# Employer firms in Iowa

Employer firms in Iowa was 56,436 in 2023. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

- Indicator id: `employer_firms`
- Place id: `us-state-19`
- Unit: count
- Definition: Number of firms in the private nonfarm sectors covered by the US Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics. Establishments under common ownership form one firm.
- Note: Excludes nonemployer businesses and other activities outside the BDS scope. A firm operating in several states or counties is counted in each area, so geographic counts cannot be added to reproduce the national total. This differs from the INE DIRCE active-company count, which includes businesses without employees. Past values can be revised.
- Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties (https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st.csv)
- Retrieved: 2026-10-10
- License: Public domain (US federal government work, citation requested)
- Citation: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- Web page: https://invokely.ai/en/employer-firms/iowa
- CSV: https://invokely.ai/download/employer-firms/iowa.csv
- API: https://invokely.ai/api/v1/series?indicator=employer_firms&place=us-state-19

| Period | count |
|---|---:|
| 2023 | 56,436 |
| 2022 | 56,530 |
| 2021 | 56,287 |
| 2020 | 55,939 |
| 2019 | 56,154 |
| 2018 | 56,278 |
| 2017 | 55,862 |
| 2016 | 55,944 |
| 2015 | 55,742 |
| 2014 | 55,497 |
| 2013 | 55,596 |
| 2012 | 56,139 |
| 2011 | 55,907 |
| 2010 | 56,362 |
| 2009 | 56,781 |
| 2008 | 57,569 |
| 2007 | 58,239 |
| 2006 | 58,239 |
| 2005 | 58,321 |
| 2004 | 58,003 |
| 2003 | 57,588 |
| 2002 | 57,291 |
| 2001 | 57,527 |
| 2000 | 58,330 |
| 1999 | 58,464 |
| 1998 | 58,614 |
| 1997 | 57,943 |
| 1996 | 57,883 |
| 1995 | 57,687 |
| 1994 | 56,939 |
| 1993 | 56,198 |
| 1992 | 55,492 |
| 1991 | 55,168 |
| 1990 | 55,074 |
| 1989 | 54,334 |
| 1988 | 53,840 |
| 1987 | 53,392 |
| 1986 | 53,648 |
| 1985 | 54,532 |
| 1984 | 55,930 |
| 1983 | 54,838 |
| 1982 | 54,670 |
| 1981 | 56,389 |
| 1980 | 56,682 |
| 1979 | 56,781 |
| 1978 | 55,872 |