DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa's unemployment rate dropped slightly in October to 3.9%.
Iowa Workforce Development announced Friday that the rate declined from 4% in September and was down from 4.2% a year ago. The lower rate came as the number of Iowa residents with jobs increased by 1,600 to nearly 1.6 million. The percentage of Iowans in the labor force was 66.8%.
Find the data broken down by Iowa county here.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, Iowa's unemployment rate was ranked 18th lowest, tied with Kansas and South Carolina. Illinois' unemployment rate was 6%, a drop from September's 6.2%. Nebraska had the lowest unemployment rate nationwide at 1.9%, and Puerto Rico had the highest at 8%.
The national unemployment rate for October was 4.6%.