Nearly All of Linn County’s Top Employers Have Something In Common

Back in 2020, we looked at the top ten employers in Linn County. There have certainly been changes to the list since then, but there's a definite trend that's not great to see.

The 2020 story was based on the 2019 Linn County Comprehensive Annual Financial Report which included the official employment statement from the City of Cedar Rapids.

Of the 226,298 residents in Linn County in 2019, 29,100 were employed by the county's ten largest employers. Combined, the ten companies employed nearly 17 percent of the Linn County workforce.

According to the 2022 report, Linn County had 230,440 residents and the top ten companies for employment had a combined 25,532 workers. That represents 15.39 percent of the county's total employment and is the fourth consecutive year the top ten companies have seen a drop in the total number of people employed.

Here is a look at the Top 10 Linn County employers for fiscal year 2022.

10. United Fire Group

United Fire Group became one of Cedar Rapids' top employers in 2021, with 1,200 workers. In 2022, the company's number of workers in the county stayed at the same number as the year prior. This week, they announced the layoff of 28 workers in Iowa.

9. Mercy Medical Center

In the last several years, Mercy Medical Center has been as high as #6 on the list of most employees in Linn County. Despite their employment staying flat at approximately 1,300 workers in 2022, they dropped from 8th to 9th in total employment.

8. City of Cedar Rapids

The City of Cedar Rapids has been #8, #9, #9, and #8 (2022) in Linn County employment over the last four years. In 2022, the city employed 1,505 workers, up 238 from the year before.

7. Kirkwood Community College

Kirkwood Community College has reported the same number of employees each of the last three years, with 1,623. That means the school is the county's seventh-largest employer.

6. Cedar Rapids Community Schools

According to the county's reports, employment in the Cedar Rapids Community School District has dropped precipitously since 2019 when it stood at 2,879. In 2022, the district employed 1,824.

5. Hy-Vee Food Stores

A consistent top-five employer in Linn County over the last three years, Hy-Vee employed 2,130 people in 2022.

4. Nordstrom Direct

Located off 18th St. S.W. in Cedar Rapids, the Nordstrom Direct Fulfillment Center and Contact Center employed 2,150 last year.

3. Transamerica Life Insurance Company

TransAmerica Life Insurance Company was the county's second-largest employer in 2021. In fiscal year 2022, they dropped to #3 with 2,600 employees.

2. Unity Point Health-St. Luke's Hospital

One of only two entrants on the list to add employees during fiscal year 2022 is Unity Point Health-St. Luke's Hospital. The organization's employment rose from 2,979 to 3,000. That's good for the second-highest total in the county.

1. Raytheon

Raytheon Technologies Corporation owns Collins Aerospace, which has long been the top employer in Linn County. In 2022, the company reported 8,200 workers for the second consecutive year. That's over 63 percent more employees than the number two employer, Unity Point Health-St. Luke's Hospital.