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A prosperous Iowa? It's about quality of life

Keep enhancing it to build workforce

Editorial

Des Moines Register

August 31, 2006

[Note: This material is copyright by the Des Moines Register, and is reproduced here as a matter of "fair use" for non-commercial, educational purposes only. Any other use may require the prior approval of the Des Moines Register.]


It's a little startling, when looking at the state rankings for business climate on Forbes magazine's Web site, to click on the "quality of life" category: A picture of the downtown Des Moines skyline pops into view. Who would ever have imagined that Iowa is No. 1 in a category most people would reserve for states with oceans to swim or mountains to climb?

Only in the fine print do you learn that, in this case, quality of life takes into account schools, health, crime, cost of living and poverty rates. Those factors are easier to quantify than the value of beaches and mountains, which businesses are less concerned with when it comes to considering new locations.

Iowa should see its No. 1 quality-of-life ranking as a validation that it has its priorities in order. At the same time, it is a reminder that Iowa must continue working hard to preserve qualities that are under stress these days, particularly maintaining and improving the quality of public schools and access to high-quality health care.

Still, natural wonders and cultural and recreational amenities are powerful magnets, especially for the young, well-educated and highly skilled people Iowa needs and wants to attract in the future. Those are the people who will fill the well-paying jobs Iowa is competing for with the 49 other states and the world.

Alas, in the workforce category, Iowa plummets toward the bottom of the Forbes ranking. It is No. 47 on the list for labor (education attainment, in-migration and projected population growth) and No. 41 on prospects for growth in jobs, income and new businesses. Those rankings reflect Iowa's people problem — or, more precisely, its lack-of-people problem. As baby boomers move toward retirement and population growth remains flat, Iowa is projected to have up to 200,000 more jobs than workers to fill them by 2012.

If smart young people were flooding Iowa the way they are places like Houston or Boise, Iowa would be higher up the chart on overall rankings. As it is, we landed smack dab in the middle, right behind Arkansas.

The larger lesson from the Forbes ranking? Iowa has to continue working on quality of life in this state by enlarging the cultural and entertainment opportunities that are essential for attracting tomorrow's workforce. At the same time, it must have a solid foundation of good schools, safe neighborhoods and high-quality health care to keep those workers here.