Cedar Rapids, IA

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

2024 Population

276,624

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

39.7

1.02% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

9.41%

3.14% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$78,080

1.29% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

Population & Diversity

Cedar Rapids, IA is home to a population of 277k people, from which 97.8% are citizens.

As of 2024, 4.55% of Cedar Rapids, IA residents were born outside of the country (12.6k people).

In 2024, there were 16.5 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (233k people) in Cedar Rapids, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 14.1k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 10.1k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.8%

2024 Citizenship

98%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.8% of Cedar Rapids, IA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Cedar Rapids, IA was 98%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Cedar Rapids, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Cedar Rapids, IA

White (Non-Hispanic)
233k ± 674
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
14.1k ± 841
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
10.1k ± 964

3.81%

Hispanic Population

10.5k people

3.81% of the people in Cedar Rapids, IA are hispanic (10.5k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Cedar Rapids, IA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for Iowa.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
44,333 ± 5,134 people
India
11,889 ± 2,672 people
Guatemala
8,189 ± 2,219 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Iowa was Mexico, the natal country of 44,333 Iowa residents, followed by India with 11,889 and Guatemala with 8,189.

Foreign-Born Population

4.55%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

12.6k people

4.3%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

11.9k people

As of 2024, 4.55% of Cedar Rapids, IA residents (12.6k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Cedar Rapids, IA was 4.3%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Cedar Rapids, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
5,883 ± 548
Gulf War (2001-)
3,669 ± 485
Gulf War (1990s)
2,363 ± 347

Cedar Rapids, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.6 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Cedar Rapids, IA.

Economy

The economy of Cedar Rapids, IA employs 144k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Cedar Rapids, IA were Manufacturing (24,692 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (19,872 people), and Retail Trade (16,123 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($96,417), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($79,583), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($71,855).

Employment

Occupations

144k

2024 Value

± 2,921

0.229%

1 Year growth

± 2.91%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Cedar Rapids, IA grew at a rate of 0.229%, from 144k employees to 144k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Cedar Rapids, IA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (16,159 people), Management Occupations (15,811 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (12,962 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Cedar Rapids, IA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Iowa (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

144k

2024 Value

± 2,921

0.229%

1 Year growth

± 2.91%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Cedar Rapids, IA grew at a rate of 0.229%, from 144k employees to 144k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Cedar Rapids, IA, are Manufacturing (24,692 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (19,872 people), and Retail Trade (16,123 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Cedar Rapids, IA, though some of these residents may live in Cedar Rapids, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$58,151

Median earning men ± $1,584

$41,005

Median earning women ± $1,045

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($81,653), Public Administration ($76,123), and Manufacturing ($71,641).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($61,844), Manufacturing ($56,732), and Wholesale Trade ($55,750).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

Y-Axis

1.48%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.57M people employed in Iowa. This represents a 1.48% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Iowa.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

450
Construction
429
Other Services (except Public Administration)
353
Health Care and Social Assistance

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$1.68M
Manufacturing
$989k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$761k
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

The student population of Cedar Rapids, IA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 7,292 male students and 9,366 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Cedar Rapids, IA are White (2,764 and 77.3%), Black or African American (257 and 7.19%), Hispanic or Latino (205 and 5.73%), and Unknown (137 and 3.83%).

The largest universities in Cedar Rapids, IA by number of degrees awarded are Kirkwood Community College (2,438 and 66.6%), Mount Mercy University (489 and 13.4%), and Coe College (348 and 9.51%).

The most popular majors in Cedar Rapids, IA are Liberal Arts & Sciences (613 and 16.8%), General Business Administration & Management (238 and 6.5%), and Registered Nursing (234 and 6.4%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $51,970.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Cedar Rapids, IA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 68.9%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 9.89%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 16,658 (43.8% men and 56.2% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 16,658 students enrolled in Cedar Rapids, IA, 43.8% men and 56.2% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 10,926 records, of which 56.8% were women and 43.2% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
600 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
144 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
82 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Cedar Rapids, IA was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 600 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Cedar Rapids, IA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Kirkwood Community College
2,438 degrees awarded
Mount Mercy University
489 degrees awarded
Coe College
348 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Kirkwood Community College with 2,438 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 1,536 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Cedar Rapids, IA, which is 0.724 times less than the 2,123 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 2,764 degrees mean that there were 10.8 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 257 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($51,970) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($690) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,200) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Cedar Rapids, IA was $211,500 in 2024, which is 0.636 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $202,100 to $211,500, a 4.65% increase. The homeownership rate in Cedar Rapids, IA is 75%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Cedar Rapids, IA have an average commute time of 20.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Cedar Rapids, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$211,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$4,190

$85,551

Median Property Taxes

±$1,846

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Cedar Rapids, IA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Cedar Rapids, IA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

75%

Homeownership

2024

61.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 75% of the housing units in Cedar Rapids, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 74.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Cedar Rapids, IA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$78,080

Median Household Income

± $2,070

114k

Number of Households

± 2,574

In 2024, the median household income of the 114k households in Cedar Rapids, IA grew to $78,080 from the previous year's value of $77,084.

The following chart displays the households in Cedar Rapids, IA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Cedar Rapids, IA is from Iowa.

0.435

2024 Wage GINI in Iowa

0.441

2023 Wage GINI in Iowa

In 2024, the income inequality in Iowa was 0.435 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1.29% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Iowa was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Iowa in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Iowa across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (75.9%)
Worked At Home (14.2%)
Carpooled (6.54%)

In 2024, 75.9% of workers in Cedar Rapids, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (14.2%) and those who carpooled to work (6.54%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

20.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Cedar Rapids, IA have a shorter commute time (20.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.34% of the workforce in Cedar Rapids, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Cedar Rapids, IA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Cedar Rapids, IA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Cedar Rapids, IA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

9.41% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Cedar Rapids, IA (25.4k out of 270k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Cedar Rapids, IA is White, followed by Two Or More and Black.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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