The Creighton University Mid-America Business Conditions Index moved above growth neutral in March with its highest reading since March 2025. The index, an economic indicator for a nine-state region including Iowa, was 55.6, up from 54.7 in February. 

The index ranges between 0 and 100, with 50.0 representing growth neutral.

“Creighton’s latest survey indicates that the regional manufacturing sector continues to improve, albeit slowly but steadily, with manufacturing jobs added for the first time since March 2025,” Ernie Goss, director of Creighton University’s Economic Forecasting Group and the Jack A. MacAllister chair in regional economics, said in a news release. 

In Iowa, the state’s index for February increased to 58.6 from 53.5 in February. Iowa ranked second among the nine-state region, with Nebraska recording a regional-high 63.3 and Arkansas a regional-low 44.5. 

New orders in Iowa rose to 60.5 from 56.0 in February and 51.4 in January. Production declined to 58.6 from 68.9 in February but remained higher than January’s 48.0. Iowa’s delivery lead time was at 58.0, following 54.2 in February and 51.8 in January.

The overall regional employment index improved to 55.6 from 54.7 in February and 49.6 in January.  

The March employment index for the region rose to 50.7, the first reading above growth neutral since March 2025, and up from February’s 49.2. U.S. manufacturing lost approximately 20,000 jobs for February, January and December. 

In Iowa, the employment index improved to 60.2 from 47.8 in February.

The regional inventory index, reflecting levels of raw materials and supplies, slipped to 52.4 from 52.8 in February. Inventories in Iowa were at 56.0, following 50.3 in February and 50.1 in January.

The March price gauge climbed to 69.4 from February’s 60.2. 

“The Creighton regional price gauge and the national ISM wholesale price index are elevated and undermine any chance of a rate cut at the Federal Reserve’s rate-setting committee meetings on April 28-29, in my judgment,” Goss said.

The March confidence index declined to 53.2 from 57.2 in February from 59.3 in January. 

“I expect rising energy prices, along with supply chain disruptions, to push the confidence index lower in the coming months,” Goss said.

New export orders rose to 48.6 from 47.2 in February. As a result of record imports for the first two months of 2025 and higher import prices, supply managers pulled back on purchasing from abroad in the last 12 months. The March import index rose to 46.4 from 42.5 in February. 

Other regional survey components included new orders improving to 60.2 from 59.3 in February; the production index rising to 57.8 from February’s 56.7; and the speed of deliveries of raw materials and supplies increasing to 56.9 from February’s 55.5. 

The Creighton Economic Forecasting Group has conducted the monthly survey of supply managers in nine states since 1994 to produce economic indicators of the Mid-America economy. States included in the survey are Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.