Cedar Rapids splits: data-center trades boom, logistics sector contracts.
3.7%
Metro unemployment rate
vs 4.2% national, down from 4.1% in June
$83,200
Electrician advertised pay
Up significantly, vs $71,404 national median
-5,200 jobs
Iowa trade/transportation job losses
Over past year, statewide (BLS/Iowa Workforce Dev.)
49 workers
NFI Interactive Logistics closure
Cedar Rapids facility, closing by Sept. 30, 2026
This Month's Takeaways
01
Data-center construction is the metro's clearest growth engine right now.
Electrician pay rose significantly to $83,200 and HVAC technician pay to $71,718, both outpacing national figures, tracking directly with reported data-center buildout in Linn County. This concentrated demand is also a likely driver of the area's faster-than-statewide rent increases, a cost pressure local officials should factor into economic development planning.
02
Logistics and retail pay softness mirrors a statewide sector split, not a local anomaly.
Metro Delivery Driver and CDL Truck Driver pay both declined moderately, consistent with Iowa's trade/transportation sector shedding 5,200 jobs over the year. Combined with the NFI Interactive Logistics closure, this points to continued contraction in the metro's warehousing and freight segment even as construction expands.
03
Local unemployment beating the national rate masks a labor-supply story, not a demand story.
Cedar Rapids' 3.7% unemployment compares favorably to the national 4.2%, but Iowa's statewide employed population is falling due to retirement outflows rather than job creation. Readers should treat a low jobless rate here as evidence of a tight, aging labor pool rather than confirmation of accelerating local hiring.
04
Public-sector and healthcare pay movement signals where stability remains.
Registered Nurse pay rose significantly to $104,242 locally, consistent with Iowa's healthcare sector posting the state's strongest annual job gains. Combined with steady education-sector wage movement, this suggests public-facing and healthcare employment remains the metro's most dependable economic anchor amid softer trade and logistics activity.
Local Economic Conditions
Cedar Rapids metro unemployment sat at 3.7% in July, well below the national 4.2% rate, even as the labor market absorbs offsetting signals: a data-center construction boom lifting local pay for electricians (up to $83,200) and HVAC technicians ($71,718), against a 49-worker closure at NFI Interactive Logistics and a smaller RTX reduction, both completing by September 30. Statewide, Iowa's labor force is contracting through retirement rather than layoffs — total employed Iowans down 7,500 year over year despite 60,378 open positions — a demographic pattern that appears to be replicating locally as construction and skilled-trades wage growth outpaces flat-to-declining retail and logistics pay.
Open Threads in the Data
Divergence between construction/skilled-trades wage growth and softness in retail, logistics, and administrative pay (Administrative Assistant down, Retail Sales Associate down) suggests the metro's current expansion is concentrated in data-center and infrastructure-adjacent activity rather than broad-based consumer or office-sector growth. For commerce leaders evaluating local investment timing, the combination of sub-4% unemployment, a tightening skilled-trades labor pool, and uneven sector performance points to a metro economy that is resilient but narrowly so — strong in construction and healthcare, soft in trade/transportation. Current conditions suggest monitoring whether data-center-driven trades demand (electrician, HVAC) is pulling workers from adjacent sectors before drawing conclusions about overall labor supply tightness.
Advertised Pay Indicators · WageScape Benchmark 25 Jobs
Job postings data for the Cedar Rapids, IA MSA metro — median advertised pay, its recent trend, and the number of active postings behind each figure. Jobs are grouped for readability and are not the same as the 10 sector classifications on the next page. For additional job detail contact WageScape.
Retail Trade
| Retail Sales Associate |
$27,984 |
↓ Moderate decline |
1,045 |
| Retail Cashier |
$29,573 |
→ Stable |
370 |
Transportation & Warehousing
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate |
$37,440 |
→ Stable |
320 |
| CDL Truck Driver |
$78,000 |
↓ Moderate decline |
3,254 |
| Delivery Driver |
$36,112 |
↓ Moderate decline |
1,307 |
| Warehouse Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Construction
| Construction Laborer |
$42,886 |
↑ Moderate increase |
95 |
Construction/Skilled Trades
| Electrician |
$83,200 |
↑ Significant increase |
531 |
| HVAC Technician |
$71,718 |
↑ Significant increase |
43 |
Manufacturing
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler |
$37,009 |
→ Stable |
253 |
Cross-Sector
| Customer Service Representative |
$36,468 |
→ Stable |
230 |
| Operations Manager |
$96,001 |
↑ Significant increase |
15 |
Leisure & Hospitality
| Food Service Worker |
$31,658 |
→ Stable |
43 |
Healthcare
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide |
$41,891 |
→ Stable |
750 |
| Registered Nurse |
$104,242 |
↑ Significant increase |
2,707 |
Admin/Office Support
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk |
$40,635 |
↓ Moderate decline |
309 |
Information/Technology
| Software Engineer |
$132,586 |
↑ Moderate increase |
719 |
| Data Engineer |
$127,035 |
→ Stable |
66 |
Professional & Business Services
| Accountant |
$71,706 |
→ Stable |
140 |
| HR Generalist/Manager |
$57,500 |
↓ Moderate decline |
41 |
| Marketing Specialist |
$73,528 |
↑ Significant increase |
38 |
| Business Analyst |
$88,870 |
↑ Significant increase |
89 |
Finance & Insurance
| Financial Analyst |
$89,486 |
→ Stable |
158 |
Government/Education
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher |
$47,806 |
↑ Significant increase |
914 |
Cross-Sector Sales
| Account Manager |
$80,000 |
↑ Moderate increase |
235 |
Industry Snapshot · Cedar Rapids, IA MSA
Advertised pay and job-posting trends across the whole metro economy, rolled up by employer industry — not just the bellwether roles above.
| Sector |
Median Pay Change |
Job Postings Change |
| Construction |
↓ −9.2% |
↑ +46.0% |
| Manufacturing |
→ −2.7% |
↑ +162.1% |
| Retail Trade |
→ −2.8% |
↑ +64.2% |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities |
→ +2.5% |
↑ +190.7% |
| Information |
↑ +101.2% |
↑ +219.7% |
| Financial Activities |
↑ +10.7% |
↑ +59.6% |
| Professional & Business Services |
↑ +8.2% |
↑ +172.2% |
| Education & Health Services |
↑ +18.6% |
↑ +61.3% |
| Leisure & Hospitality |
↓ −3.5% |
↑ +85.7% |
| Government |
↑ +76.1% |
↑ +577.3% |
Looking Ahead · Next 30–60 Days
Worth watching
NFI Interactive Logistics' 49-worker closure completes by September 30; watch whether those workers surface in nearby warehouse/fulfillment postings or reflect a broader pullback in metro logistics capacity.
Emerging pressure point
Rents in Cedar Rapids and Linn County are rising faster than the rest of Iowa, linked to data-center construction activity. Commerce leaders should track whether housing-cost pressure begins to affect the area's ability to draw workers for non-construction roles.
Early indicator
The Novalex strike that began September 10 drew formal legislative attention from all 33 Iowa House Democrats; its resolution, and any spillover to other local labor actions, is worth monitoring as a gauge of broader labor relations sentiment in the metro.
Potential inflection point
Iowa's $2.1 billion unemployment insurance trust balance will enable the lowest possible employer tax rates in 2027, a modest but real cost tailwind for metro employers across sectors heading into next year's budget planning.
Sources & Methodology
Pay and hiring data provided by WageScape. See every source cited in this report, with links →
Advertised pay reflects the pay ranges employers publish in active job postings in this metro, not survey or payroll data. Pay trends compare the current period with the prior period for the same metro and role. Sector figures group postings by the employer's industry classification; sectors with limited classified postings are marked as such rather than estimated. This briefing is independent of, and complements, official statistics from the BLS and state labor market information offices.
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