Medical Assistants salary in Cedar Rapids, IA
Median pay for medical assistants in Cedar Rapids, IA: $43,520/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $36,200 – $53,360 · about 420 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($39,165) by +$4,355 (+11%).
What it's really worth in Cedar Rapids
With Cedar Rapids's cost of living at 90 (US=100), that $43,520 has the buying power of about $48,363 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $75,477 · median home $244,344 · median rent $1,234/mo.
How Cedar Rapids ranks for this job
On raw pay, Cedar Rapids, IA is 47th of the 186 metros we hold medical assistants wages for. Once Cedar Rapids's cost of living is applied, it ranks 13th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Cedar Rapids is one of the places where medical assistants 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 5.6× 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 34% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.
Where medical assistants 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vallejo, CA | $74,750 | +72% | 1.9× |
| San Jose, CA | $60,500 | +39% | 2.9× |
| San Francisco, CA | $59,770 | +37% | 2.6× |
| Sacramento, CA | $59,520 | +37% | 1.9× |
Same job elsewhere in IA
| Metro | Median pay | vs Cedar Rapids | Rent vs Cedar Rapids |
|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines, IA | $46,280 | +6% | 1× |
| Davenport, IA | $40,830 | −6% | 0.8× |
Staying in IA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires medical assistants around Cedar Rapids
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- St. Luke's Hospital · Healthcare
Other jobs in Cedar Rapids
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 186 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.