Iowa’s unemployment rate up slightly to 2.7% in December

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Iowa’s unemployment rate increased slightly to 2.7% in December, according to state statistics released Friday.

Iowa Workforce Development reported the unemployment rate rose as both the number of people with and without jobs increased in the state.

The December rate was up from a 2.6% in November and 2.4% a year ago.

Iowa’s unemployment rate tied with Alabama for the nation’s ninth-lowest. The national unemployment rate in December was 3.5%.