Iowa is among the best states in the Midwest in retaining jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum shows Iowa only behind Wisconsin in lowest percentage of jobs lost during the pandemic among Midwest states.
"Iowa and Wisconsin were pretty much neck-and-neck", said Mark Sommerhouser with the Wisconsin Policy Forum. "The decline in Wisconsin during this period was about 5.2%, and Iowa's about 5.3%."
The report tracked unemployment in five Midwest states from September of 2019 to September of 2020. Wisconsin and Iowa lost the fewest jobs, with Minnesota, Illinois, and Michigan rounding out the top five.
Sommerhouser said job losses during the pandemic depended on a few factors, such as COVID-19 case numbers or restrictions in place in each state.