Statewide, Iowa (RI) – The state’s economy saw slight improvements during February but remains sluggish, according to Creighton University’s monthly survey of supply managers in Iowa and eight other states.
Creighton economist Ernie Goss says the overall Midwest region is seeing greater strides than Iowa alone, though both economies are still ailing.
The survey is based on a 0-to-100 scale where 50 is growth neutral. The overall score for the Midwest was 52, up from 51.1 in January, while Iowa’s February score was 44.5, an improvement from January’s 43.1 but still below growth neutral.
Goss says the survey found threats to international trade by the Trump administration are considered the biggest challenge to progress during 2025.
On average, the survey found supply managers expect tariffs, if implemented, to increase input prices by almost 10 percent. Of the supply managers surveyed during February, 26 percent said they feared threatened tariffs, which Goss says was the number one concern for the year ahead.
Of those supply managers surveyed, 25 percent said the biggest challenge in the year ahead will be finding and hiring qualified workers, though Goss says the hiring numbers for the Midwest saw a very small rise during February.
Looking ahead six months, economic optimism plummeted to 45.7 in February, a big drop from 61.4 in January, which Goss says was due to concerns about global economic tensions and rising tariffs.
