Economist says Iowa’s economy on rise due to a number of factors

MASON CITY — Iowa’s economy is on the rise due to a variety of factors unique to our state, according to Creighton University economist Ernie Goss. 

“High productivity — we’re talking about, no one can out-compete the Iowa manufacturer, the Iowa farmer, the agricultural sector, and likewise energy. Iowa’s a big energy producer, whether we’re talking about electricity or talking about wind energy or ethanol.”

Goss says those positive aspects actually contribute to the greatest challenge facing the state — outmigration, also known as “brain drain”. “You produce more and more output with fewer and fewer individuals, and fewer and fewer workers, and fewer and fewer farms, so you have this out-migration, and your youth are sometimes graduating from universities and colleges in Iowa and moving to Chicago, moving to New York, and that’s an issue that’s very relevant.”

You can hear more from Ernie Goss on the “Iowa Business Report”, which makes it’s premiere this weekend on AM-1300 KGLO. You can hear the program starting at 7:06 AM on Sunday morning.