Labor Market Pulse · Information Technology · September 2026
Information Technology Labor Market Report: Cedar Rapids, IA MSA — September 2026
Cedar Rapids underprices security talent as data centers reshape demand.
Cybersecurity Analyst advertised pay fell to $84,269 locally — moderate decline against a national median of $106,790 — even as data center construction intensifies demand for the exact skills now trading below market.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Metro unemployment rate: 3.7% — Down from 4.1% in June 2026
- Cybersecurity Analyst pay gap: $84,269 vs $106,790 — Metro down moderate vs national up moderate
- Iowa tech wage premium: $91,677 — 94% above Iowa all-occupation metro average
- Local WARN-adjacent cuts: 51 workers — NFI (49) + RTX (2), Cedar Rapids, Sept 2026
Key takeaways
Cybersecurity pay is falling locally while the national market heats up.
Metro Cybersecurity Analyst advertised pay sits at $84,269, down moderately and nearly $22,500 below the national median of $106,790. That spread is consistent with underpricing risk as data center investment raises the stakes for security staffing in Linn County.
Network Engineer softness looks mismatched with infrastructure build-out.
Advertised pay for Network Engineers fell moderately to $108,091 even as data center construction continues to demand networking and infrastructure expertise. Organizations should evaluate whether falling postings reflect reduced local demand or employers quietly shifting this work to contractors.
IT Project Manager pay is rising sharply — a signal of execution-stage hiring.
Metro IT Project Manager pay climbed to $100,612, a significant increase, likely tracking the coordination demands of major local data center and infrastructure projects. This looks like a structural shift tied to project volume, not a one-off spike, and merits benchmarking against current project pipeline rather than past postings.
Entry-level IT pipeline risk is building, not easing.
Statewide 'job hugging' and AI-driven compression of junior roles are limiting the entry-level talent pipeline even as Iowa tech employment grows modestly. Cedar Rapids employers leaning on internal development programs may face a thinner bench for infrastructure and support roles within 12-18 months.
Median advertised pay by role — Cedar Rapids, IA MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist | $77,779 | $112,729 | $121,862 | Significant increase | $148,250 |
| Systems Administrator | $82,204 | $107,024 | $119,056 | Moderate increase | $101,168 |
| Network Engineer | $75,000 | $108,091 | $132,998 | Moderate decline | $114,400 |
| Software Engineer | $100,000 | $132,586 | $156,000 | Moderate increase | $153,652 |
| Help Desk/IT Support Specialist | $43,638 | $44,768 | $47,842 | Significant decline | $53,644 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst | $65,233 | $84,269 | $113,779 | Moderate decline | $106,790 |
| IT Project Manager | $64,993 | $100,612 | $109,471 | Significant increase | $117,530 |
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Local market conditions
Cedar Rapids unemployment fell to 3.7% in July, tightening against a 60,378-opening statewide backdrop, while data center construction across Linn County continues absorbing specialized infrastructure and networking talent and pushing local rents higher. Layoff activity remains isolated and non-tech — NFI Interactive Logistics (49 workers) and two RTX positions closing by September 30 — rather than signaling broad-based IT labor slack.
What it means
Metro-level softening in Network Engineer ($108,091, down moderate) and Cybersecurity Analyst ($84,269, down moderate) advertised pay runs counter to national trends where both roles are rising, suggesting Cedar Rapids employers may be under-pricing security and infrastructure talent just as data center build-out intensifies demand for those exact skill sets. That gap creates retention exposure for in-house teams and strengthens the case for contract or managed-service coverage on commodity infrastructure work while reserving premium pay for roles tied directly to data center and cloud expansion. Consider reviewing whether current cybersecurity and network engineering offers reflect local project pipeline rather than lagging national benchmarks.
Looking ahead
Emerging pressure point: Data center-driven rent increases in Linn County may begin affecting total rewards conversations as cost-of-living pressure grows disproportionate to wage gains. Watch whether this shows up in retention conversations for mid-career infrastructure and cloud staff.
Worth watching: Cybersecurity Analyst and Network Engineer advertised pay have moved in the opposite direction locally versus nationally this month. A continued gap into Q4 would strengthen the case for geographic pay adjustments on these roles specifically.
Early indicator: NFI Interactive Logistics' 49-worker layoff and RTX's smaller cuts are not IT-specific, but displaced logistics and manufacturing-adjacent technical staff may surface in the local IT support and systems administration candidate pool over the next quarter.
Potential inflection point: Continued data center buildout could tip local Systems Administrator and IT Project Manager demand further upward; both roles already show upward movement. Headcount plans finalized this quarter should stress-test against further acceleration rather than current run-rate.
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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