Edited release
10/18/25
For the eighth time this year, the overall Rural Mainstreet Index sank below growth neutral, according to the monthly survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a 10-state region including Iowa, dependent on agriculture and/or energy.
The region’s overall reading for October fell to 34.6, its lowest level since May 2020, from 38.5 in September.
Ernie Goss, PhD and Chair in Regional Economics at Creighton University’s Heider College of Business, said weak agriculture commodity prices for grain producers continue to dampen economic activity, while tariffs are producing higher economic volatility.
Iowa’s Rural Mainstreet Index jumped from 30.3 in September to 37.7 in October, although still below the ten-state average. The index ranges between 0 and 100, with a reading of 50.0 representing growth neutral.
None of the ten states in the survey reached growth neutral this month. Nebraska had the highest index rating, at 39.6. Other states in the survey include Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, the Dakotas, and Wyoming.
Details are available at Creighton.edu.