Iowa Layoffs — February 2025
Employers in Iowa reported 8 WARN Act notices in February 2025, displacing an estimated 229 workers — signaling a deceleration from January and down 4% versus February 2024. The average filing covered 29 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 5 | 160 |
| Education | 1 | 36 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 32 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 160 workers across 5 notices. Notably, Education reported 36 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Polk | 5 | 129 |
| Adair | 1 | 36 |
| Linn | 1 | 32 |
| Muscatine | 1 | 32 |
Polk bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 56% of all affected workers with 129 workers across 5 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Ankeny | 4 | 128 |
| Orient | 1 | 36 |
| Hiawatha | 1 | 32 |
| Muscatine | 1 | 32 |
| Altoona | 1 | 1 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 4 | 128 |
| Closure | 3 | 100 |
Closures accounted for 44% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Deere Des Moines Work | Ankeny | 72 | Layoff | |
| John Deere Des Moines Work | Ankeny | 38 | Layoff | |
| Orient-Macksburg Community School District | Orient | 36 | Closure | |
| Fisher Group | Hiawatha | 32 | Closure | |
| Ascent Professional Staffing | Muscatine | 32 | Closure | |
| John Deere Des Moines Work | Ankeny | 9 | Layoff | |
| John Deere Des Moines Works | Ankeny | 9 | Layoff | |
| IES Communications | Altoona | 1 |
The most significant filing came from John Deere Des Moines Work at its Ankeny facility, reporting 72 affected workers. John Deere Des Moines Work followed with 38 workers.
Trend & Outlook
The numbers illustrate a easing in workforce disruptions across Iowa, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Iowa. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is updated daily by WARN Firehose. View all Iowa WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.