File Clerks Salary
File Clerks in Cedar Rapids, IA make a median of $49,460 a year, or about $23.78 an hour. The range runs from $37K at the entry level to $64K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 88.96), which stretches that salary to about $55,598 in buying power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $956/month, or 28.3% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $49K get you in Cedar Rapids?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Cedar Rapids’s Regional Price Parity (88.96). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About file clerks
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What this looks like in Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids sits well above the national pay line for file clerks, local pay runs about 13% higher than the U.S. median of $44K. Rent runs $956/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 29.1% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Regional Price Parity sits at 88.96 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 11% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for file clerks in metros near Cedar Rapids, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Des Moines-West Des Moines | $50K | $54K |
| Waterloo-Cedar Falls | $48K | $56K |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island | $41K | $46K |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $58K | $56K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Cedar Rapids, IA
Entry-level file clerks (10th percentile) start around $37K. Mid-career wages sit at $49K. Top earners bring in $64K or more, a $27K spread from bottom to top.
File Clerks pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View File Clerks salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $51K | +16% | 970 |
| Hawaii | $51K | +16% | 100 |
| Illinois | $50K | +14% | 3,780 |
| Alaska | $50K | +14% | 150 |
| California | $49K | +12% | 9,520 |
| Massachusetts | $48K | +11% | 600 |
| Vermont | $48K | +9% | 70 |
| Minnesota | $47K | +7% | 760 |
| Iowa | $47K | +7% | 430 |
| Colorado | $46K | +7% | 1,130 |
| Idaho | $46K | +5% | 540 |
| Washington | $46K | +5% | 520 |
| Wisconsin | $45K | +4% | 1,550 |
| Maryland | $45K | +3% | 880 |
| Connecticut | $45K | +3% | 350 |
| New Jersey | $44K | +2% | 2,310 |
| New Hampshire | $44K | +2% | 300 |
| New York | $44K | +2% | 2,590 |
| Nevada | $44K | +1% | 1,110 |
| Michigan | $44K | +1% | 1,820 |
| Maine | $44K | +1% | 210 |
| Arizona | $44K | +0% | 2,190 |
| North Carolina | $43K | -1% | 1,970 |
| Tennessee | $43K | -1% | 2,060 |
| Pennsylvania | $43K | -2% | 2,830 |
| North Dakota | $43K | -2% | 60 |
| Kansas | $42K | -3% | 570 |
| Florida | $42K | -4% | 6,180 |
| Utah | $41K | -5% | 510 |
| Georgia | $41K | -6% | 2,570 |
| Ohio | $41K | -7% | 1,820 |
| Nebraska | $41K | -7% | 750 |
| Delaware | $40K | -8% | N/A |
| Virginia | $40K | -8% | 2,110 |
| Indiana | $40K | -9% | 1,430 |
| Texas | $39K | -9% | 11,340 |
| South Carolina | $39K | -10% | 1,210 |
| Kentucky | $39K | -10% | 250 |
| Oklahoma | $39K | -10% | 1,440 |
| Arkansas | $38K | -12% | 310 |
| Missouri | $38K | -12% | 1,000 |
| Montana | $38K | -12% | 410 |
| Alabama | $38K | -12% | 110 |
| New Mexico | $38K | -14% | 340 |
| South Dakota | $37K | -16% | N/A |
| Rhode Island | $36K | -17% | N/A |
| Louisiana | $32K | -26% | 680 |
| West Virginia | $32K | -28% | 260 |
| Mississippi | $31K | -28% | N/A |
Showing 1–10 of 49 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track file clerks salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Cedar Rapids numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a file clerk afford a 2BR apartment alone in Cedar Rapids?
Yes — at the median salary of $49K, rent takes 29.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $956/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for file clerks in Cedar Rapids?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new file clerks typically earn — is $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,237/month. At HUD’s $956/month FMR, rent would take 43% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is file clerk a high-paying job in Cedar Rapids?
Local pay is 13% above the national median — $49K here vs. $44K nationally.
How does Cedar Rapids compare to the national average for file clerks?
Cedar Rapids pays $49K median vs. the U.S. average of $44K — that’s +13%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 88.96), the purchasing-power equivalent is $56K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do file clerks make in Cedar Rapids, IA?
The median is $49,460 a year, that works out to about $24 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $37,280, and experienced file clerks can clear $64,460. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $49K enough to live in Cedar Rapids?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,282/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $956/month, which eats 29.1% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a file clerks salary go in Cedar Rapids?
Cedar Rapids has a Regional Price Parity of 88.96 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median file clerks salary is worth about $55,598 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do file clerks get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.