Davenport Guide

Employment

Soybeans

As the largest of the Quad Cities, Davenport is at the center of a 300 mile market that includes 15% of the nation’s population (approximately 36.5 million consumers) and of one of the largest metro areas and most important transit centers between Chicago and Omaha. This presents opportunities that are just now beginning to be realized as benefits for the local and regional economies. In part, this re-birth is due to the overwhelming approval (73% of the electorate) by Scott County voters of a downtown and riverfront re-vitalization project. This “River Renaissance” is projected, when complete, to cost $113.5 million and to bring more than twice that amount in new private business investment to Scott County, as well as commensurate increases in employment opportunities and population.

While it is still a bit early to project the exact nature of all of the businesses that will invest in Davenport, a fairly recently completed projection of the “Fastest Growing Jobs in Iowa” shows the expected increase in demand for various specialties, from 2002 to 2012. The most needed specialties are similar to those expected to be most in demand for most of the country, but the rate of increase in demand is more dramatic in Iowa. The expected average ten year change per profession, nationwide, is 14.8%. In Iowa, the increases in demand for medical support staff, information technology professionals of all kinds, customer service representatives, environmental engineers, and HVAC installers are expected to exceed 30%, with the need for some specialties approaching an increase of 50%.

In short, Iowa, especially along the Mississippi, is ripe for a period of dramatic economic growth.