Best Places for Business and Careers 2019

Cedar Rapids, IA

Cedar Rapids, IA
the place image

Cedar Rapids, IA

Cedar Rapids, IA
gross metro product
$18B
population
272.3K
median household income
$65,657
median home price
$164,000
cost of living
10% below nat'l avg
college attainment
31%
net migration
70 (year: 2018)
unemployment
2.8%
major industries
Technology, Telecommunications
job growth
0.5% (year: 2018)
As of October 2019
Cedar Rapids is the largest corn-processing city in the world and produces the largest amount of ethanol of any city. The biggest food employers in the area include: Archer Daniels Midland, General Mills and Quaker Oats. The biggest employer in Cedar Rapids is $8.6 billion-in-sales Rockwell Collins, an aviation communications company. Cedar Rapids, lying on both banks of the Cedar River, is nicknamed the City of Five Seasons, for the fifth season which is time to enjoy the other four. A flourishing center for arts and
culture in Eastern Iowa, the city is home to the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, the Paramount Theatre, Theatre Cedar Rapids, and the Iowa Cultural Corridor Alliance.
... Read More
On forbes lists
#78
In Cost of Doing Business
#180
In Job Growth
#105
In Education
By The Numbers
EmploymentHousingEducationQuality of Life
Job Growth
0.5% (year: 2018)
Projected Annual Job Growth
0.1%
Unemployment
2.8%
Median Household Income
$65,657
Household Income Growth
2.3%
High-Tech Employment
4.9%
  • Data is for the metro area
  • Sources: Moody's Analytics; Sperling's BestPlaces; U.S. Census.
  • Numbers as of October 2019


  • a - Value of 100 means that a family with the median income has exactly enough income to qualify for a typical mortgage on a median-priced single-family home. An index above 100 signifies that the family has surplus income.
Key Connections
People
Top Colleges

More on Forbes

Apr 5, 2024

AI: A Case For Rapid Business Adoption

What is generally known as AI has undergone boom-bust cycles over the past 60 years, but the technology itself has continuously progressed.