Prices in Des Moines cooled slightly this month — local CPI ticked down a tenth of a point, primarily driven by modest relief at the gas pump and stable grocery prices. Wages for registered nurses in Iowa continued their steady climb, with the statewide OES trend edging up another two tenths. The job market remains tight: local unemployment rose a hair but is still well below the national figure. Taken together, nurses in the Des Moines metro are adding a little more real ground each month — modest, but consistent.
Monthly update · June 2026
What changed this month
A calm read of what moved, what stayed put, and what it means for your footing.
Profile:
Local inflation
-0.1ppLocal CPI moved down 0.1 percentage points month-over-month. Running at 3.1% year-over-year vs. the national rate of 3.4%.
Sample · BLS Regional CPIWage trend · Registered Nurse
+0.2ppThe year-over-year wage trend for Registered Nurses in IA moved up 0.2 percentage points this month. Current trend: +4.3% YoY.
Sample · BLS OES — Occupational Employment and Wage StatisticsLocal job market
+0.1ppLocal unemployment ticked up 0.1pp, landing at 2.9% vs. the national rate of 3.7%.
Sample · BLS LAUS — Local Area Unemployment StatisticsNet effect on your footing
Taken together, these moves left your real footing slightly improved compared to last month. The underlying trend remains positive — wages are outpacing local prices.
Data in this build is sample and illustrative. In production, BLS LAUS and regional CPI are updated monthly; OES wage data is updated annually (May release). Real Footing refreshes automatically when new data is published.