Creighton University’s monthly survey of business supply managers found Iowa’s index below growth neutral for a second straight month and the nine-state region fighting an economic slump. 

The September Mid-America Business Conditions survey found Iowa at an overall index of 49.6, down slightly from 49.7. 

Across the region, the index fell to 49.1 last month compared with 49.3 in August. The figure was 52.0 in July. Anything above 50 suggests growth. 

The decline was the fifth in six months for the overall index, which had remained above growth neutral for 32 straight months.

“The trade war and the global economic slowdown have cut regional growth to approximately two-thirds that of the U.S.,” said Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey. “Based on the last two months of surveys of manufacturing supply managers, both the U.S. and Mid-America economies are likely to move even lower in the months ahead.”

The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.