Soil and Plant Scientists · SOC 19-1013
Soil and Plant Scientists Salary in the Cedar Rapids Metro Area
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Cedar Rapids, IA metro area
Figures describe the Cedar Rapids, IA metropolitan statistical area as defined by BLS/OMB — the whole multi-county metro region, not Cedar Rapids city limits.
Soil and Plant Scientists in the Cedar Rapids, IA metro area earned a median of $94,980 per year ($45.66 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $33,200 at the 10th percentile to $171,320 at the 90th. BLS estimates 40 people work in this occupation in the area.
Pay distribution
Half of Soil and Plant Scientists in the Cedar Rapids metro area earn more than $94,980 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $57,380 and $129,380.
| Wage | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $33,200 | $57,380 | $94,980 | $129,380 | $171,320 |
| Hourly | $15.96 | $27.59 | $45.66 | $62.20 | $82.36 |
A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.
How this area compares
- Cedar Rapids metro areathis metro area$94,980 median for Cedar Rapids metro area; middle half earns $57,380 to $129,380
- Iowastate (IA)$96,310 median for Iowa; middle half earns $73,170 to $136,360
- United Statesnational$78,850 median for United States; middle half earns $61,660 to $103,740
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
The median here is −1% vs Iowa overall and +20% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.
Where this metro sits nationally
Each dot is one metro area with a published median — hover any dot for the name and figure. Metros without published estimates are not drawn.
The Cedar Rapids metro area has the 14th-highest published median for this occupation among the 82 metro areas where BLS publishes it. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.
Other metro areas in Iowa
Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for soil and plant scientists, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.
- Cedar Rapids metro areathis page$94,980 median for Cedar Rapids metro area; middle half earns $57,380 to $129,380
- $132,290 median for Des Moines metro area; middle half earns $81,000 to $161,840
- $84,360 median for Iowa City metro area; middle half earns $64,670 to $128,690
- $65,080 median for Ames metro area; middle half earns $50,210 to $96,890
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
Keep exploring
Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:
Highest-paying metro areas for soil and plant scientistss · Highest-paying occupations in Cedar Rapids Metro
About this estimate
These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.
Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.