Unemployment program. It is provided by the Labor Market Information Division of Iowa Workforce Development as part of the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program. It covers the time period from July 2022 through June 2023 and is similar to the report provided in November 2022.
Substance:
Enclosed is a table of the average unemployment rates for Iowaβs regions for the time period stated above. These data were developed as part of our process to identify potential Areas of Substantial Unemployment for PY2024 allocations to states. In order to be designated as an ASU, an area must have a current population of at least 10,000 and an average unemployment rate of at least 6.5 percent for the reference period.
The average unemployment rate for the state of Iowa for the reference period is 2.8 percent. Since the statewide rate does not qualify the state as a whole as an ASU, our department has submitted the necessary paperwork to designate nine areas within Iowa, created with the addition method. These areas are: Cedar Rapids city containing four census tracts, Des Moines city containing seven census tracts, Des Moines City 2 containing four census tracks, Burlington City containing four census tracts, Keokuk city containing four census tracts, Marshall County containing nine census tracts, Scott County containing seventeen census tracts, Waterloo city containing fifteen census tracts, and Eastern Iowa Counties containing thirteen census tracts. Maps of these ASUs are enclosed.
Action:
The data are for your information and may be provided to your Regional Workforce Investment Board.
Note: Iowa's Local Workforce Development Areas were recently updated, but changes took effect after the reporting period for the following memo. Future reports will account for the change in workforce areas. For more information, visit this link.
Contact:
Kris Henze at (515) 281-3890.
Iowa Unemployment Rates for WIOA Regions
| Region | Rate |
|---|---|
| Northeast Iowa LWDA | 3.0 |
| North Central Iowa LWDA | 2.8 |
| Northwest Iowa LWDA | 2.3 |
| Western Iowa LWDA | 2.7 |
| Central Iowa LWDA | 2.6 |
| Southwest Iowa LWDA | 2.5 |
| South Central Iowa LWDA | 3.4 |
| East Central Iowa LWDA | 2.8 |
| Mississippi Valley LWDA | 3.5 |
Memo Documents