Latest Census city estimates released May 14, 2026 · Population as of July 1, 2025 · Next city estimates scheduled for May 2027. Release schedule
Cedar Rapids, Iowa population is 137,935 as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimate), ranking #210 nationally and #2 in Iowa. Cost of living runs 11% below the U.S. average (BEA RPP 2024); the four-person spending scenario corresponds to modeled gross income of $90,812/yr (TY2026 tax assumptions; partial scenario excluding unverified local income tax). This profile draws on 13 federal datasets covering population, housing, income, employment, climate, and risk.
137,935 people live in Cedar Rapids as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025), the #210 largest U.S. city.
How big is Cedar Rapids?
Cedar Rapids covers 74.8 square miles of land and 1.3 square miles of water. Its population density is about 1,844 residents per square mile of land. Compare U.S. cities by land area →
Source detail: 2025 population
2025 population
Source agency
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
Dataset
Census PEP
Vintage / period
Vintage 2025 (Jul 1, 2025)
Native geography
Census PEP subcounty place records for the included city universe.
Transformation
Copied from POPESTIMATE2025, joined by Census GEOID, and used for ranks, filters, and city pages.
Known limit: Annual estimate, not a decennial count; each new PEP vintage can revise the prior series.
Population grew 0.1% from the April 2020 base to mid-2025.
Vintage 2025 · annual estimates
Recent history (V2025 series, 2020 base → 2025).
2020 base: 137,742 → 2025: 137,935 (+0.1%)
Year
Population
Reference date
2020 base
137,742
April 1, 2020
2020
137,853
July 1, 2020
2021
137,117
July 1, 2021
2022
136,806
July 1, 2022
2023
136,243
July 1, 2023
2024
137,022
July 1, 2024
2025
137,935
July 1, 2025
Earlier history (2010–2019, prior Census vintage)
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2019 release — a separate, earlier methodology. They’re shown here as historical context only; the 2010 and 2019 values aren’t directly comparable to the 2020–2025 series above.
Population grew 5.3% from the July 2010 estimate to 2019 (V2019 — see seam note below).
Cedar Rapids is the #210 largest of 19,483 U.S. cities and #2 in Iowa.
▸Show the analyst detail (9 rows)
Measure
Value
Note
2020 base
137,742
April 1, 2020 census base
5-yr change
+193
2020 base → 2025; within V2025
5-yr change %
+0.1%
within V2025 only
1-yr change
+913
2024 → 2025 estimate
1-yr change %
+0.7%
within V2025 only
Density
1,844
people per sq mi, land only
Land area
74.8
sq mi (2025 Gazetteer)
U.S. rank by population
#210
of 19,483 cities
State rank by population
#2
of 939 in Iowa
What is the median household income in Cedar Rapids?
Same-period U.S. benchmarks: household income $80,734 ± $166; per-capita income $44,673 ± $122. Margins are at 90% confidence. Comparison badges describe point estimates; they are not significance tests.
Median household income is 13% below the U.S. median ($70,424 vs $80,734); 10.8% live in poverty, 1.6 points below the 12.5% U.S. estimate.
Median household income$70,424
US
Cedar Rapids: $70,424 — 13% below the US median of $80,734.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS income data; censored rows retained in the distribution
Cedar Rapids
$70,424
United States
$80,734
Income and poverty estimates for Cedar Rapids from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates (window 2020–2024). Every figure is shown with its 90% margin of error (MOE). Cells where the ± margin exceeds half the estimate are flagged "low precision." See methodology §12.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median household income
$70,424-12.8% vs US
±$2,281
Per capita income
$41,256-7.6% vs US
±$1,405
Population in poverty
10.8% ± 1.1 percentage points
share of population for whom poverty status is determined
Median home value is 44% below the U.S. median ($187,100 vs $332,700); median rent is 32% below ($967 vs $1,413); the ratio of median home value to median household income is 2.7× versus 4.1× nationally; this compares two distributions and does not measure an individual household's housing burden.
Median home value$187,100
US
Cedar Rapids: $187,100 — 44% below the US median of $332,700.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS home-value data; censored rows retained in the distribution
HUD 2-BR fair-market rent$1,071/mo
US
Cedar Rapids: $1,071/mo — 1% below the US median of $1,077/mo.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with a HUD Fair Market Rent
Same-period U.S. benchmarks: home value $332,700 ± $236; gross rent $1,413 ± $2. Comparison badges describe estimates and do not establish statistical significance.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median value, owner-occupied units
$187,100-43.8% vs US
±$3,896
Median gross rent
$967-31.6% vs US
±$44
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR (FY2026)
$1,071-9.7% vs US
Cedar Rapids, IA HUD Metro FMR Area· 40th-percentile gross rent · HUD methodology
Owner-occupied share
68.5% ± 1.0 percentage points
of occupied housing units
Price-to-income ratio
2.7x± 0.10x approximate 90% MOE-35.5% vs US
median home value ÷ median household income · U.S. ratio: 4.1x
Rent-burdened (≥30% of income)
45.2% ± 3.4 percentage points-11.6% vs US
renters with a computed rent/income ratio · U.S. share: 51.1%
Severely rent-burdened (≥50%)
19.4% ± 2.1 percentage points-25.1% vs US
renters with a computed rent/income ratio · U.S. share: 25.9%
Poverty (Census SAIPE 2024, model-based), unemployment (BLS LAUS 2025 annual averages), and remote-work share (ACS 2020–2024) for Cedar Rapids. Numbers are labeled at their native grain — place-grain when BLS publishes it, otherwise per-county. We do not compute population-weighted county averages. See methodology §13.
Measure
Value
Grain
Unemployment rate (annual avg)
4.0%
Cedar Rapids (BLS sub-state LAUS)
Civilian labor force
75,156
2025 annual avg
Worked from home
12.9% ± 1.2 percentage points-14.7% vs US
share of workers 16+ working from home · U.S. share: 15.1% · ACS
County context — Cedar Rapids sits in Linn County:
County
Poverty rate
Median HH income
Unemployment
Linn County
9.6%
$75,639
3.8%
Top industries by private employment — NAICS supersectors rolled up from Cedar Rapids's linked county in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW, 2025 annual averages). See methodology §11.
#
Industry (NAICS supersector)
Private employment
Avg weekly wage
#1
Manufacturing (31-33)
18,389
$2,136 / wk
#2
Health care and social assistance (62)
18,003
$1,211 / wk
#3
Retail trade (44-45)
12,597
$744 / wk
#4
Accommodation and food services (72)
9,583
$431 / wk
#5
Construction (23)
8,016
$1,556 / wk
What workers earn in the Cedar Rapids, IA metro — top occupations by employment plus six curated benchmarks (registered nurse, software developer, elementary teacher, general manager, retail salesperson, truck driver). Wages are metro-area medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). See methodology §25.
Fast Food and Counter Workers is the largest tracked occupation in the Cedar Rapids, IA metro (3,590 jobs, median $28,280/yr).
▸Show all 12 occupations
Occupation
Employment
Median annual
Median hourly
Fast Food and Counter Workers
3,590
$28,280
$13.60
Customer Service Representatives
3,130
$45,510
$21.88
Cashiers
3,090
$29,270
$14.07
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
2,730
$43,300
$20.82
Stockers and Order Fillers
2,270
$36,840
$17.71
Home Health and Personal Care Aides
2,260
$35,370
$17.00
Retail Salespersons · benchmark
3,410
$33,430
$16.07
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · benchmark
3,030
$58,900
$28.32
Registered Nurses · benchmark
2,880
$78,370
$37.68
General and Operations Managers · benchmark
2,860
$90,620
$43.57
Software Developers · benchmark
1,250
$114,340
$54.97
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · benchmark
All items run 11.0% below the U.S. average (RPP 89.0); rents run 28.6% below (RPP 71.4) — the metro's housing affordability is the main driver.
Cost of living (RPP, all items)RPP 89.0
US
Cedar Rapids's cost of living runs 11.0% below the U.S. average (RPP 89.0 vs 100).
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of metro/non-metro areas with a BEA price parity
BEA Regional Price Parity (all items)
RPP 89.0
−11.0% vs U.S. average · BEA 2024 · Cedar Rapids, IA metro
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR
$1,071/mo
FY2026 · Cedar Rapids, IA HUD Metro FMR Area
State income tax (top marginal rate)
3.80%
flat · TY2026
Four-person monthly spending scenario
$7,568/mo
3BR rent + food + childcare + taxes + transport · federal sources; excludes unverified local income tax
One-person monthly spending scenario
$2,598/mo
1BR rent + food + taxes + transport · federal sources; excludes unverified local income tax
Local income tax
—
Unverified and excluded from the spending scenario; not a verified zero
Household budget figures are arithmetic floors using current federal sources at the grains documented in methodology. Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite score.
7.3% ± 0.8 percentage points foreign-born (U.S. share 14.1%); Spanish is the most-spoken language at home other than English (2.9% of residents 5+).
A quick read on Cedar Rapids's residents — nativity and languages spoken at home shown above, from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. The full demographic breakdown (age, race and ethnicity, household types, and educational attainment, each with its margin of error) lives on the demographics page.
These are K-12 public school districts. Higher education (colleges and universities) is not represented in this dataset.
Public school districts serving Cedar Rapids, from the NCES EDGE Geographic Relationship Files (GRF25, 2024–25 school year boundaries). The join is many-to-many — large cities often span multiple districts, and one district often serves multiple cities. Sorted primary district first. See methodology §12 for the consolidated-city fallback and Milford CT special case.
Source: NCES EDGE GRF25 · school year 2024–25 · methodology →
What is the climate like in Cedar Rapids?
Hottest month: July (84°F avg high). Coldest: January (11°F avg low). Annual precipitation: 37.3 in.
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for Cedar Rapids from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See methodology §15 for the gridded vs. station source path.
Average monthly highs & lows · 30-year normal (NOAA 1991–2020). Every number on this chart is an average.
bar = avg daily high → avg daily lowprecip in inches below each barprecip in millimeters below each bar
Natural-hazard exposure for Cedar Rapids from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index (FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0). NRI is an expected-annual-loss composite calibrated on 1996–2019 historical losses, published at the U.S. county grain. See methodology §17.
County
NRI composite
Rating
Top hazards
Linn County
86.7
Relatively Moderate
Strong Wind 98.4 Very High · Hail 97.6 Relatively High · Tornado 95.5 Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index · FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0 · methodology →
How fast is home internet in Cedar Rapids?
18 non-satellite ISPs serve the area; 99% of locations have gigabit-capable service per ISP filings.
Fixed broadband availability for Cedar Rapids from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Collection (BDC), as of December 31, 2025. Every speed and provider count below is an ISP-reported advertised maximum — not measured throughput. Actual delivered speeds typically run 60–80% of advertised. See methodology §16.
Measure
Value
Note
Providers serving this city
18 + satellite
distinct ISPs, excluding satellite-only
Fiber providers
18
offer fiber-to-the-premises somewhere in the BDC
Units with ≥100/20 Mbps fixed
100.0%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Locations with ≥100 Mbps upload
99.5%
derived: max(fiber ≥100/20, gigabit). Fiber is symmetric; gigabit is ≥100 up by definition
Units with ≥1 Gbps fixed
99.5%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Total broadband-serviceable units
69,238
residential locations in the FCC Fabric (not households)
Source: FCC BDC · as of December 31, 2025 · methodology →
In-state context.
Cedar Rapids sits at state rank #2 among 939 cities in Iowa. Nearby in the state ranking:
Just above in the profiled set: Orange, CA · #209 · 138,365 residents.
Just below in the profiled set: West Valley City, UT · #211 · 137,491 residents.
Quick travel facts for Cedar Rapids
Quick travel facts.
Elevation
732 ft · at city centroid, from USGS 3D Elevation Program
Nearest scheduled-service airport
The Eastern Iowa Airport(CID) · 6 mi 9 km from city centroid
Sources: elevation from USGS 3DEP · nearest airport from OurAirports CSV (OurAirports type=large/medium and scheduled_service=yes; not an FAA service classification) · best months derived from NOAA 1991-2020 normals · methodology →
Frequently asked questions about Cedar Rapids.
How many people live in Cedar Rapids, IA?
Cedar Rapids has 137,935 residents as of July 1, 2025, making it the #210 largest city in the United States and #2 in Iowa. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025.
Is Cedar Rapids growing or shrinking?
Cedar Rapids has grown 0.1% since the April 2020 census baseline, adding 193 residents, including a 0.7% increase from 2024 to 2025. Source: Census PEP Vintage 2025.
What was Cedar Rapids's population in the 2020 census?
Cedar Rapids covers 74.8 square miles of land, with a population density of about 1,844 residents per square mile. Source: Census Gazetteer 2025.
What is the median household income in Cedar Rapids?
$70,424, about 13% below the U.S. median. Source: ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.
SourceU.S. Census · PEP
VintageV2025
Reference2025-07-01
Place typeIncorporated place
GEOID1912000
Last build2026-10-09
Sources · provenance
Every listed dataset is used on this page.
The GEOID for Cedar Rapids is 1912000. These are the official datasets used by this profile's main data modules; click "methodology" for inclusion rules and the V2019 ↔ V2025 seam, or "source" for the raw publisher page. The headline population value above includes a source-detail disclosure with publisher, dataset, vintage, native geography, transformation, and caveat.
