Lawyer Salary in Cedar Rapids, IA: Median $66,509 in 2026
Cedar Rapids (IA) · COL index 86 · Unemployment 2.8% · Metro pop 270,000 · Rank #237 of 283 for Lawyer salary
A Lawyer in Cedar Rapids earns an estimated median of $66,509 per year. That figure starts from the Iowa state-level BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median[1]($68,650) and scales it by Cedar Rapids's composite cost-of-living index of 86 (US = 100). The 10th percentile comes in around $38,452; the 90th percentile reaches $153,004. After federal, Iowa state, and FICA taxes, a single-filer Lawyer takes home approximately $52,813/year — about $4,401/month or $2,031 every other week.
Compared to the national Lawyer median of $145,760, Cedar Rapids pays -54.4%. Relative to the Cedar Rapids median household income of $62,400, a Lawyersalary runs +6.6%. Local unemployment is 2.8%[3], with an estimated 101 annual Lawyer openings inferred from metro population share and national employment (832,400).
Lawyer Snapshot — Cedar Rapids (2026)
Every row cites a primary public dataset. Rent + home values use Zillow where the metro is in the ZHVI/ZORI coverage set; otherwise ACS + census tract fallbacks.
| Metric | Cedar Rapids | National | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawyer median salary | $66,509 | $145,760 | [1] |
| 10th percentile | $38,452 | $95,240 | [1] |
| 90th percentile | $153,004 | $350,000 | [1] |
| Annual take-home (single filer) | $52,813 | — | [8][10] |
| Median home value (ZHVI) | $236,652 | — | [5] |
| Median rent (ZORI) | $1,231/mo | — | [5] |
| HUD Fair Market Rent (2BR) | $1,125/mo | — | [6] |
| Median household income (ACS) | $77,084 | — | [7] |
| Cost-of-living index | 86.0 | 100.0 | [4] |
| Unemployment rate | 2.8% | — | [3] |
How Lawyer Salaries Work in Cedar Rapids
City-level wages aren't published directly by BLS for most SOC codes. We build them by anchoring to the Iowa state-level OEWS median ($68,650) and scaling by Cedar Rapids's composite cost-of-living index (86)[1][4]. That index combines Census ACS rent, Zillow ZHVI, BLS CPI, and AdvisorSmith / ApartmentAdvisor inputs to produce one number per metro. When BLS publishes a separate metro-level wage (MSA-level OEWS), that takes priority — a handful of large metros including New York, LA, Chicago, and DC have this coverage.
On top of the gross wage, the standard US payroll stack applies: federal income tax using 2025 IRS brackets and the $15,000 single standard deduction[8], FICA (Social Security 6.2% up to $176,100 wage base + Medicare 1.45%)[9], and Iowa state income tax at a 3.8% effective rate ($2,527/yr on the $66,509 median)[10].
Cedar Rapids also sits inside a larger metro labor market where commute patterns, remote-work policies, and adjacent-metro wages compete. A tight labor market (unemployment below 4%) gives candidates pricing power in negotiations. Median household income in the metro is $77,084, which frames what "a good Lawyer salary" means locally: a $$66,509 wage pays about 86% of the median household income on a single earner.
The deterministic identity: take_home = gross − federal − state − FICA − pre_tax. All math runs client-side; nothing is sent to our servers.
Lawyer Salary & Cost-of-Living Context — Cedar Rapids
Buy vs rent in Cedar Rapids
Monthly PITI on the $236,652 median home in Cedar Rapids is ~$1,820/mo — vs a $1,231/mo median rent. Rent burden on median household income is 19.2%, which falls within the recommended 30% guideline for housing costs.
Cost of Living Breakdown — Cedar Rapids
Estimated annual expense shares on a $52,813 take-home, using BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey baseline shares scaled to Cedar Rapids's COL index of 86. Housing uses the actual median rent.
BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey shares[1], scaled by Cedar Rapids's COL index of 86[4]. Housing uses actual median rent of $700/month.
Salary vs Housing Affordability in Cedar Rapids
Renting
Buying
At $4,401/mo take-home, the 30% rent rule caps housing at $1,320/mo. Cedar Rapids's typical 1–2BR rent runs $1,231/mo[5] (HUD 2BR FMR: $1,125/mo), making rent very affordable on a median Lawyer salary. For homebuyers, the 2.8× price-to-income ratio is comfortable — a median {p.title} salary supports the median home in {city.name} well inside standard lender DTI caps.
How Cedar Rapids Stacks Up for Lawyers
Against 283 major US cities: Cedar Rapids ranks #237 for nominal Lawyer salary, #1 for rent affordability, and #43 for overall purchasing power. Cedar Rapids is mid-pack: solid nominal salaries partly absorbed by cost of living. Whether it "pays well" depends heavily on housing choices.
Nearby Cities — Lawyer Salary Comparison
Cedar Rapids's closest metros, scaled by each city's cost-of-living index. Useful for relocation decisions where commute or remote-work policies allow a neighboring metro trade-off.
| City | Est. salary | COL | Rent | vs IA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Rapids, IA ★ | $66,509 | 86 | $700 | — |
| Des Moines, IA | $129,726 | 89 | $850 | +95.1% |
| Davenport, IA | $122,438 | 84 | $850 | +84.1% |
| Rochester, NY | $125,354 | 86 | $1,250 | +88.5% |
| St. Louis, MO | $125,354 | 86 | $900 | +88.5% |
| Tulsa, OK | $125,354 | 86 | $875 | +88.5% |
Lawyer Job Market in Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids has an estimated 101 annual Lawyeropenings, extrapolated from the metro's share of 832,400 national Lawyers[1]. The 2.8% unemployment rate[3] signals a competitive labor market where skilled professionals can push for top-of-band offers.
About the profession: Lawyers advise and represent clients in civil and criminal legal matters. Compensation varies widely by practice area, firm size, and whether the attorney works at a firm or is self-employed. Typical entry requirement: doctoral or professional degree (jd). Projected growth through 2034: 8%[2].
Career Progression & Related Professions in Cedar Rapids
Early-career Lawyers in Cedar Rapids start around $38,452, reach the city median ($66,509) after 4–8 years, and hit 90th-percentile territory ($153,004) at senior / specialized levels.
Related legal professions in Cedar Rapids
Calculators for Lawyers in Cedar Rapids
Other professions in Cedar Rapids
Frequently Asked Questions — Lawyer in Cedar Rapids
How much does a Lawyer make in Cedar Rapids, IA?
The estimated median salary for a Lawyer in Cedar Rapids is $66,509/year, scaled from the BLS OEWS Iowa state median ($68,650) by Cedar Rapids's composite cost-of-living index of 86 (US = 100). After federal, Iowa state, and FICA taxes, take-home is approximately $52,813/year or $4,401/month.
Can a Lawyer afford to live in Cedar Rapids?
On $4,401/month take-home, the 30% rent rule affords $1,320/month. Cedar Rapids's Zillow ZORI median rent is $1,231/mo, HUD's 2BR Fair Market Rent is $1,125/mo. The rent-to-income ratio works out to 12.6%, making housing very affordable for a Lawyer at the local median. Home-buyers face 2.8× price-to-income, needing roughly 2.8 years to save a 20% down payment at a 20% savings rate.
How much tax does a Lawyer pay in Cedar Rapids?
On $66,509 gross, a Lawyer in Cedar Rapids pays approximately $6,081 in federal income tax (9.1% effective), $2,527 in Iowa state income tax (3.8% effective), and $5,088 in FICA (Social Security + Medicare). Total effective rate: 20.6%. Some Iowa cities levy local income taxes in addition; check your municipal DoR before filing.
How does Cedar Rapids rank for Lawyer salaries vs other cities?
Cedar Rapids ranks #237 out of 283 tracked metros for nominal Lawyer salary, #1 for rent affordability (rent-to-income), and #43 for purchasing power (salary ÷ COL). The high-purchasing-power cities tend to be mid-size metros with strong local employers and moderate housing costs; the low-ranked cities trade high nominal pay for steep rents.
What is the cost-of-living breakdown for a Lawyer in Cedar Rapids?
On $52,813 take-home, a reasonable baseline budget for Cedar Rapids looks like: housing $8,400/yr (15.9%); food $5,805/yr; transportation $4,986/yr; healthcare $3,542/yr; utilities $2,456/yr; savings + discretionary $27,624/yr. Numbers use BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey shares scaled to Cedar Rapids's COL index of 86 and the city's actual median rent.
What's the Lawyer job market like in Cedar Rapids?
Cedar Rapids's unemployment rate is 2.8% across the metro of 270,000. Estimated annual Lawyer openings: ~101 (extrapolated from 832,400 nationally employed and the metro's population share). The tight labor market favors candidates in salary negotiations.
Do Cedar Rapids employers pay above or below the Iowa median for Lawyers?
Not consistently — Cedar Rapids's estimated Lawyer median of $66,509 is 54.4% below the national median. The trade-off is usually lower rents and (in some cases) lower state taxes, which can leave real purchasing power competitive.
Methodology — How we compute this page
Wage estimate. The Cedar Rapids median is derived from the Iowa state-level BLS OEWS median ($68,650), scaled by Cedar Rapids's composite cost-of-living index of 86. When BLS publishes a direct MSA-level wage for the occupation, that takes priority over the scaled state median. Percentile bands inherit the same scale factor.
Housing + rent. Median home value uses Zillow ZHVI; median rent prefers Zillow ZORI and falls back to Census ACS median gross rent. HUD Fair Market Rents (50th-percentile 2BR) are shown where HUD publishes the metro. Price-to-income and rent-to-income ratios use the estimated Lawyermedian (not the city's overall median household income) — to reflect the specific role-vs-city affordability picture.
Tax math. Federal tax uses 2025 IRS brackets and the $15,000 single standard deduction. FICA is Social Security 6.2% up to the $176,100 wage base + Medicare 1.45% (+ 0.9% Additional Medicare above $200,000). State tax uses Iowa's 2026 brackets from the state DoR (mirrored via Tax Foundation where the DoR's publication is paywalled or split). Local income taxes (e.g. NYC, Portland-OR supplemental, OH municipal) are NOT included — check your municipal authority for specifics.
Cost of living. The 86index is the composite used by CalcFi's /data/cities.ts, which merges Census ACS, BLS CPI shelter, Zillow ZORI, and commercial COL estimators. The COL-adjusted salary on this page assumes the statewide RPP = 88.8(BEA) approximates the state's purchasing power; cities are then scaled relative to that.
Refresh cadence. BLS OEWS releases annually (typically March); BEA RPP releases annually in December; IRS brackets adjust in October; Zillow ZHVI/ZORI updates monthly; HUD FMR publishes annually in August for the upcoming fiscal year. The dateModified shown above auto-bumps to the most recent retrievedAt on any sourced value the page consumes.
Known limits. Metro-level OEWS coverage is partial — only ~50 large MSAs have separately published occupation wages; the rest inherit state-level estimates scaled by COL. Rent and home data may trail the real-time market by 1–3 months (Zillow) or 8–12 months (ACS). Rankings are capped to the city set in our dataset (283 metros), not every incorporated US city.
Sources
Every number on this page cites a primary public dataset. Last reviewed (auto-bumped on the next ISR refresh after an ETL run).
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) — state-level occupational wages — www.bls.gov/oes. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
- BLS Employment Projections — 2024–34 occupational growth rates — www.bls.gov/emp. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
- BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics — metro-level unemployment rate — www.bls.gov/lau. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
- Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (state + metro) — www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
- Zillow Research — ZHVI (home value index) + ZORI (observed rent index) — www.zillow.com/research/data. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
- HUD Fair Market Rents — 50th-percentile 2-bedroom FY — www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
- U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, metro level — www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
- Internal Revenue Service — Federal individual income tax brackets and standard deductions — www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-17. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
- Social Security Administration — OASDI / Medicare contribution and wage-base rules — www.ssa.gov. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
- Iowa Department of Revenue — 2026 individual income tax brackets (accessed via Tax Foundation mirror) — taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/state-income-tax-rates. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
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