Employers in Iowa reported 30 WARN Act notices in August 2025, displacing an estimated 1,239 workers — signaling a deceleration from July and up 32% versus August 2024. The average filing covered 41 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 5 | 192 |
| Wholesale Trade | 2 | 101 |
| Retail | 1 | 100 |
| Finance & Insurance | 2 | 20 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 192 workers across 5 notices. Notably, Wholesale Trade reported 101 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Polk | 12 | 363 |
| Linn | 3 | 300 |
| Black Hawk | 3 | 213 |
| Marshall | 6 | 213 |
| Scott | 3 | 147 |
Polk felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 29% of all affected workers with 363 workers across 12 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Cedar Rapids | 3 | 300 |
| Des Moines | 3 | 300 |
| Waterloo | 3 | 213 |
| Marshalltown | 6 | 213 |
| Davenport | 3 | 147 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 6 | 440 |
| Closure | 4 | 202 |
Closures accounted for 16% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smurfit Westrock Company | Cedar Rapids | 100 | Closure | 2025-08-05 |
| Smurfit Westrock Company | Cedar Rapids | 100 | Closure | 2025-08-05 |
| Smurfit Westrock Company | Cedar Rapids | 100 | 2025-08-05 | |
| Maverik, Inc | Des Moines | 100 | Layoff | 2025-08-06 |
| Maverik, Inc | Des Moines | 100 | Layoff | 2025-08-06 |
| Maverik, Inc | Des Moines | 100 | 2025-08-06 | |
| John Deere Waterloo Works | Waterloo | 71 | Layoff | 2025-08-15 |
| John Deere Waterloo Works | Waterloo | 71 | Layoff | 2025-08-15 |
| John Deere | Waterloo | 71 | 2025-08-15 | |
| Quad City Times | Davenport | 49 | Layoff | 2025-08-28 |
| Quad City Times | Davenport | 49 | Layoff | 2025-08-28 |
| Quad City Times | Davenport | 49 | 2025-08-28 | |
| Lennox Industries | Marshalltown | 49 | 2025-08-29 | |
| Lennox Industries | Marshalltown | 49 | 2025-08-29 | |
| Lennox Industries | Marshalltown | 49 | 2025-08-29 |
The most significant filing came from Smurfit Westrock Company at its Cedar Rapids facility, reporting 100 affected workers. Smurfit Westrock Company followed with 100 workers.
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
The numbers illustrate a mixed picture for Iowa's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. 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.
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