Mar 31, 2025

Report finds significant drop in percentage of Iowa men in workforce

Posted Mar 31, 2025 4:24 PM

(Radio Iowa) - An analysis by an Iowa-based think tank has found the percentage of working age men who have a job or are looking for work is falling faster in Iowa than in the country as a whole.

Ben Murrey -- director of policy and research at the Common Sense Institute -- says it's a significant, but under-recognized challenge in Iowa's economy. The group's report -- titled "Where are the men?" -- found Iowa men between the ages 25 and 54 who do not have a college degree are 39 percent less likely to be in the workforce compared with to those with a degree.

Never-married Iowa men are 51 percent less likely to be in the labor market than married men. And working age Iowa men who live with a relative are 61 percent less likely to be employed or seeking a job compared to men live alone or are the head of their household.