Graphic Designers salary in Cedar Rapids, IA

Median pay for graphic designers in Cedar Rapids, IA: $48,860/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $34,640 – $76,810 · about 300 employed locally

Below the typical metro median ($50,005) by −$1,145 (-2%).

What it's really worth in Cedar Rapids

With Cedar Rapids's cost of living at 90 (US=100), that $48,860 has the buying power of about $54,297 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $75,477 · median home $244,344 · median rent $1,234/mo.

Full Cedar Rapids cost of living & taxes →

How Cedar Rapids ranks for this job

On raw pay, Cedar Rapids, IA is 114th of the 186 metros we hold graphic designers wages for. Once Cedar Rapids's cost of living is applied, it ranks 82nd.

Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Cedar Rapids is one of the places where graphic designers gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.

What that salary buys in Cedar Rapids

A median home in Cedar Rapids, IA costs $244,344 — about 5× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $1,234/mo works out at 30% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.

Where graphic designers earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Cedar Rapids.

Metro	Median pay	vs Cedar Rapids	Rent vs Cedar Rapids
San Jose, CA	$96,260	+97%	2.9×
San Francisco, CA	$92,380	+89%	2.6×
Washington, DC	$80,100	+64%	2×
New York, NY	$75,900	+55%	2.8×

Same job elsewhere in IA

Metro	Median pay	vs Cedar Rapids	Rent vs Cedar Rapids
Davenport, IA	$47,890	−2%	0.8×
Des Moines, IA	$45,740	−6%	1×

Staying in IA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

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