NAICS 51

Information in Cedar Rapids, IA

Metro Market Score 70.9 (Difficult), ranked #279 of 294 metros. 256 establishments, 2,808 jobs.

Metro Market Score 70.9

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national information average.

💰High-Cost Market

Cedar Rapids scores 70.9 on the Metro Market Score for information, placing it in the bottom 10%. High wage costs, strong existing competition, or slowing growth contribute to tougher entry conditions compared to most metros.

Industry Concentration

93.5

LQ: 1.08

Rank #275 of 294 metros

Wage Competitiveness

80.3

$105,937 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 30.6

Employment growth index

Rank #205 of 294 metros

Wage Pressure

33.3

YoY wage change index

256 Information Firms in Cedar Rapids

256

Establishments

-3.0% YoY

2,808

Total Employment

-5.1% YoY

$105,937

Average Annual Wage

+17.8% YoY

1.08

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Iowa

#8 of 8

information metros in state

Iowa state rank

#15 of 51

for information entry risk

vs State Median

+19.9

worse than median (51.0)

Cedar Rapids vs Iowa Statewide

How this metro's information market compares to Iowa overall. The state ranks #15/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Cedar Rapids	IA Statewide
Overall Score	70.9 Difficult	38.3 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#279 of 294 metros	#15 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Cedar Rapids

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 26.2 Accommodation and Food Services 34.4 Retail Trade 45.2 Construction 49.8 Other Services 57.9 Finance and Insurance 75.8

Information in Other Iowa Metros

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island 29.5 #56/294 Iowa City 30.0 #60/294 Ames 39.9 #114/294 Waterloo-Cedar Falls 48.5 #182/294 Sioux City 51.0 #196/294 Des Moines-West Des Moines 51.6 #198/294 Dubuque 58.5 #228/294

Information Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Cedar Rapids's 70.9 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR 70.7 #278/294 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 70.7 #277/294 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 71.4 #280/294 Omaha, NE 70.4 #276/294 Fargo, ND 71.5 #281/294 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 71.5 #282/294 Manchester-Nashua, NH 70.3 #275/294 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 69.6 #274/294 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 69.3 #273/294 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA 72.6 #283/294

Information in States Bordering Iowa

State-level entry risk for information in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

South Dakota 33.6 #8/51 Missouri 36.8 #10/51 Nebraska 37.8 #13/51 Wisconsin 38.1 #14/51 Minnesota 42.6 #22/51 Illinois 48.5 #38/51

Browse Information in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for information across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Cedar Rapids's information sector, the industry concentration component (93.5) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Cedar Rapids, IA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment