SOC 19-1013 · Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations · May 2025

How much do Soil and Plant Scientists make in Cedar Rapids, IA?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Soil and Plant Scientists in Cedar Rapids, IA is $94,980. The 10th percentile is $33,200 and the 90th percentile is $171,320. Employment is 40.

Median annual wage

$94,980

10th percentile
$33,200
25th percentile
$57,380
Median
$94,980
75th percentile
$129,380
90th percentile
$171,320
Mean
$94,210

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A welder in a green hard hat working on a metal structure
A welder in a hard hat on a metal structure. Photograph by FBenjr123. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Percentile spread

For Soil and Plant Scientists, the published 10th percentile is $33,200 and the 90th percentile is $171,320. The difference is $138,120, which is 145.4% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $57,380 to the 75th at $129,380, covers $72,000.

The mean annual wage is $94,210, which sits below the median of $94,980. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Cedar Rapids, IA median is 20.5% higher than the national median of $78,850 for Soil and Plant Scientists. In 2024 national prices the local median is $106,763, which is 35.4% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 1.4% lower than the Iowa median of $96,310.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Cedar Rapids, IA is 88.963, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $94,980 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Soil and Plant Scientists at $106,763 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

5 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Soil and Plant Scientists. Cedar Rapids, IA ranks 2nd of 6 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Iowa City, IA is 39 miles away, with a median of $84,360 and employment of 30. That median is 11.2% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $92,188, against $106,763 here.
  • Ames, IA is 106 miles away, with a median of $65,080 and employment of 130. That median is 31.5% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $73,264, against $106,763 here.
  • Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA is 115 miles away, with a median of $132,290 and employment of 430. That median is 39.3% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $144,262, against $106,763 here.

Employment share

Soil and Plant Scientists accounts for 0.03% of wage-and-salary employment in Cedar Rapids, IA (40 of 139,260). Nationally the occupation is 0.01% of employment (15,730 of 155,495,730). The local share is 2.84 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Cedar Rapids, IA · Soil and Plant Scientists by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Soil and Plant Scientists make in Cedar Rapids, IA?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Soil and Plant Scientists in Cedar Rapids, IA is $94,980. The 10th percentile is $33,200 and the 90th percentile is $171,320. Employment is 40.

How does that compare with the national median for Soil and Plant Scientists?

The local median is 20.5% higher than the national median of $78,850.

What is Soil and Plant Scientists pay in Cedar Rapids, IA after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Cedar Rapids, IA is 88.963, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $94,980 is $106,763. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Cedar Rapids, IA compare with nearby metros for Soil and Plant Scientists?

Iowa City, IA is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 39 miles away, at $84,360. Cedar Rapids, IA ranks 2nd of 6 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.