Cedar Falls is a city of 40,888 people in Iowa. This skews young, with a median age of 29.3. This is an unusually credentialed place: 50% of adults have a four-year degree. Getting to work takes 14 minutes on average. People stay put here: 77% were in the same home a year ago. 3% of locals were born outside the United States.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $76,987, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 29.3
US median: 38.9
More educated
50% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 49%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Cedar Falls
What changed most since 1990
White share96.3% → 90.6%(−5.7 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Median age26.6 → 29.3(+2.7 years)US over the same years: +6.0 years
Median home value (2024 dollars)$135,844 → $263,600(+94%)US over the same years: +67%
Cedar Falls's population equals 31% of Black Hawk County's. Its number of foreign-born residents equals 16% of the county's. Its number of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher equals 45% of the county's.
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)29%(454)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)20.1%(315)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era35.3%(554)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.4%(53)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 1,568 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Cedar Falls, decade by decade
Cedar Falls population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
34,298
$67,209
$135,844
31.4%
9.1
2000
36,145
$73,278
$177,429
39.2%
13.0
2010
39,260
$68,101
$217,800
42.8%
18.6
2020
40,713
$78,551
$247,620
48.5%
30.8
2024
40,888
$76,987
$263,600
50.4%
22.2
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
