Creighton University’s Rural Mainstreet Index for Iowa rose to 53.7 in December from 48.7 the month before. Anything above 50 suggests growth. The state’s farmland price index was unchanged at 35.6. The new-hiring index fell to 54.8 from 60.7. In the past 12 months, rural Iowa has added jobs at a 0.6 percent pace, while urban areas increased jobs by 2 percent. In the region, the overall index rose to 54.2 in December from 49.9 in November. “Our surveys over the last several months indicate the Rural Mainstreet economy is expanding outside of agriculture. However, the negative impacts of tariffs and low agriculture commodity prices continue to weaken the farm sector,” Creighton economist Ernie Goss said in a statement.