DES MOINES, Iowa - Iowa's Unemployment rate is spiking in the first month reflecting COVID-19 restrictions.
April's jobless rate jumped to 10.2 percent from 3.3 percent in March.
A total of 175,303 Iowans are out of work. The state lost 129,200 jobs between March and April.
Governor Kim Reynolds issued orders to close non essential businesses in mid-March to fight the spread of COVID-19.
The National Unemployment rate is significantly higher than Iowa's - 14.7 percent. That's the highest nationwide number since the Labor department began tracking the figures in the 1950's.
Iowa's western neighbor, Nebraska, has an unemployment rate of 8.2 percent, while eastern bordering Illinois has a jobless rate of 16.4 percent.