Iowa unemployment rate down slightly to 3.9%

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s unemployment rate dropped slightly in October to 3.9%. Iowa Workforce Development announced Friday that the rate declined from 4% in September and was down from 4.2% a year ago. The lower rate came as the number of Iowa residents with jobs increased by 1,600 to nearly 1.6 million. The percentage of Iowans in the labor force was 66.8%. Iowa’s unemployment rate was ranked 18th lowest, tied with two other states. The national unemployment rate for October was 4.6%.