METRO AREA
Waterloo Metro
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA · 3 counties · 169,189 residents (2025 est.) · 1,503 sq mi
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The short version
With 168,637 people, Waterloo is a metro area. Few US metro areas rank higher on income. The typical home is worth $194,215, having more than doubled since 2000. Getting to work takes 17 minutes on average. 5% of residents were born outside the United States. Renters pay $963 a month at the median.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $70,988, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 36.6
US median: 38.9
Average education
31% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 36%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Waterloo
What changed most since 1990
- White share93.1% → 81.4% (−11.7 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
- Hispanic share0.6% → 4.5% (+3.9 pts)US over the same years: +9.9 pts
- Median age33.7 → 36.6 (+3.0 years)US over the same years: +6.0 years
Among the 23 metro and micro areas based in Iowa
- 14th in household income$70,988
- 8th in share with a bachelor's degree31.0%
- 10th in home value$194,215
- 9th in diversity score40.2
Section 01
Population & growth
168,637
+3%since 2000
from 163,706 in 2000
169,189 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Land area
1,503 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024169K
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56%(10,107)
5 to 96.2%(10,462)
10 to 146.1%(10,352)
15 to 197.3%(12,319)
20 to 2410%(16,837)
25 to 3412.2%(20,545)
35 to 4412.2%(20,654)
45 to 5410.3%(17,386)
55 to 6411.4%(19,257)
65 to 7410.6%(17,822)
75 to 845.5%(9,232)
85 and over2.2%(3,664)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$70,988
+3%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $37,934 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
47.0%
+22.8 ptssince 2009
from 24.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade16.6%
Information12.4%
Other services5.9%
Wholesale trade5.8%
Public administration5.1%
Finance & insurance4.6%
Professional, scientific, technical4.1%
Transportation & warehousing2.4%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing2.3%
Construction2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.2%
Education & health services0.5%
Manufacturing0.1%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$194,215
+36%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $78,129 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
2.8
+7%since 2009
from 2.6 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
49
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2000
White, non-Hispanic90%(147,256)
Black6.2%(10,228)
Hispanic / Latino1.6%(2,561)
Asian0.9%(1,396)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic81.4%(137,302)
Black7.3%(12,337)
Hispanic / Latino4.5%(7,608)
Asian2.3%(3,801)
Other4.5%(7,589)
40
+57%since 2009
from 26 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
43
−7%since 2020
from 46 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry
Hispanic origin
Mexican2.6%(4,376)
Central American0.9%(1,587)
Guatemalan0.7%(1,124)
Puerto Rican0.3%(588)
South American0.2%(327)
Cuban0.2%(218)
Salvadoran0.1%(160)
Costa Rican0.1%(154)
Dominican0.1%(119)
Colombian0.1%(112)
Honduran0.1%(98)
Venezuelan0.1%(91)
+ 6 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Burmese0.9%(1,195)
Asian Indian0.4%(571)
Korean0.3%(444)
Vietnamese0.2%(411)
Filipino0.2%(327)
Chinese0.2%(282)
Pakistani0.1%(119)
Laotian0.1%(110)
Taiwanese0.1%(96)
Japanese0%(76)
Thai0%(48)
Cambodian0.1%(23)
+ 3 more asian origin groups with data
Ancestry
German33.7%(56,864)
Irish11.5%(19,347)
English8.8%(14,782)
American5.2%(8,797)
Norwegian4.3%(7,216)
Dutch2%(3,329)
French1.5%(2,478)
Italian1.5%(2,454)
Czech1.4%(2,297)
Danish1.4%(2,288)
Swedish1.3%(2,159)
Scottish1.2%(2,089)
+ 44 more ancestry groups with data
Subsaharan African0.9%(1,538)
Polish0.8%(1,423)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(1,017)
Welsh0.5%(787)
Swiss0.4%(597)
West Indian0.3%(543)
French Canadian0.3%(460)
British0.2%(362)
Haitian0.3%(359)
Arab0.2%(310)
Greek0.2%(272)
Belgian0.2%(270)
Russian0.1%(229)
Austrian0.1%(221)
Croatian0.1%(220)
Lebanese0.1%(178)
Hungarian0.1%(166)
Slovak0.1%(162)
Jamaican0.1%(117)
Iranian0.1%(97)
Canadian0.1%(88)
Ukrainian0%(69)
Ghanaian0.1%(66)
Brazilian0%(65)
Serbian0%(64)
Bulgarian0%(61)
Slovene0%(56)
Finnish0%(55)
Palestinian0.3%(35)
Portuguese0%(34)
Nigerian0%(34)
Latvian0%(28)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(27)
Moroccan0%(24)
Somali0%(24)
Romanian0%(20)
Turkish0%(20)
Ethiopian0%(18)
Lithuanian0%(16)
Syrian0%(14)
Guyanese0%(12)
Armenian0%(4)
Australian0%(4)
Kenyan0%(1)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
93.7%
+7.1 ptssince 2000
from 86.6% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
80.2%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 79.3% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
95.1%
+4.6 ptssince 2020
from 90.5% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married38.4%(25,914)
Married50.3%(33,901)
Widowed2.5%(1,680)
Divorced8.8%(5,944)
Women 15+
Never married33.5%(23,536)
Married48.2%(33,862)
Widowed8.3%(5,807)
Divorced10.1%(7,072)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
15.1%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 14.4% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
1.8%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 2.0% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
71.8%
−3.2 ptssince 2020
from 75.1% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
38.4%
+2.2 ptssince 2020
from 36.2% in 2020
US average: 36.7%
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)18.9%(1,440)
Gulf War (1990s)16.5%(1,256)
Vietnam era39.2%(2,989)
Korean War5%(382)
World War II0.1%(11)
Share of the 7,630 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
Waterloo, decade by decade
| Year | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Bachelor's degree+ | Diversity score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 158,640 | $62,323 | $105,112 | 16.6% | 16.1 |
| 2000 | 163,706 | $69,103 | $142,324 | 22.3% | 23.3 |
| 2010 | 167,819 | $67,228 | $172,758 | 24.7% | 30.1 |
| 2020 | 168,461 | $71,029 | $184,355 | 29.6% | 41.9 |
| 2024 | 168,637 | $70,988 | $194,215 | 31.0% | 40.2 |
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.
In this metro
Largest cities
WaterlooCENTRAL66,919Cedar FallsCENTRAL41,240Waverly10,561Evansdale4,463Hudson3,028Grundy Center2,814Jesup2,557La Porte City2,238Sumner2,022Denver1,954Reinbeck1,668Dike1,299Tripoli1,208Conrad1,086Elk Run Heights1,053Janesville1,052Readlyn860Dunkerton835Gilbertville786Raymond748Washburn714Wellsburg711Plainfield394Holland260Frederika207Stout191Beaman155Morrison100
What's inside
3 component counties
Drill deeper
Metros similar to Waterloo
Odessa
Pop 173,801
La Crosse
Pop 171,182
Hanford
Pop 154,327
Grand Junction
Pop 162,845
Places similar to WaterlooHead to head
Compare Waterloo side by side
WATERLOO VS
Odessa
Income$71,536+1%
Home value$200,200+3%
Population173,801+3%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WATERLOO VS
La Crosse
Income$73,555+4%
Home value$248,970+28%
Population171,182+1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WATERLOO VS
Hanford
Income$70,995same
Home value$324,300+67%
Population154,327−9%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WATERLOO VS
Grand Junction
Income$73,658+4%
Home value$378,600+95%
Population162,845−4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked
How many people live in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA has about 168,637 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?
The typical household in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA earns about $70,988 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA expensive?
In Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA, the median home is worth about $194,215, and the typical rent is about $963 a month.
How educated are people in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?
About 31.0% of adults age 25 and over in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?
About 13.2% of people in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA live below the federal poverty line.
Has Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA grown since 1990?
Yes, Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA has grown since 1990. The population has added about 9,997 residents, a change of about 6 percent over that period.
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024