Edited release
05/22/26
According to the May survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a 10-state region dependent on agriculture and/or energy, the overall Rural Mainstreet Index (RMI) dropped below growth neutral for the fourth straight month.
Overall: The region’s overall reading for May dropped to 45.7 from April’s 47.9. This marks the 15 th time since January 2025 that the index has moved below the growth neutral threshold. The index ranges between 0 and 100, with a reading of 50.0 representing growth neutral.
Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey for Creighton University, says weak farm commodity prices and elevated input costs are spilling over into the rural business community, with nearly half of surveyed bankers saying the financial position of bankers in their areas had deteriorated over the past year.
Iowa’s figure for May was lower than the 10-state average, at 44.3. While new hiring sank, exports of agriculture goods and livestock for the first quarter of the year were over 25 percent higher than the same period a year ago.
Report details can be found at creighton.edu.