NEW REPORT: Iowa Ranked 50th in the Country for Economic Growth Thanks to Kim Reynolds’ Failed Policies
DES MOINES – A day before Kim Reynolds’ Condition of the State address — where she’s expected to spin her failed record and lie to working Iowans who are struggling to get by under her leadership — an updated report from the nonpartisan Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia finds that Iowa is dead last in the country for economic growth.
This is an alarming 25-spot drop in this ranking in the last year alone, but every Republican running for governor would only continue the same irresponsible policies and focus on culture wars that have wrecked Iowa’s economy.
From Iowa Democratic Party spokesperson Terra Hernandez:
“No matter the lengths Kim Reynolds goes to tomorrow in a desperate attempt to paper over Iowa’s economic decline, the numbers don’t lie. After a decade of one-party rule, Iowa’s economy is in crisis — but Randy Feenstra, Adam Steen, Zach Lahn, Brad Sherman, and Eddie Andrews would only take things from bad to worse. We can’t afford more of the same failed leadership that has left us behind, and in 2026, Iowans will reject the status quo once and for all.”
Iowa’s economy is struggling under Reynolds and a decade of one-party rule:
- Iowa’s economy was ranked worst in the country in 2025 and is 48th for personal income growth.
- Layoffs are piling up, the year after year unemployment rate is rising, and residents are leaving for better jobs and pay in other states.
- The costly and chaotic tariffs that the Republicans running for governor support have forced farmers to file for bankruptcy and brace for falling profits.
- In October, Moody’s sounded the alarm that Iowa is “in a recession or on the precipice” of one.
- At the same time, the Revenue Estimating Conference warned that Iowa is facing a troubling $1.3 billion deficit in 2026.
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