What makes ICR such a great place to locate and grow your business? From our educated workforce to our low cost of living and our lower-than-average rental, construction, payroll, and utility costs—the numbers say it all. See how Iowa compares to other states with the IEDA 50 States Comparison tool.
Sometimes numbers speak louder than words
36
Median Age
95%
Educational Attainment
8.9%
Employment Growth Rate
729,401
Workforce Population
Ready to learn more?
Have a project you would like to bring to Iowa City-Cedar Rapids? We can’t wait to help you build or expand your business right here in ICR IOWA.
Reports & Surveys
U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics
General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance, Truckload is
8 times more concentrated
in ICR IOWA than average
General Warehousing and Storage is
2 times more concentrated
in ICR IOWA than average
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage is
2 times more concentrated
in ICR IOWA than average
Specialized Freight (except Used Goods) Trucking, Local is
2 times more concentrated
in ICR IOWA than average
53-3032 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers is
2 times more concentrated
in ICR IOWA than average
Key Business Advantages
Iowa City – Cedar Rapids employs nearly 18,000 people in the transportation industry. With over 7,000 tractor-trailers drivers, and 2,000 material movers, ICR IOWA is well suited to meet your material handling and distribution needs.
By Road
ICR IOWA is located at the juncture of interstates 80 and 380. Several trucking carriers support regional employers with their transportation service needs:
CRST
HEARTLAND EXPRESS
MIDWEST 3PL
GSTC
WESTSIDE TRANSPORT
HUMMER TRUCKING
By Air
EASTERN IOWA AIRPORT (CID) is located in Cedar Rapids, and offers nonstop commercial services from five airlines to 15 different destinations. They serve over 1 million passengers annually.
Nonstop Destinations include Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Nashville, Orlando, Orlando Sanford, Phoenix-Mesa, Phoenix-Sky Harbor, Punta Gorda-Ft. Myers, Sarasota, St. Petersburg-Tampa
Carriers are Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, United
Air Cargo carriers include FedEx, DHL, UPS
By Rail
CRANDIC is a Class III railroad operating 60 miles of main line and more than 40 miles of yard trackage in four east central Iowa counties.
IOWA NORTHERN is a Class III railroad operating 163 miles in Iowa between Cedar Rapids in eastern Iowa and Manly in north central Iowa. The railroad connects with the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway in Cedar Rapids.
IOWA INTERSTATE RAILROAD is a Class II railroad with a mainline that runs between Chicago and Omaha with a branch line connecting to Peoria, Illinois.
CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY is a Class I railroad operating 12,500 miles of track all across Canada and into the United States, serving Minneapolis-St. Paul, Milwaukee, Detroit, Chicago, and New York City in the United States.
UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD is a freight hauling railroad that operates 32,100 miles in 23 states west of Chicago and New Orleans. The Union Pacific Railroad system is the largest in the United States.
By Fiber
Fiber optic broadband networks are available throughout ICR IOWA with speeds up to 10 gigabits. Commercial network providers include:
CENTURY LINK
IMON
MEDIACOM
SOUTH SLOPE
UNITE PRIVATE NETWORKS
WINDSTREAM
Logistics Support (3PL)
WORLEY
MIDWEST 3PL
CRST LOGISTICS
MIDWEST REFRIGERATION
The Future
In September 2016, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the Iowa Department of Transportation a $25.7 million FASTLANE Grant to aide in the construction of a $47 million full-service logistics park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The facility would co-locate truckload consolidation, intermodal container facilities and multi-modal transfer services on a single site. Alliant Energy is a private partner in the proppsed facility.
Laborshed Analysis
Every 2-3 years, Iowa Workforce Development completes a Laborshed Analysis for each region of the state. Laborshed studies provide community leaders, economic developers, site selectors, and existing or prospective employers a flexible tool for understanding the workforce characteristics of their local labor market. A laborshed is defined as the area or region from which an employment center draws its commuting workers. It shows the distribution of these workers regardless of political boundaries. Laborshed studies also address underemployment, availability of labor, and likeliness of the employed or not employed to change or accept employment. Other topics covered within a laborshed analysis include: current and desired occupations, wages, hours worked, job search resources, and distance willing to commute to work.
Iowa Workforce Development Labor Market Information
Iowa Workforce Development has an unparalleled Labor Market Information Department. They provide the following annual reports:
Iowa Wage Report
Iowa Staffing Patterns
Iowa Workforce and the Economy
Iowa College Student Retention Report
They are also available as a resource for customized reports.
For further information contact:
Donna Burkett, 515 242-5862 or Ryan Murphy, 515 281-7505, Email: iwd.lmi@iwd.iowa.gov
ICR IOWA Customized Reports
The team at ICR IOWA can provide customized reports using a variety of data analytics sites.
Contact: Laura Thomas with the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance at lthomas@cedarrapids.org
ICR Skills Talent Forecast
The ICR Skills Talent Forecast is conducted every two years by ICR IOWA and Kirkwood Community College to determine the future workforce needs of employers in the region.
Existing Industry Surveys
Most of our region’s growth, both in capital investment and jobs, comes from local business expansions. The Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance and the Iowa City Area Development Group conduct Existing Industry interviews annually. These surveys play an important role in identifying opportunities to better support our regional employers.
Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance Existing Industry Report