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Treasury Announces Second Round of Sanctions Removals, Updates in Modernization Initiative
WASHINGTON, July 28 -- The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued the following news release on July 27, 2026:
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Treasury Announces Second Round of Sanctions Removals, Updates in Modernization Initiative
Data-Driven Updates Ensure Sanctions Remain Targeted, Effective, and Current
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Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took the second major action in its sanctions modernization efforts, announced by Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent in May. Today's action removed 84 individuals and entities and improved identifying information for 22
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WASHINGTON, July 28 -- The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued the following news release on July 27, 2026:
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Treasury Announces Second Round of Sanctions Removals, Updates in Modernization Initiative
Data-Driven Updates Ensure Sanctions Remain Targeted, Effective, and Current
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Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took the second major action in its sanctions modernization efforts, announced by Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent in May. Today's action removed 84 individuals and entities and improved identifying information for 22list entries to facilitate compliance.
Those removed from OFAC's Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List) today include individuals and entities no longer considered U.S. national security or foreign policy priorities: some deceased individuals, defunct entities, and targets sanctioned more than 20 years ago, some of whom lack sufficient information for effective compliance screening. As with any removal from its sanctions lists, OFAC conducted appropriate interagency review to ensure that such removal would not harm U.S. foreign policy or national security interests.
PRIORITIZING SANCTIONS IMPACT AND SUCCESS
As Secretary Bessent has outlined, the goal of Treasury's sanctions modernization effort is to ensure U.S. sanctions remain targeted, effective, and aligned with U.S. economic, foreign policy, and national security priorities. The Trump Administration is measuring the success of its sanctions in terms of effect, impact, and benefit--not just based on the number of names Treasury places on a list.
APPLYING MODERN STANDARDS TO SANCTIONS DATA
OFAC's sanctions review has thus far prioritized scrutiny on older sanctions entries, which sometimes lack identifying information that is now routine for new sanctions actions. While OFAC identified some such entries as appropriate for removal, in some cases, updating list entries by adding identifiers (e.g., place and date of birth, unique identification numbers, nationality, or gender) is more appropriate. With the inclusion of more robust identifying information, compliance-related screening of these names will prove less burdensome for financial institutions.
OFAC also identified a small number of duplicate entries on its sanctions lists, where the same person or property was inadvertently included more than once under separate list entries. Today's action resolves 18 sets of duplicates by removing extra entries and updating relevant identifiers.
TREASURY MODERNIZES DELISTING PROCESS WITH RECONSIDERATION PORTAL
The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC's ability to sanction individuals, entities, and their identified property, but also from its willingness to remove them from OFAC's sanctions lists, when appropriate and consistent with the law.
On June 29, 2026, as part of Treasury's ongoing sanctions modernization efforts, OFAC launched an online portal that streamlines the process to request removal for persons and property (via authorized representative) added to an OFAC sanctions list.
The Reconsideration Portal enables persons and property on an OFAC sanctions list--or their authorized representatives--to submit delisting petitions and request certain information underlying their sanctions determinations. To streamline the petitions process, the portal asks for the key biographic and baseline information required to efficiently adjudicate petitions. It also provides important guidance on how petitioners should organize their submissions as they seek to demonstrate either an insufficient basis for designation or a change in circumstances to satisfy the requirements for removal, as described in 31 C.F.R. Sec. 501.807.
For information on the process for seeking removal from an OFAC sanctions list, including the SDN List, please refer to How to Request Removal from an OFAC Sanctions List | Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Click here for a complete list of the entries updated or removed from OFAC's sanctions lists in today's action (https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20260727).
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Original text here: https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0578
Statement From NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy on the Open Recommendations for the Investigation of the January 2025 Midair Collision Near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
WASHINGTON, July 28 -- The National Transportation Safety Board issued the following statement on July 27, 2026:
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Statement from NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy on the open recommendations for the investigation of the January 2025 midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
A year and a half ago, on January 29, 2025, a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with a PSA Airlines CRJ operating as American Airlines Flight 5342 near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The collision claimed the lives of 67 people, including 60 passengers, two pilots, and two flight
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WASHINGTON, July 28 -- The National Transportation Safety Board issued the following statement on July 27, 2026:
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Statement from NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy on the open recommendations for the investigation of the January 2025 midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
A year and a half ago, on January 29, 2025, a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with a PSA Airlines CRJ operating as American Airlines Flight 5342 near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The collision claimed the lives of 67 people, including 60 passengers, two pilots, and two flightattendants aboard the CRJ, as well as the three Army crewmembers aboard the helicopter.
Six months ago, we concluded our investigation and adopted our final report, issuing 75 findings and 50 safety recommendations, all of which must be implemented to prevent reoccurrence, yet we are no closer today to addressing many of the serious safety gaps that contributed to this terrible tragedy.
Every day that passes without implementation of all 50 NTSB recommendations represents a continued and unacceptable risk to public safety.
Congress has taken significant, historic steps to address many of the Board's recommendations, and that progress deserves recognition. But the work is not finished. Congress left for August recess without action on a final bill, and we urge they work through differences during this recess so that a final package can be voted on when Congress returns in September.
The National Transportation Safety Board provided a clear roadmap to improve aviation safety and reduce the risk of another catastrophic midair collision. Now it's time for action that was promised months ago; we owe it to the victims, to the families who continue to grieve their loss, and to the millions of people who rely on the safety of our aviation system every day.
To report an incident/accident or if you are a public safety agency, please call 1-844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290 to speak to a Watch Officer at the NTSB Response Operations Center (ROC) in Washington, DC (24/7).
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Original text here: https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/NR202607027.aspx
Smithsonian Institution: Fossil Footprints Reveal That an Ancient Human Relative Was Larger Than Previously Thought and Traveled in Groups 1.4 Million Years Ago
WASHINGTON, July 28 (TNSjou) -- The Smithsonian Institution issued the following news release:
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Fossil Footprints Reveal That an Ancient Human Relative Was Larger Than Previously Thought and Traveled in Groups 1.4 Million Years Ago
Newly Described Trackway in Northern Kenya Preserves a Snapshot of How Individuals of an Ancient Hominin Species Interacted With One Another
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Ancient footprints preserved along the shores of Kenya's Lake Turkana are reshaping scientists' understanding of one of humanity's extinct relatives. A paper published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of
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WASHINGTON, July 28 (TNSjou) -- The Smithsonian Institution issued the following news release:
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Fossil Footprints Reveal That an Ancient Human Relative Was Larger Than Previously Thought and Traveled in Groups 1.4 Million Years Ago
Newly Described Trackway in Northern Kenya Preserves a Snapshot of How Individuals of an Ancient Hominin Species Interacted With One Another
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Ancient footprints preserved along the shores of Kenya's Lake Turkana are reshaping scientists' understanding of one of humanity's extinct relatives. A paper published today in Proceedings of the National Academy ofSciences describes a set of fossil trackways made by a group of ancient human relatives that were moving along a lakeshore more than 1.4 million years ago.
An international team of researchers from the U.S. and Kenya analyzed a trove of fossilized footprints that were left behind by a troop of eight Paranthropus boisei hominins, first discovered nearly 50 years ago in northern Kenya by Kay Behrensmeyer, senior research geologist and curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Behrensmeyer's team initially discovered the trackway in 1978 and is studying how the local geology preserved so many ancient footprints at the site.
The study was led by Kevin Hatala, an associate professor of biology at Chatham University in Pittsburgh and an associate researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.
"Each site represents a snapshot of our past, and we are quickly building a photo album with several different windows to hominin anatomy, locomotion, behavior and environments during the Early Pleistocene," Hatala said.
The newly described track site provides one of the most detailed snapshots yet and emphasizes the global importance of paleoanthropology sites around Kenya's Lake Turkana according to Purity Kiura, a researcher at the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi and co-author on the new paper.
"The discovery of these fossil footprints along the margins of Lake Turkana reinforces the region's global importance in understanding human evolution, preserving remarkable evidence of how our ancient relatives lived 1.4 million years ago," Kiura said. "It further strengthens Kenya's position as one of the world's leading paleoanthropological landscapes and highlights our responsibility to protect this irreplaceable heritage."
Behrensmeyer has conducted field work in this region since 1969. During the 1978 field season, some of her Kenyan colleagues were excavating a trench to examine different geologic layers when Behrensmeyer noticed a deep, rounded indentation in the rock--a hippo footprint. The crew excavated that layer and carefully brushed off the surface, revealing a pair of hominin tracks pressed into the ancient sediment.
The find was particularly exciting to Behrensmeyer because footprints provide insights into ancient human behavior that are often difficult to glean from fossilized bones and fragments.
"The special thing about footprints scientifically is that they preserve an instant in time," Behrensmeyer said. "They also allow people to relate to these fossils much more easily than an isolated piece of bone or jaw."
It would take several decades for scientists to understand the true extent of this fossil trackway, which was named GaJi10. After Behrensmeyer and her team studied the initial footprints, the site was buried in sand to protect it for future study. In 2016 and 2023, the team returned and revealed many more footprints preserved on the same layer. In total, the GaJi10 site preserves 21 footprints that were left by eight individuals, as well as tracks of numerous hippo, antelope and other animals.
The team used volcanic ash in the surrounding rock to date the trackway to the Early Pleistocene around 1.43 million years ago. At the time, the shores of Lake Turkana were inhabited by a range of animals, including crocodiles, elephants and two different species of ancient human relatives, or hominins: P. boisei, a stocky species with heavy-duty teeth, and Homo erectus, a potential direct ancestor of humans today.
In 2024, members of the research team, including Hatala and Behrensmeyer, described a slightly older trackway in the area that preserved prints from both species of ancient hominins, revealing that the two inhabited the same habitats for hundreds of thousands of years.
"We can't say how the two different hominins interacted on the mudflats, but we know they were both here at this time," Behrensmeyer said.
The team analyzed the anatomy and movement patterns of the GaJi10 fossil footprints and determined they were made by Paranthropus. The conclusion was surprising because the tracks were similar sizes to those left by H. erectus, which was long thought to be significantly larger than Paranthropus.
"The sizes of the footprints indicate human-like body sizes--up to 6 feet tall and around 165 pounds," Hatala said. Resizing Paranthropus provides evidence that two similarly sized hominins inhabited the same environment at the same time.
The new track site also reveals that adult male Paranthropus sometimes traveled in groups.
"The fact that eight, mostly adult male, P. boisei individuals seemingly traveled together as a group, without females or children, hints at a complex social structure in this species," said Neil Roach, a researcher at Harvard University who is also a coauthor of the new paper. "They may have lived in large groups, where males competed for mates, but also tolerated each other at times for safety in a dangerous environment."
The newly described track site is among hundreds of footprints that have been discovered along the eastern shore of Lake Turkana. These footprints were deposited over more than 100,000 years, and Behrensmeyer thinks that better understanding the geology that preserved the footprints could shed light on why local hominins frequented this lake margin environment.
The team is returning to Kenya later this year to continue investigating these fossil footprint sites. The prospect of new discoveries continues to excite Behrensmeyer.
"I never dreamed when we found these in 1978 that it would develop into such a large assemblage and provide such widespread insights into the ecology of these hominins," Behrensmeyer said.
In addition to Hatala, Behrensmeyer, Kiura and Roach, the study included authors affiliated with Rutgers University, George Washington University and Stony Brook University. The research was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Turkana Basin Institute (Kenya and Stony Brook University).
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About the National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is connecting people everywhere with Earth's unfolding story. It is one of the most visited natural history museums in the world. Opened in 1910, the museum is dedicated to maintaining and preserving the world's most extensive collection of natural history specimens and human artifacts. The museum is open daily, except Dec. 25, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, visit the museum on its website, blog, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
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View journal here: https://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2530996123
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Original text here: https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/fossil-footprints-reveal-ancient-human-relative-was-larger-previously-thought-and
President Trump Issues Statement on 45th Anniversary of Martyrdom of Father Rother
WASHINGTON, July 28 -- President Trump issued the following statement on the 45th anniversary of the martyrdom of Father Stanley Rother:
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Today, Melania and I join with American Catholics and people of faith all across the world in honoring the towering legacy of Father Stanley Rother--an Oklahoma farm boy, the first American-born martyr beatified by the Catholic Church, and a champion of human dignity who heroically laid down his life to bring the light of Jesus Christ to a people plagued by horrific darkness.
Born in the heart of Oklahoma in 1935, Father Rother was ordained a Roman Catholic
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WASHINGTON, July 28 -- President Trump issued the following statement on the 45th anniversary of the martyrdom of Father Stanley Rother:
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Today, Melania and I join with American Catholics and people of faith all across the world in honoring the towering legacy of Father Stanley Rother--an Oklahoma farm boy, the first American-born martyr beatified by the Catholic Church, and a champion of human dignity who heroically laid down his life to bring the light of Jesus Christ to a people plagued by horrific darkness.
Born in the heart of Oklahoma in 1935, Father Rother was ordained a Roman Catholicpriest at the age of 28. Instilled with a proud Oklahoma work ethic of faith, discipline, duty, and sacrifice, upon his ordination, he adopted as his motto the words of the legendary Saint Augustine: "For my benefit I am a Christian, for the benefit of others I am a priest." Until his very last breath, these are the words that would animate his life and priestly ministry.
In 1968, just years after his ordination, Father Rother answered God's call to missionary life, departing the United States for the war-torn highlands of Guatemala, then ravaged by conflict. Though thousands of Catholics were forcibly disappeared and viciously murdered during the Guatemalan Civil War, Father Rother nonetheless spent 13 years bringing the Gospel to those devastated by poverty and violence--translating sacred Scripture and helping to build a school, a hospital, and the region's first Catholic radio station--fearlessly embodying Christ's commission to "make disciples of all nations."
Eventually, his intrepid pastoral and humanitarian work emerged as a threat to the authoritarian Guatemalan regime. More than a decade into his ministry, his name appeared on a hit list--prompting him to seek temporary refuge in his native Oklahoma. But even despite overwhelming and immediate dangers, Father Rother insisted on returning to Guatemala only months later, refusing to abandon his flock in their hour of need. "The shepherd cannot run at the first sign of danger," he wrote in a 1980 letter.
Forty-five years ago today, around 1:00 A.M. on July 28, 1981, three masked men entered Father Rother's rectory and shot him twice in the head--executing him in cold blood. He was 46 years old.
In the nearly half-century since, in the aftermath of the tragedy that took his life, Father Rother has stood as a living testament to the power of courage, sacrificial service, and fidelity to God. In 2017, he became the first American-born martyr to be beatified by the Roman Catholic Church. The Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine in Oklahoma City now stands as a major site of pilgrimages, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors. He has inspired widespread devotion among Catholics. He remains a source of immeasurable pride for his beloved home state of Oklahoma. And every day, countless priests, pastors, chaplains, and spiritual leaders faithfully look to Father Rother as they strive to carry out his immortal legacy of fortitude, charity, humility, service, generosity, and perseverance.
Today, we are reminded that Father Rother's life and martyrdom are the fruits of America's rich tradition of religious liberty. In his honor, we recommit to remaining vigilant so that our birthright of freedom endures in the face of every trial. We acknowledge with deep pride that America's missionary zeal and generous spirit were, are, and will continue to be among the greatest forces of peace, justice, and flourishing in human history. Above all, we pray that every soul of faith, every lover of freedom, and every seeker of truth will forever remember the name and treasure the story of Father Stanley Rother.
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Original text here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2026/07/presidential-message-on-the-45th-anniversary-of-the-martyrdom-of-father-stanley-rother/
Occupational Employment and Wages in Ames May 2025
CHICAGO, Illinois, July 28 (TNSLrpt) -- Occupational Employment and Wages in Ames May 2025 - A report from U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Midwest Region - July 27, 2026
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Workers in the Ames, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $29.77 in May 2025, compared to the nationwide average of $33.54, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that higher paying major occupational groups included management ($57.48), computer and mathematical ($46.78), and legal ($45.65).
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CHICAGO, Illinois, July 28 (TNSLrpt) -- Occupational Employment and Wages in Ames May 2025 - A report from U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Midwest Region - July 27, 2026
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Workers in the Ames, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $29.77 in May 2025, compared to the nationwide average of $33.54, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that higher paying major occupational groups included management ($57.48), computer and mathematical ($46.78), and legal ($45.65).Lower paying occupations included food preparation and serving related ($15.42), personal care and service ($17.34), and building and grounds cleaning and maintenance ($18.64). (See table A.)
Occupational groups with the highest employment shares in the Ames area included food preparation and serving related (10.1 percent), office and administrative support (9.5 percent), and educational instruction and library (9.1 percent). Major occupational groups on the lower end of local employment included legal (0.4 percent); protective service (1.3 percent); and arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media (1.4 percent).
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Table A. Occupational employment and wages by major occupational group, United States and the Ames metropolitan area, May 2025
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One occupational group--food preparation and serving related--was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Ames had 5,630 jobs in food preparation and serving related, accounting for 10.1 percent of local area employment, compared to the 8.8-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $15.42, compared to the national wage of $17.86.
Some of the larger detailed occupations within the food preparation and serving related group included fast food and counter workers (1,620), waiters and waitresses (1,010), and restaurant cooks (570). Among the higher paying jobs in this group were chefs and head cooks ($28.14) and first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers ($20.87). At the lower end of the wage scale were bartenders ($11.96) and dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers ($13.43). (Detailed data for the food preparation and serving related occupations are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available go to https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/area/0011180/2025.)
Location quotients allow us to explore the occupational make-up of a metropolitan area by comparing the composition of jobs in an area relative to the national average. (See table 1.) For example, a location quotient of 2.00 indicates that an occupation accounts for twice the share of employment in the area than it does nationally. In the Ames area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in some of the occupations within the food preparation and serving related group. For instance, institution and cafeteria cooks were employed at 2.37 times the national rate in Ames, and bartenders, at 1.65 times the U.S. average. First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers had a location quotient of 1.11 in Ames, indicating that this particular occupation's local and national employment shares were similar.
The statistics in this release are from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, a cooperative effort between BLS and the State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). BLS funds the survey and provides the procedures and technical support. State Workforce Agencies collect most of the data: in this case, the Iowa Workforce Development.
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Federal Government Shutdown
Because of the lapse in federal appropriations from October 1 through November 12, 2025, additional collection and processing time were required for the May 2025 OEWS survey panel once appropriations resumed. The response rate for the May 2025 survey panel was within the normal range and no additional modifications to the OEWS methodology and procedures were necessary as a result of the shutdown.
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Technical Note
The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey is a semiannual survey measuring occupational employment and wage rates for wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments in the United States. The OEWS data available from BLS include cross-industry occupational employment and wage estimates for the nation; over 530 areas, including states and the District of Columbia, metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), nonmetropolitan areas, and territories; national industry-specific estimates at the NAICS sector, 3-digit, most 4-digit, and selected 5- and 6-digit industry levels; and national estimates by ownership across all industries and for schools and hospitals. Full OEWS data tables (https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm) are available online.
Additional information about the OEWS estimates and methodology is available in the national Technical Notes (https://www.bls.gov/oes/2025/may/oes_tec.htm). The overall national response rate for the six panels, based on the 50 states and the District of Columbia, is 66.2 percent based on establishments and 67.2 percent based on weighted sampled employment. Sample sizes and response rates by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area are available on the Additional OEWS data sets (https://www.bls.gov/oes/additional.htm) page.
Metropolitan area definitions
The substate area data published in this release reflect the standards and definitions established by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.
The Ames, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Boone County and Story County.
For more information
Answers to frequently asked questions (https://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm) about the OEWS data, as well as general program documentation (https://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_doc.htm), are available on the OEWS website (https://www.bls.gov/oes/).
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
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Table 1. Employment and wage data for food preparation and serving related occupations, Ames metropolitan area, May 2025
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View original text plus charts and tables here: https://www.bls.gov/regions/midwest/news-release/2026/occupationalemploymentandwages_ames_20260727.htm
BLS: 65% of Americans Born 1980-1984 Received Some Form of Training From Ages 18 to 38
WASHINGTON, July 28 (TNSLrpt) -- The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following document on July 27, 2026, from Economics Daily:
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65 percent of Americans born 1980-1984 received some form of training from ages 18 to 38
Overall, 65.4 percent of Americans born between 1980 and 1984 received some form of work training from age 18 to 38. Training by an employer and vocational, technical, or trade training were the most common types of training: 29.1 percent of Americans received training by an employer and 26.5 percent had vocational, technical, or trade training.
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WASHINGTON, July 28 (TNSLrpt) -- The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following document on July 27, 2026, from Economics Daily:
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65 percent of Americans born 1980-1984 received some form of training from ages 18 to 38
Overall, 65.4 percent of Americans born between 1980 and 1984 received some form of work training from age 18 to 38. Training by an employer and vocational, technical, or trade training were the most common types of training: 29.1 percent of Americans received training by an employer and 26.5 percent had vocational, technical, or trade training.These percentages varied by level of education attainment.
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Chart: Percent of individuals who received training from age 18 through age 38 in 1998-2023, by type of training and educational attainment
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Among people with less than a high school diploma, 10.5 percent received employer training, while 18.1 percent received vocational, technical, or trade (VTT) training. Of those who completed high school (and did not attend college), 21.8 percent received employer training and 32.3 percent had VTT training. For those with some college or an associate's degree, 30.3 percent received employer training and 32.5 percent received VTT training.
The largest percentage of those receiving employer training, 35.7 percent, were those with a bachelor's degree or higher. At this level of educational attainment, 17.9 percent of Americans had VTT training.
These findings are from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (https://www.bls.gov/nls/nlsy97.htm), a nationally representative survey of about 9,000 men and women who were born during the years 1980 to 1984, from the BLS National Longitudinal Surveys (https://www.bls.gov/nls/). For more information, see, "Labor Market Experience, Education, Partner Status, and Health for Those Born 1980-1984 (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/nlsyth_05052026.htm)." The survey respondents were between age 12 and age 17 when first interviewed in 1997 and were between age 38 and age 44 when interviewed for the 21st time in 2023-24.
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SUGGESTED CITATION
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, 65 percent of Americans born 1980-1984 received some form of training from ages 18 to 38 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2026/65-percent-of-americans-born-1980-1984-received-some-form-of-work-training-from-ages-18-to-38.htm (visited July 28, 2026).
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View original text plus charts and tables here: https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2026/65-percent-of-americans-born-1980-1984-received-some-form-of-work-training-from-ages-18-to-38.htm
BLS Midwest Region Issues Report on Occupational Employment and Wages in Des Moines-West Des Moines May 2025
CHICAGO, Illinois, July 28 (TNSLrpt) -- Occupational Employment and Wages in Des Moines-West Des Moines May 2025 - A report from U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Midwest Region - July 27, 2026
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Workers in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $31.72 in May 2025, compared to the nationwide average of $33.54, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that higher paying major occupational groups included management ($65.20), legal
... Show Full Article
CHICAGO, Illinois, July 28 (TNSLrpt) -- Occupational Employment and Wages in Des Moines-West Des Moines May 2025 - A report from U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Midwest Region - July 27, 2026
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Workers in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $31.72 in May 2025, compared to the nationwide average of $33.54, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that higher paying major occupational groups included management ($65.20), legal($55.35), and computer and mathematical ($49.17). Lower paying occupations included food preparation and serving related ($15.38), personal care and service ($17.72), and building and grounds cleaning and maintenance ($18.77). (See table A.)
Occupational groups with the highest employment shares in the Des Moines area included office and administrative support (12.3 percent), sales and related (9.6 percent), and business and financial operations (8.7 percent). Major occupational groups on the lower end of local employment included legal (0.8 percent); life, physical, and social science (1.0 percent); and architecture and engineering (1.2 percent).
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Table A. Occupational employment and wages by major occupational group, United States and the Des Moines metropolitan area, May 2025
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One occupational group--office and administrative support--was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Des Moines had 49,810 jobs in office and administrative support, accounting for 12.3 percent of local area employment, compared to the 11.4-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $25.01, compared to the national wage of $24.79.
Some of the larger detailed occupations within the office and administrative support group included customer service representatives (12,070); general office clerks (6,010); and bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks (3,670). Among the higher paying jobs in this group were first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers ($35.07), executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants ($32.55), and public safety telecommunicators ($32.05). At the lower end of the wage scale were clerical library assistants, ($15.76) and hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks ($16.05). (Detailed data for the office and administrative support occupations are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available go to https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/area/0019780/2025.)
Location quotients allow us to explore the occupational make-up of a metropolitan area by comparing the composition of jobs in an area relative to the national average. (See table 1.) For example, a location quotient of 2.00 indicates that an occupation accounts for twice the share of employment in the area than it does nationally. In the Des Moines area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in some of the occupations within the office and administrative support group. For instance, postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators were employed at 3.05 times the national rate in Des Moines, and insurance claims and policy processing clerks, at 2.44 times the U.S. average. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks had a location quotient of 1.02 in Des Moines, indicating that this particular occupation's local and national employment shares were similar.
The statistics in this release are from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, a cooperative effort between BLS and the State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). BLS funds the survey and provides the procedures and technical support. State Workforce Agencies collect most of the data: in this case, the Iowa Workforce Development.
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Federal Government Shutdown
Because of the lapse in federal appropriations from October 1 through November 12, 2025, additional collection and processing time were required for the May 2025 OEWS survey panel once appropriations resumed. The response rate for the May 2025 survey panel was within the normal range and no additional modifications to the OEWS methodology and procedures were necessary as a result of the shutdown.
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Technical Note
The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey is a semiannual survey measuring occupational employment and wage rates for wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments in the United States. The OEWS data available from BLS include cross-industry occupational employment and wage estimates for the nation; over 530 areas, including states and the District of Columbia, metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), nonmetropolitan areas, and territories; national industry-specific estimates at the NAICS sector, 3-digit, most 4-digit, and selected 5- and 6-digit industry levels; and national estimates by ownership across all industries and for schools and hospitals. Full OEWS data tables (https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm) are available online.
Additional information about the OEWS estimates and methodology is available in the national Technical Notes (https://www.bls.gov/oes/2025/may/oes_tec.htm). The overall national response rate for the six panels, based on the 50 states and the District of Columbia, is 66.2 percent based on establishments and 67.2 percent based on weighted sampled employment. Sample sizes and response rates by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area are available on the Additional OEWS data sets (https://www.bls.gov/oes/additional.htm) page.
Metropolitan area definitions
The substate area data published in this release reflect the standards and definitions established by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.
The Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Dallas County, Guthrie County, Jasper County, Madison County, Polk County, and Warren County.
For more information
Answers to frequently asked questions (https://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm) about the OEWS data, as well as general program documentation (https://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_doc.htm), are available on the OEWS website (https://www.bls.gov/oes/).
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
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Table 1. Employment and wage data for office and administrative support occupations, Des Moines metropolitan area, May 2025
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View original text plus charts and tables here: https://www.bls.gov/regions/midwest/news-release/2026/occupationalemploymentandwages_desmoines_20260727.htm
