Septic & Sewer Technicians in the Cedar Rapids area earn a median of $66,010 a year, 29% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #7 of 150 U.S. metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays less in Waterloo.
Cedar Rapids scorecard for septic & sewer technicians Our calculation
Grades compare Cedar Rapids with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($50,990).
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Cedar Rapids Our calculation
Prices in the Cedar Rapids area run 11% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $74,199 would in a typical place, ranking #3 of 150 on real pay.
Two different views, don't combine them. Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
What septic & sewer technicians do
Clean and repair septic tanks, sewer lines, or drains. May patch walls and partitions of tank, replace damaged drain tile, or repair breaks in underground piping.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Communicate with supervisors and other workers, using equipment such as wireless phones, pagers, or radio telephones.
- Drive trucks to transport crews, materials, and equipment.
- Inspect manholes to locate sewer line stoppages.
- Operate sewer cleaning equipment, including power rodders, high-velocity water jets, sewer flushers, bucket machines, wayne balls, and vac-alls.
- Prepare and keep records of actions taken, including maintenance and repair work.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, septic & sewer technician jobs are projected to grow 7.8% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 2,800 openings a year. About 3% are self-employed.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, septic & sewer technicians have 162 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.9× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is overexertion and repetitive strain.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying IA metros for septic & sewer technicians
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar RapidsIOWA · IA | $66,010 | $74,199 | 60 |
| Des MoinesIOWA · IA | $63,750 | $69,519 | 150 |
| WaterlooIOWA · IA | $63,610 | $73,067 | 60 |
| Sioux CityIOWA · IA | $53,190 | $61,524 | 40 |
| DavenportIOWA · IA | $51,770 | $58,117 | 90 |
See every metro in Iowa.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Cedar Rapids area's unemployment rate was 3.8% in 2025 (all workers, not just septic & sewer technicians), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 4.4% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Cedar Rapids area is 21 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 9% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 78% drive alone, 1% take transit and 11% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
New construction
New-home permits in Cedar Rapids are up 10% from 2021 to 2025 (898 → 987).
In 2025 the Cedar Rapids area approved permits for 987 new homes (464 single-family), or 3.6 per 1,000 residents, ranking #189 of 393 metros.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the minimum you'd need to bill to match a $66,010 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get septic & sewer technician pricing & estimate templates →Compare Cedar Rapids with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Real pay: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, local.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, local (county rents weighted by population).
- Job outlook, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national.
- Duties: O*NET 31.0, national.
- Safety: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024, national.
- New construction: Census Building Permits, 2021–2025, local.
- Commute: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local, all workers.
- Unemployment: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2021–2025 annual averages, local, all workers (2025 preliminary).
- Competition: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and County Business Patterns 2023, local, reported by industry, so related trades can share one figure.
- Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions. Grades rank this metro against all others for the same trade.
The Census doesn't publish one-person business or competition figures for septic & sewer technicians as a separate industry, so that section is left out.