Iowa Layoffs — September 2024
Employers in Iowa reported 16 WARN Act notices in September 2024, displacing an estimated 399 workers — signaling an acceleration from August and down 30% versus September 2023. The average filing covered 25 workers, with 8 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 4 | 158 |
| Retail | 6 | 61 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 47 |
| Construction | 1 | 40 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 30 |
| Utilities | 1 | 3 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 158 workers across 4 notices. Notably, Retail reported 61 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Polk | 2 | 115 |
| Page | 2 | 108 |
| Johnson | 1 | 40 |
| Davis | 1 | 30 |
| Dallas | 1 | 19 |
Polk bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 29% of all affected workers with 115 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Clarinda | 2 | 108 |
| Urbandale | 1 | 68 |
| West Des Moines | 1 | 47 |
| Iowa City | 1 | 40 |
| Bloomfield | 1 | 30 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 8 | 184 |
| Layoff | 1 | 68 |
Closures accounted for 46% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Manufacturing | Urbandale | 68 | Layoff | |
| NSK Americas | Clarinda | 54 | ||
| NSK-AKS Precision Ball | Clarinda | 54 | Closure | |
| Wells Fargo | West Des Moines | 47 | ||
| Knutson Construction Services Midwest | Iowa City | 40 | Closure | |
| Optimae LifeServices | Bloomfield | 30 | Closure | |
| Tyson Foods | Perry | 19 | ||
| Hampton Hydraulics, LLC DBA Seabee Foundry | Hampton | 17 | Closure | |
| Cygnus Home Services, LLC DBA Yelloh | Atlantic | 13 | Closure | |
| Cygnus Home Services, LLC DBA Yelloh | West Union | 12 | Closure | |
| Cygnus Home Services, LLC DBA Yelloh | Marion | 10 | Closure | |
| Cygnus Home Service DBA Yelloh | Sioux City | 10 | ||
| Cygnus Home Services, LLC DBA Yelloh | Dyersville | 8 | Closure | |
| Cygnus Home Service DBA Yelloh | Dyersville | 8 | ||
| Wilson Trailer | Sioux City | 6 |
The most significant filing came from Quality Manufacturing at its Urbandale facility, reporting 68 affected workers. NSK Americas followed with 54 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate a mixed picture for Iowa's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Iowa. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is updated daily by WARN Firehose. View all Iowa WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.