‘Jobs & Economy’ Archives

Dubuque Named Best Small City to Raise a Family

Forbes.com named Dubuque the top small city to raise a family in a recent article that was released on Monday.

Our top-ranked city, Dubuque, Iowa, is much smaller than a place like New York, with a population of 92,139, but still one of the larger cities on our list (we only ranked cities with a population under 100,000). Dubuque’s size puts it in a kind of sweet spot: large enough to be a center of industry, small enough to not be overcrowded. An economy that successfully diversified after the collapse of the local manufacturing industry contributes to an unemployment rate that’s nearly half the national average, at 6.5%, and a median household income of $48,779. That means most families have the jobs they need. They also don’t have to spend a lot of time getting there: Only 2.6% of the population spends an hour or more getting to work.

Forbes looked at quality-of-life measures that could make living easier for families. They started with the most recent data available from the U.S. Census Bureau on all Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas with a population under 100,000. That left them with 126 cities, they then ranked with measures including, commute, education, mean income, and jobs.

The full article may be viewed here: http://www.forbes.com/2010/10/25/small-cities-family-lifestyle-real-estate-quality-of-life.html

Tags: best place to raise a family, Dubuque, Iowa Economy
Category Featured, Jobs & Economy, Recent News, Uncategorized |

Des Moines Takes 6th in the “10 Best Cities to Move To”

Yet another article released this week ranks Des Moines as on of the top 10 best cities to live in or move to. Spriling’s report of the ”10 Best Cities to Move To” ranked Des Moines number sixth on the list because of it’s nice culture, cost of living and low unemployment rate.

From the report:

The unemployment rate is 7.1 percent, below the national average of 10.2 percent. It has a lot to offer job-wise besides farming: There are over 400 factories there (to process those farmed goods), plus it’s a hub for the insurance industry with nearly 60 companies claiming their headquarters here.

Sperling’s’ list takes into consideration all kinds of data points from cost of living to crime rates, the number of colleges and how healthy the population is, as well as access to museums, shows, sporting and other events. Plus, one you might not think of – stability.

To see the full list of cities visit: http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/best-cities-to-move-to-in-america.html

Tags: des moines ia, jobs and economy
Category Featured, Jobs & Economy, Recent News |

Small Business Program Continues to Help; Create Jobs

Iowa’s Small Business Loan Program, which started August 1^st, has already shown it’s paying dividends to Iowa’s small businesses.

The program is an effort to create good paying jobs and help Iowa’s small business owners through a $5 million loan program.  The Iowa Small Business Loan Program will provide loans up to $50,000 to small businesses with under 35 employees, with an interest rate of 3.9%.

As of October 1^st, the following results can be shown:

• 46 loans are in the process with the Small Business Development Centers.
• 11 applications have been received by the Iowa Foundation for Microenterprise and Community Vitality (IFMCV), of which, eight have been recommended to the Department of Economic Development (DED) for approval and three have been recommended for denial.
• The eight approved businesses have been awarded $375,000 in capital, which has leveraged $325,000 in additional co-financed capital.
• Of the eight businesses, two have been start-ups and six are existing businesses.
• 32 full-time and 16 part-time jobs have been created or retained.

The program is still taking applications. To apply businesses must also have a business plan and receive assistance from an Iowa Small Business Development Center, the John Pappajohn Centers for Entrepreneurship, or the Iowans for Social and Economic Development.

Interested businesses should contact their local Small Business Development Center (www.iowasbdc.org) to confirm eligibility and application process.

Tags: Economic Development, Iowa Economy, Iowa Small Business Loan Program, Iowa Small Businesses, Save Our Small Business Fund, small businesses
Category Featured, Jobs & Economy, Recent News |

Iowa Ranked 3rd Best Run State in the Nation

Iowa ranks 7th in education, with more than 90.5% of 25-year-olds having completed high school or the state equivalent. It is also sixth in lowest debt per capita and has the third-lowest rate of citizens without health insurance, with only 8.6% without coverage. While the Hawkeye State may be known for its corn fields, its economy is meaningfully supported by The University of Iowa, which accounts for one in every 30 jobs in the state. Iowa’s governors have been smart to invest heavily in the institution, and have reaped the benefits: the state ranks eighth lowest in the U.S. for unemployment, which stands at 6.8%.

The 24/7 Wall St  State of the States  report is an analysis that focuses on state management and financial operations.

24/7 Wall St  looked at hundreds of data sets ranging from debt rating agency reports to violent crime rates, unemployment trends and median income.

Read more: http://247wallst.com/2010/10/04/the-best-and-worst-run-states-in-america-a-survey-of-all-fifty/

Tags: 24/7 Wall St, Best Run State, Economy
Category Featured, Jobs & Economy, Recent News, Uncategorized |

Iowa Wind Energy Development, Creates 600 Jobs

A report prepared by the Upper Midwest Transmission Development Initiative (UMTDI) that identified six renewable energy transmission corridors connecting more than 15,000 megawatts of wind development in the region. If fully developed, the lines within these corridors will help realize the full economic potential of the region’s wind and other clean energy resources.

Of the six corridors, two are located in Iowa. One parallels the northern border of the state and one is in mid-state. The economic impact from the build-out of the transmission lines is substantial. It is estimated nearly 600 jobs will be created. These jobs include electricians, linemen, technicians, equipment operators, mechanics, steel workers, engineers and concrete workers. The executive summary of the report and full report are attached.

UMTDI’s Report Findings

1.       In 2009, UMTDI developed a set of cost allocation principles that can serve as a foundation for ongoing cost allocation discussions in the region and the country.

2.      It also chose 20 renewable energy zones within the five-state region to serve as proxies for the likely regional growth in renewable energy. These zones were reasonably balanced between those close to customers (and thus requiring less transmission investment) and those with a stronger wind resource (which are generally farther from customers and thus require more transmission capacity). The 15,000 megawatts of potential wind is the amount required to serve the existing clean energy obligations of the five states and the zones provide a basis upon which additional wind can be developed for export to other regions.

3.      The six renewable energy transmission corridors span the five-state region, connect the 20 renewable energy zones, and if built upon, provide for reliability and transmission congestion relief in addition to renewable energy benefits. The corridors were chosen after extensive work by UMTDI with assistance from the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (Midwest ISO) and transmission owners in the region.

Category Environment, Featured, Jobs & Economy, Recent News, Uncategorized |