Career Wages
The wages listed below are wages collected for the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City region by Iowa Workforce Development in 2009. The chart will allow you to explore career opportunities and better understand the wages you can expect to earn in the Corridor. However, this information can change frequently with the economy, so don’t expect this exact wage. Also know that wages depend on your skills and ability to perform job functions, so don’t expect to earn these wages until you’ve had a chance to talk with your specific employer about your skillset.
Think these wages are high or low? Before you make any opinions about career wages, be sure to consider the Cost of Living in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City community. Cost of living refers to the how far your money goes in a particular community. For example, if you are considering a career in Chicago and Cedar Rapids, in order to maintain the same type of lifestyle (housing, utilities, groceries, nightlife, recreation, etc) you would have to earn $50,000 in Chicago and $39,860.75 in Cedar Rapids. Or if you are comparing a career in Washington DC to Iowa City, if you make $50,000 in Iowa City, you must earn at least $72,350 to keep the same lifestyle! So consider these wages with the low cost of living the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Corridor offers.
In order to compare communities across the United States, visit our cost of living calculator for more information.
| Occupational Title | Mean Hourly Wage | Entry Hourly Wage | Exp. Hourly Wage | Mean Annual Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total all occupations | $19.15 | $9.28 | $24.07 | $39,820 |
| Management Occupations | $43.39 | $22.04 | $54.07 | $90,260 |
| Business and Financial Operations Occupations | $25.84 | $15.98 | $30.77 | $53,747 |
| Computer and Mathematical Occupations | $32.07 | $21.44 | $37.39 | $66,710 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations | $25.69 | $16.18 | $30.45 | $53,441 |
| Legal Occupations | $26.54 | $14.42 | $32.59 | $55,184 |
| Education, Training, and Library Occupations | $24.02 | $11.99 | $30.04 | $49,967 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations | $19.16 | $9.98 | $23.76 | $39,866 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations | $28.96 | $16.11 | $35.37 | $60,220 |
| Healthcare Support Occupations | $13.13 | $9.94 | $14.73 | $27,316 |
| Food Preparation and Serving-Related Occupations | $9.52 | $7.70 | $10.41 | $19,786 |
| Personal Care and Service Occupations | $10.67 | $7.91 | $12.04 | $22,186 |
| Office and Administrative Support Occupations | $15.01 | $9.83 | $17.60 | $31,217 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations | $12.77 | $8.75 | $14.79 | $26,577 |
| Construction and Extraction Occupations | $19.94 | $12.45 | $23.69 | $41,475 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations | $19.47 | $12.06 | $23.17 | $40,488 |
| Production Occupations | $16.21 | $9.92 | $19.35 | $33,720 |
| Transportation and Material Moving Occupations | $16.11 | $10.02 | $19.16 | $33,506 |
