Photo: ArtisticAbode · CC BY-SA 3.0Cedar Rapids spent more per resident in 2022 than 97% of similar cities
Cedar Rapids’ city government spent $329.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,414 per resident. Water and other utilities ($39.8 million) and the airport ($14 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Cedar Rapids is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$2,176 per resident in 2022: more than 97% of them
Cedar Rapids’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,176 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 937 Iowa cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $964, and the middle half spent $693–$1,277. Cedar Rapids spent more than 97% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($54.2 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Iowa cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Cedar Rapids itself left out).
About $2,414 per resident a year, or $6.61 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 18%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 13% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Cedar Rapids reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $2,176 · 2023: $2,369 · 2024: $2,414.
full-time in March 2025, up from 1,298 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,233 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.73% of the home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Cedar Rapids’ rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Cedar Rapids’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Cedar Rapids →
Who’s in charge in Cedar Rapids
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Cedar Rapids’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cedar-rapids.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 102 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (136,429).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Cedar Rapids Community School District
Cedar Rapids’ K–12 school district, shared with Palo, Hiawatha, Robins, Bertram. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,892 per pupil, $8,209 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Iowa districts overall: 43% local, 49% state, 8% federal.
College Community School District · $13,528 per pupil
Linn-Mar Community School District · $13,124 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Cedar Rapids voted in 2024
Official results for Cedar Rapids’ own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat58.9%39,918 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican39.6%26,848 votesOthers: 1.5% (1,004 votes).
Most votes in Cedar Rapids: Kamala D Harris
Linn County: Harris 54.2%, Trump 44.3% · Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
of Cedar Rapids’ 104,916 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Iowa: 70%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in the district: Ashley Hinson
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Cedar Rapids, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Rapids | 58.9% | 39.6% | 1.5% | 67,770 |
| Linn County | 54.2% | 44.3% | 1.4% | 122,369 |
| Iowa | 42.5% | 55.7% | 1.8% | 1,663,506 |
Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Cedar Rapids sends 5 representatives to the Iowa House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cedar-rapids.org ↗
- 2Iowa HouseCedar Rapids is split between 5 districts
- 3Iowa SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Iowa
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Cedar Rapids compares with the towns next door
Cedar Rapids spent $2,176 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $499 to $1,431. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Cedar Rapids’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Cedar Rapids’ government
How much does Cedar Rapids spend per resident?
About $2,414 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,176 was more than 97% of 937 Iowa cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Cedar Rapids?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,233 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.73% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cedar-rapids.org.
Who runs Cedar Rapids’ government?
See cedar-rapids.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Cedar Rapids yet.
How did Cedar Rapids vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 58.9%, Donald J Trump 39.6% (67,770 votes, official results). Linn County: Harris 54.2%, Trump 44.3%. Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%.
How many people work for Cedar Rapids?
1,336 full-time and 137 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $9.7M (about $116.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Cedar Rapids in the state legislature?
Cedar Rapids is split among 5 State House districts and 3 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Iowa Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Cedar Rapids’ government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →