Northwest Iowa — The KIWA listening area of Lyon, Sioux, O’Brien and Osceola Counties have some of the lowest rates of unemployment in Iowa, according to the March data (the latest data available) from Iowa Workforce Development.
Lyon County has the lowest unemployment rate in the area at 2.2%, just .2% lower than Story County, the county with Iowa’s lowest employment rate, which is measured at 2.0%.
In addition to Lyon County’s 2.2% unemployment rate, Osceola County checks in at 2.4%, Sioux County at 2.6%, and O’Brien County at 2.7% All four northwest Iowa counties have a lower unemployment rate than the statewide average, which is 3.1%.
The numbers here in northwest Iowa are improved from January and February this year. In Januaury, Lyon County had an unemployment rate of 2.6%. It had dropped to 2.3% by February, before landing at 2.2% in March. In Osceola County, the unemplyment rate for January was 2.9%. It had improved to 2.5% in February, before dipping to 2.4% in March. Sioux County saw an unemployment rate of 3.0% in January. That fell to 2.8% in February, before reaching 2.6% in March. O’Brien County started off the year with a 3.4% unemployment rate in January, which lowered to 3.0% in February before dipping to the March rate of 2.7%
A trio of counties are tied for the dubious distinction of having the highest unemployment in the state according to the March report. Allamakee, Clayton, and Marshall counties all show an unemployment rate of 5.6%.
Unemployment rates for April won’t be released until mid-June.
