Sioux City's economy leans on government and manufacturing to offset decline.
-1.2% YoY
Metro nonfarm employment
Through Feb 2026, latest confirmed BLS reading
+3.4% YoY
Metro government employment
Outpacing total metro job growth
3.2%
Iowa unemployment rate
Steady 4th straight month; tied 8th-lowest nationally
60,378
Iowa statewide job openings
Against near-zero net annual job growth
This Month's Takeaways
01
Public-sector payroll growth is masking private-sector softness.
Government employment rose 3.4% year-over-year locally even as total nonfarm payrolls fell 1.2%, meaning the public sector is currently doing more of the work of stabilizing the metro's employment base than private industry. That balance is worth watching given softening government hiring signals nationally.
02
Manufacturing's gain looks fragile against a national trade backdrop.
Local manufacturing employment grew 1.3% year-over-year and Iowa's statewide August job gains were led by 1,300 manufacturing positions, yet national WARN filings show manufacturing accounting for the largest share of affected workers in Iowa's own 24-month data. A sector carrying this much of the region's job growth narrative bears close monitoring for tariff- or freight-related disruption.
03
Advertised pay declines across most local roles contrast with wage-vs-inflation story nationally.
Metro advertised pay is down across warehouse, retail, customer service, and several technical roles even as national wage growth has slowed to 3.0% against 3.4% inflation. A local pay pullback layered on top of a national real-wage squeeze may compound pressure on area household purchasing power and, by extension, local consumer spending.
04
Unfilled openings alongside flat job growth point to a mismatch, not a slowdown.
Iowa's 60,378 statewide job openings sit against essentially flat statewide employment and a metro labor force up only modestly year-over-year, consistent with a participation and skills-match constraint rather than falling demand. That distinction matters for how economic development officials characterize the region's growth capacity to prospective employers.
Local Economic Conditions
Sioux City's metro economy continues to run cooler than the state and national baseline, with total nonfarm employment down 1.2% year-over-year through the most recent confirmed reading even as Iowa's statewide unemployment rate holds steady at 3.2% for a fourth straight month. Government employment growth of 3.4% and manufacturing's modest 1.3% gain are offsetting continued softness in leisure and hospitality, a pattern consistent with the statewide split between resilient healthcare/construction activity and a struggling retail and logistics base.
Open Threads in the Data
Divergence between a stable public sector and a contracting trade/transportation and hospitality base suggests the metro's near-term economic trajectory depends heavily on whether manufacturing's recent gains hold, given the sector's outsized share of regional output and its sensitivity to freight demand and tariff-driven input costs. Commerce leaders weighing local expansion or investment decisions should treat Sioux City's labor market as structurally tighter than its softer payroll numbers imply, since Iowa's 60,378 statewide job openings against near-zero net job growth points to a supply constraint rather than demand weakness. Current conditions suggest reviewing sector-specific capacity -- manufacturing and healthcare appear to have room to absorb investment, while retail and logistics expansion may face headwinds independent of local wage costs.
Advertised Pay Indicators · WageScape Benchmark 25 Jobs
Job postings data for the Sioux City, IA-NE-SD MSA metro — median advertised pay, its recent trend, and the number of active postings behind each figure. Jobs are grouped for readability and are not the same as the 10 sector classifications on the next page. For additional job detail contact WageScape.
Retail Trade
| Retail Sales Associate |
$27,448 |
↓ Moderate decline |
563 |
| Retail Cashier |
$27,580 |
↓ Moderate decline |
260 |
Transportation & Warehousing
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate |
$33,449 |
↓ Moderate decline |
164 |
| CDL Truck Driver |
$75,790 |
↓ Moderate decline |
2,179 |
| Delivery Driver |
$33,268 |
↓ Moderate decline |
541 |
| Warehouse Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Construction
| Construction Laborer |
$39,520 |
→ Stable |
87 |
Construction/Skilled Trades
| Electrician |
$85,280 |
↓ Significant decline |
85 |
| HVAC Technician |
$63,500 |
↓ Significant decline |
20 |
Manufacturing
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler |
$39,520 |
↓ Moderate decline |
134 |
Cross-Sector
| Customer Service Representative |
$36,017 |
↓ Moderate decline |
169 |
| Operations Manager |
$94,296 |
↑ Moderate increase |
38 |
Leisure & Hospitality
| Food Service Worker |
$32,450 |
↑ Moderate increase |
24 |
Healthcare
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide |
$40,005 |
→ Stable |
425 |
| Registered Nurse |
$117,608 |
↑ Significant increase |
4,256 |
Admin/Office Support
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk |
$41,600 |
↑ Moderate increase |
99 |
Information/Technology
| Software Engineer |
$136,968 |
↑ Significant increase |
42 |
| Data Engineer |
$89,911 |
↓ Significant decline |
69 |
Professional & Business Services
| Accountant |
$70,117 |
→ Stable |
140 |
| HR Generalist/Manager |
$54,066 |
↑ Moderate increase |
25 |
| Marketing Specialist |
$44,500 |
↓ Significant decline |
10 |
| Business Analyst |
$90,427 |
↑ Moderate increase |
19 |
Finance & Insurance
| Financial Analyst |
$92,500 |
→ Stable |
43 |
Government/Education
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher |
$48,866 |
→ Stable |
355 |
Cross-Sector Sales
| Account Manager |
$90,000 |
↑ Significant increase |
79 |
Industry Snapshot · Sioux City, IA-NE-SD MSA
Advertised pay and job-posting trends across the whole metro economy, rolled up by employer industry — not just the bellwether roles above.
| Sector |
Median Pay Change |
Job Postings Change |
| Construction |
↑ +14.0% |
↑ +73.3% |
| Manufacturing |
↑ +8.5% |
↑ +258.9% |
| Retail Trade |
→ +1.6% |
↑ +84.5% |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities |
↑ +22.0% |
↑ +156.8% |
| Information |
↑ +121.5% |
↑ +206.1% |
| Financial Activities |
↓ −4.7% |
↑ +128.4% |
| Professional & Business Services |
↑ +43.5% |
↑ +308.3% |
| Education & Health Services |
↑ +76.0% |
↑ +137.9% |
| Leisure & Hospitality |
↑ +3.3% |
↑ +74.2% |
| Government |
↑ +75.4% |
↑ +516.4% |
Looking Ahead · Next 30–60 Days
Data gap to resolve
September 2026 BLS employment figures for the Sioux City MSA have not yet published as of this writing; the most recent confirmed metro reading is from February/June 2026. Expect an early-October release that will be the first real test of whether the 1.2% year-over-year employment decline is stabilizing or deepening.
Emerging pressure point
National manufacturing WARN activity (Tyson Foods among firms named in federal filings) and Iowa's own manufacturing-heavy layoff share warrant attention given the metro's reliance on manufacturing as one of its few growing sectors. A single large notice locally would carry outsized weight against a thin base of positive sector performance.
Worth watching
Iowa's low unemployment claims funded a $2.1 billion UI trust balance, enabling the lowest possible employer tax rate in 2027 -- a modest but real tailwind for regional business costs that commerce leaders can cite when discussing the state's fiscal position with prospective investors.
Potential inflection point
National payroll growth has slowed sharply (29,000 in September against a 45,000 prior-year average, with downward revisions to July and August), a trend that if mirrored locally would pressure the metro's already-soft employment trajectory further. Watch whether the early-October Sioux City release shows deceleration consistent with the national pattern or continued local resilience in government and manufacturing.
Sources & Methodology
Pay and hiring data provided by WageScape. See every source cited in this report, with links →
Advertised pay reflects the pay ranges employers publish in active job postings in this metro, not survey or payroll data. Pay trends compare the current period with the prior period for the same metro and role. Sector figures group postings by the employer's industry classification; sectors with limited classified postings are marked as such rather than estimated. This briefing is independent of, and complements, official statistics from the BLS and state labor market information offices.
WageScape Metro Member Benefit
Track more metros with Metro Job Market Pulse.
This briefing covers one metro area. Add coverage if your beat, jurisdiction, or membership footprint spans more than one market.
Pulse Plus
3 metro reports
$149/year
Pulse Pro
10 metro reports
$349/year
Enterprise
Nationwide — top 50 markets
$999/year
See plans & upgrade →
Scan or click to add coverage
Need a Deeper Cut of the Data?
WageScape's underlying advertised-pay platform is available directly for a specific occupation, a neighboring county, or a custom time window. Contact us at info@wagescape.com to discuss what WageScape can do for you.
Forwarded This Briefing?
Receive your own monthly briefing, filtered to your local market. Contact info@wagescape.com.
