Laborshed Studies | iowaworkforcedevelopment.gov

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 Reports

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

Note: All reports are PDF files.

Statewide

by County

by City

by Region

For examples of products that are available, in addition to the full Laborshed report, use the drop-down menu below:

Note: For optimal experience we recommend using the Google Chrome browser (download here). For assistance in navigating the Tableau visualization below, visit the Tableau Guide.

Laborshed Data Tool

Current statewide Laborshed data can be viewed and explored in the Tableau visualization below. Navigate the various visualizations by using the four tabs at the top of the frame. To customize the view, adjust the available filters that are located at the top left.