Rankings/Cedar Rapids, IA

Cedar Rapids, IA

NeutralTier 1CBSA 16300Compare

Risk Rank: #86 of 287Month: 2025-12Score change (12m):— +1

54score

Composite risk percentile vs 287 metros (higher = higher risk)

Executive Summary

Cedar Rapids's housing market shows average risk, ranking 86th of 287 metros. The market has been in Recovery for 5 months. Inventory is growing moderately (+10% YoY) with stable liquidity. Early signs of stabilization — conditions may favor patient buyers.

Cedar Rapids experienced a market correction from late 2024 through late 2024. The market is currently recovering.

Inventory is growing at a moderate +10% pace with homes taking +2% longer to sell — within normal ranges.

Rent growth is roughly keeping pace with price appreciation, suggesting valuations are not stretched.

Cycle Phase

RecoveryExpansionHypersupplyRecession

5 months in current phase·from Recovery

Market conditions are rebuilding after a correction period

Key Dynamics

Risk is primarily driven by employment and price momentum, while affordability provides the most support.

Top Drivers

Employmentp85

12-month employment change (risk inverted)

Price Momentump82

12-month HPI change

Migrationp63

Net AGI migration (risk inverted)

Market Signals

Inventory is growing at a moderate +10% pace with homes taking +2% longer to sell — within normal ranges.

Liquidity

Stable↓

Active Listings YoY

+10.4%p59

Days on Market YoY

+1.6%p50

Months in status3

Data through Dec 2025

Valuation

Balanced—

Rent vs. Price Growth

+3.5%p94

Months in status39

Data through Dec 2025Rent growth vs price growth (rent support). Note: Affordability and Valuation measure different structural dimensions and can diverge.

Factor Details

Lower riskHigher risk

Low RiskBelow AvgNeutralElevatedHigh Risk

Price MomentumHigh Risk

+4.8%p82

12-month HPI change — higher = overheating

Permit GrowthNeutral

-3.9%p45

YoY permit change — higher = supply pressure

Permits per CapitaNeutral

3.76p49

Permits per 1,000 residents — higher = overbuilding risk

AffordabilityLow Risk

0.19p2

Mortgage payment / income — higher = more burdened

EmploymentHigh Risk

-0.5%p85

12-month employment change (risk inverted)

MigrationElevated

-$8Kp63

Net AGI migration (risk inverted)

National Context

Credit Conditions

Credit Regime

Stable—

Healthy recovery. Credit is flowing normally and transactions are steady — conditions favor continued rebuilding.

Bank Lending Standards

-5.7Normal

Rate Change (YoY)

-74 bpsNormal

Mortgage Risk Premium

+191 bpsElevated

Stable for 8 quartersData through 2026-Q1

Supply Pipeline

Supply Regime

Accumulating—

Supply pipeline is building up while credit remains available. New units are accumulating in the system — watch for delivery pressure in coming quarters.

Pipeline Ratio

0.92High

Completion-Permit Divergence

+1.9 ppNormal

Accumulating for 4 quartersData through 2026-Q1

Local Signals

Metro Permit Activity

Permit Activity

Normal

YoY Permit Growth

-3.9%Within norm

Raw signal — not the composite percentile

Relative to 2016–2019 norms for this metro

Supply and demand are in equilibrium. No unusual activity on either side of the market.

Employment Concentration

Employment

Moderate

Largest SectorManufacturing 21.5%

QCEW 2024 annual averages

Internal Structure

Cedar Rapids's counties diverge significantly — Linn County (High Risk) contrasts sharply with Jones County, making the metro average potentially misleading.

High22.0Limited data

3 of 3 counties scored

Cedar Rapids, IA shows High internal divergence — the metro composite may obscure significant county-level differences. Linn County contributes the most structural risk (High Risk, driven by permit growth), while Jones County anchors the lower end (Low Risk).

Within-metro factor percentiles (0 = lowest risk, 100 = highest risk)

County	Score ▼	Band	Pop %	Price	Permits	Afford
Linn CountyRisk Driver	88	High Risk	83.2%	50	100	100
Benton County	50	Average	9.3%	100	50	0
Jones CountyStabilizer	12	Low Risk	7.5%	0	0	50

Score History

Month	Phase	Score	Price	Permits	Afford	Employ	Migr
2025-11	Rec	58	63	85	2	82	72
2025-09	Rec	55	48	85	2	76	72
2025-07	Hyp	57	38	85	2	96	72
2025-05	Hyp	58	46	85	3	96	72
2025-02	Hyp	51	5	85	2	96	72
2025-01	Rec	51	6	85	2	92	72
2024-12	Hyp	53	12	85	3	99	72
2024-10	Hyp	53	13	85	3	100	72
2024-09	Ress	54	21	85	3	95	72
2024-07	Ress	55	28	85	3	97	72
2024-06	Hyp	56	29	85	3	99	72
2024-04	Exp	57	37	85	3	99	72
2024-02	Rec	62	65	85	4	96	72
2023-12	Rec	64	76	85	3	98	72
2023-11	Exp	64	77	85	3	98	72
2023-09	Exp	62	70	85	3	96	72
2023-08	Rec	60	57	85	3	98	72
2023-06	Rec	57	39	85	3	97	72
2023-05	Hyp	55	32	85	3	93	72
2023-03	Ress	55	28	85	3	96	72
2023-01	Ress	57	37	85	3	97	72
2022-10	Hyp	51	12	85	2	87	72
2022-09	Ress	52	17	85	3	91	72
2022-07	Ress	52	12	85	3	93	72
2022-06	Hyp	53	14	85	3	96	72
2022-04	Rec	52	13	85	3	93	72
2022-02	Rec	51	5	85	3	93	72
2022-01	Exp	51	6	85	3	91	72
2021-11	Exp	50	8	85	1	84	73
2021-08	Exp	45	15	85	2	49	73
2021-05	Exp	49	16	85	2	72	73
2021-03	Rec	46	12	85	2	59	73
2021-01	Rec	46	11	85	2	59	73
2020-10	Rec	46	14	85	3	57	72
2020-07	Rec	47	13	85	2	61	72
2020-04	Rec	44	7	85	3	51	72
2020-02	Exp	50	9	85	3	84	72
2019-12	Exp	45	8	85	3	70	59
2019-11	Rec	43	7	85	3	58	59
2019-09	Rec	44	4	85	3	65	59
2019-08	Exp	42	3	85	3	54	59
2019-06	Exp	50	15	85	3	93	59
2019-05	Hyp	48	23	85	4	70	59
2019-04	Exp	47	32	85	3	56	59
2019-03	Rec	48	34	85	4	59	59
2019-01	Rec	46	27	85	4	54	59

Data Vintages

Price (HPI)2025-Q4

Permits2026-01

Income2024

Employment2025-12

Migration2023