Local unemployment data from October is now available from Iowa Workforce Development, and the number of individuals working in the region once again increased. Marion County’s rate is at 2.2%, down from 3.1% in September, and Warren County is at 2.5%, down from 3.6% in the previous month.

There are 17,450 residents employed in Marion County, which is up by nearly 450 from September, out of 17,850 total individuals in the labor force. There are still 400 individuals actively seeking employment. The unemployment rate in October of 2019 was 1.7%.

There are 26,100 Warren County residents employed as of last month, which is up 500 from September. Approximately 600 people were claiming unemployment benefits, with a total labor force of 26,700. Warren County was at 2 percent unemployment in October 2019.

Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 3.6 percent this past month. This is a decline from September’s rate of 4.8 percent.