State sees 1.06 percent uptick in employment.
About 16,000 jobs were created in Iowa during 2014, a 1.06 percent increase, according to a Stateline analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data released in December. Percentage-wise, Iowa ranked toward the lower end of the states.
North Dakota, fueled by an oil and gas boom, led the nation in percentage of job growth, adding 24,000 new jobs, a 5.42 percent improvement in unemployment. Texas led in number of jobs created, at 458,000. More than a dozen states added at least 50,000 jobs last year.
See which industries contributed to the gains here.
Overall, the national increase in employment—almost every state added jobs—was reflected in NFIB’s most recent Small Business Optimism Index, released in January and based on December data. Up 2.3 percentage points to 100.4, the index is finally approaching pre-Great Recession levels, says Bill Dunkelberg, NFIB’s chief economist.
“The Index showed strength in November but most of the gains were confined to just two categories,” Dunkelberg says. “The December Index shows much broader strength led by a significant increase in the number of owners who expect higher sales. This could be a breakout for small business. There’s no question that small business owners are feeling better about the economy. If they continue to feel that way 2015 could be a very good year.”
