An impeller (10) for a cooling fan includes a hub (20) having a circular wall (22) and an annular sidewall (24) extending upwardly from a periphery of the circular wall, and a plurality of blades (30) extending radially from the sidewall of the hub. Each of the blades includes a first portion (32) near the hub and a second portion (34) away from the hub, wherein each of the second portions has a pair of opposite ribs (36) formed on two lateral sides thereof, thereby reducing a noise level generated by the impeller when the impeller rotates.