Mayors and city officials of the Metropolitan Coalition gathered at the Iowa State Capitol on Wednesday to release the study that shows Iowa’s cities as an economic bright spot and to discuss the positive contributions of cities throughout Iowa.
The analysis showed that Iowa’s ten largest cities make up only 29 percent of the population, yet generate 36 percent of the jobs in the state and 39 percent of the state GDP. Additionally, cities provide 42 percent of service sector jobs and account for 47 percent of sales.
“This analysis looked at the economic impact of both the ten largest cities and the metropolitan counties and shows a large share of our economic wealth and productivity is generated by cities,” said author of the study and Iowa State University economist Dave Swenson. “It is clearly evident that the overall economic importance of Iowa’s metropolitan areas far exceeds their demographic strengths.”
“This analysis further solidifies our role as the economic engines of Iowa’s economy and highlights the importance of the services provided by our cities,” said Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie, current Chair of the Metropolitan Coalition.
The Metropolitan Coalition is a partnership created to advocate for and promote the similar needs and interests of Iowa’s ten largest cities. The Coalition members are: Ames, Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Dubuque, Iowa City, Sioux City, Waterloo and West Des Moines.
Dave Swenson is an Associate Scientist with the Department of Economics at Iowa State University. He serves as an adjunct lecturer and a member of the graduate faculty in the community and regional planning program at ISU and as a lecturer in the graduate program in urban and regional planning at The University of Iowa. He is also an instructor in GPIDEA / Great Plains interactive distance education graduate program at ISU. Swenson is a long-time economic analyst and has published more than a hundred papers, reports and articles. His work has included reports for the General Assembly of Iowa, the Iowa Department of Health, the Iowa Finance Authority, Iowa DNR and the Iowa Department of Health.
