Common Sense Institute Iowa @CSInstituteIA

Brain drain alert: In 2023, Iowa lost a net 3,445 college-educated residents. From K–college (2006–2022), it cost $255,713 to educate just one Iowan: - $147,921 in public funds - $107,791 in family spending That’s a big investment walking out the door. Read CSI's full report to…

This Labor Day, we’re honoring Iowa’s hardworking workforce! In July, Iowa’s labor force participation rate held steady at 67.4%, just 2.1 percentage points below its pre-pandemic level. Iowa continues to rank 8th highest among all 50 states in workforce participation. Thank…

CSI's @benamurrey explored the reasons behind Iowa's brain drain on @KCRG News. Many college graduates are leaving the state in search of jobs that better match their career ambitions. Learn more in CSI's in-depth report on this growing challenge: bit.ly/3U5lfSE

Yesterday, the DOJ announced a $50 million reward for info leading to the arrest of Nicolás Maduro. DOJ cited the destruction & loss of American lives from fentanyl linked to Maduro. Read @CSInstituteIA's report on how the fentanyl crisis impacted #IOWA commonsenseinstituteus.org/iowa/research/…

$42,700 That's how much the central planners have stolen from you through monetary debasement over the past 5 years.

Common Sense Institute Iowa @CSInstituteIA

3 weeks ago

$42,700 That's how much the central planners have stolen from you through monetary debasement over the past 5 years.

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This was the 3rd largest fair in the state's history. @CSInstituteIA estimates it will contribute $177 million to the state's GDP this year. Check out the full report on the economic impact of this year's #Iowa State Fair here: commonsenseinstituteus.org/iowa/research/…

Gov. Kim Reynolds @IAGovernor

3 weeks ago

This was the 3rd largest fair in the state's history. @CSInstituteIA estimates it will contribute $177 million to the state's GDP this year. Check out the full report on the economic impact of this year's #Iowa State Fair here: commonsenseinstituteus.org/iowa/research/…

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Iowa is in the midst of a brain drain. Cumulatively across all levels of educational attainment, from 1982 to 2024 Iowa experienced a total net outflow of 41,424 college-educated adults aged 25- to 29-years-old. To learn more, read CSI's report: bit.ly/3U5lfSE Read…

Iowa’s job market remains mixed. Since Dec. 2024, the private sector is still down 900 jobs and total nonfarm jobs are down 1,300 on net. July’s 300-job gain halted recent losses, but growth was narrow. Read CSI’s full July employment report: bit.ly/41bCFRt

This year’s Iowa State Fair delivered a $177 million GDP boost to Iowa’s economy—the third-largest in fair history (in real 2025 dollars). Learn more in CSI's latest economic impact report: bit.ly/3JnsiE5

This year, Iowa fairgoers set 3 new daily, post-pandemic attendance records: Day 1: 95,671 (vs. 90,822 in 2024) Day 7: 105,787 (vs. 99,281 in 2024) Day 8: 106,925 (vs. 102,510 in 2024) Get the full breakdown of the fair's economic impact in CSI’s latest report:…

This year, the Iowa State Fair achieved the third-largest economic impact in its 171-year history. Contributing $177 million to the state’s GDP and generating $85 million in consumer spending, the Fair had a highly successful year. Read CSI’s full report to learn more about the…

July brought modest gains for Iowa’s job market. The state added 300 jobs, led by education & health services (+2,100) and leisure & hospitality (+1,400). Still, only 4 of 11 sectors saw growth. Get the full July jobs breakdown in CSI’s latest report: bit.ly/41bCFRt

Fairgoers spent $85 million at the Iowa State Fair this year—up 1.1% from 2024. That’s about $220 per day for the average family of three, a 3.11% jump from last year. Get the details in CSI’s latest economic impact report: bit.ly/3JnsiE5

Iowa’s labor force participation rate held steady at 67.4% in July—8th highest nationally. Unemployment remained at 3.7%, improving Iowa’s rank to 20th lowest in the nation. Learn more in CSI’s July labor update: bit.ly/41bCFRt

Good news for Iowa families: Back-to-school costs are more affordable than they've been in over a decade. Thanks to strong income growth over the past three years, the financial burden of school supplies has dropped significantly. In 2025, families are spending less than at any…

Thanks to inflation, Midwest families have spent over $42,700 more Since 2020 just to maintain their standard of living. Discover how July’s inflation affected your budget in CSI’s latest report : bit.ly/4my2L9w

Year-over-year inflation in the Midwest eased to 2.6% in July, slightly below the U.S. rate of 2.7%. This marks the first time since November 2024 that Midwest inflation has fallen below the national rate. Read CSI’s latest report for more on July’s inflation data:…

Iowa has a brain drain problem. In 2024, Iowa had the seventh highest cumulative net outmigration of bachelor’s degree holders aged 25 to 29 nationally. The long-term effects of this migration could mean a loss of $6.1 billion in GDP by 2060. Read CSI's full report:…

Have you heard? Out of all 50 states Iowa is ranked 4th highest in outmigration of college-educated adults aged 25 to 29. Iowa's state and local governments forego $383,991 in tax revenue over the working life of each out-migrant. Read the full report here:…

DYK? Fentanyl has caused a total of $19.2 billion in economic damage to Iowa. Read CSI's full report: bit.ly/43CgPGZ Read the article: bit.ly/4fi6l5l