A Laborshed study was completed in 2025 the Buchanan County Economic Development Commission (BCEDC) and The Cedar Valley Regional Partnership (CVRP) by Iowa Workforce Development (IWD). The completed report addresses the workforce characteristics of the Buchanan County Laborshed area.  A Laborshed is an area or region from which an employment center draws its commuting workers. To determine the approximate boundaries of a Laborshed area, local employers supplied residential ZIP codes of each of their employees.

The purpose of this Laborshed analysis is to measure the availability and characteristics of workers within the area based on commuting patterns into as well as out of Buchanan County. The Laborshed data generated aids local development officials in their facilitation of industry expansion and recruitment and their service to existing industry in the area. All such entities require detailed data describing the characteristics of the available labor force including current/desired wage rates and benefits; job qualifications and skills; age cohorts; residence/work location; employment requirements/obstacles; and the distances individuals are willing to travel for employment.

Laborshed studies also give insight into potential pockets of available labor that are not analyzed elsewhere such as: those who are currently employed but likely to change employment, along with those who are currently not employed (the unemployed, homemakers, and retirees) but are likely to re-enter the workforce. Deeper-dive analysis is available as well; labor availability reports for a particular industry or set of occupations can be produced for an area to show the concentration level of residents in the Laborshed area that have current or past experience working in a selected industry or occupation. Among other things, these reports provide labor estimates, employment status, a list of job search sources these individuals use (including specific websites and newspapers) and the wages employers in that area pay to staff those positions.

Information generated from the Laborshed study includes:

• Estimated number of individuals very likely or somewhat likely to change or accept employment in Buchanan County.
• Employment information by industry sectors: wage data, number employed, etc.
• Employment status: employed unemployed, homemakers or retired.
• Commuting patterns.
• Benefits and education levels.
• How people seek employment and how companies can best advertise for employees.