Laborshed Studies

A Survey of Iowa’s Labor Force

Laborshed studies provide community leaders, economic developers, site selectors and existing or prospective employers a flexible tool for understanding the workforce characteristics of their local labor market.

A Laborshed is defined as the area or region from which an employment center draws its commuting workers. It shows the distribution of these workers regardless of political boundaries.  Laborshed studies also address underemployment, availability of labor and likeliness of the employed or not employed to change or accept employment. Other topics covered within a Laborshed analysis include: current and desired occupations, wages, hours worked, job search resources and distance willing to commute to work.  

The Laborshed study process takes approximately 90 days from start to finish.

For detailed information on how to obtain and use a Laborshed study click the links below:

• Laborshed Studies Brochure 
• Laborshed Studies Guide 

Laborshed Reports

The following drop-down menus provide links to current Laborshed data by geography.

Note: All reports are PDF files.