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METRO AREA · 2010 ACS

Waterloo Metro

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA · 3 counties · 167,819 residents · 1,503 sq mi
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The short version

Waterloo is a metro area of 167,819 people. The typical home is worth $120,090, having risen by half since 2000. The foreign-born share is 4%. Getting to work takes 16 minutes on average. Median rent is $605 a month. 71% of homes are owner-occupied.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $52,703
Mid-age
median age 35.7
US median: 37.2
Average education
25% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 28%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $225,659
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
167,819
+3%since 2000
from 163,706 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
112 / sq mi
+3%since 2000
from 109 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
35.7
+1%since 2000
from 35.4 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Land area
1,503 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
157K161K164K168K171K19902000201020202024Waterloo
2024169K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2010
Under 56.4%(10,658)
US avg: 6.5%
5 to 96%(10,074)
US avg: 6.6%
10 to 145.9%(9,908)
US avg: 6.7%
15 to 197.8%(13,085)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 2410.4%(17,487)
US avg: 7%
25 to 3412.6%(21,190)
US avg: 13.3%
35 to 4410.9%(18,302)
US avg: 13.3%
45 to 5413%(21,891)
US avg: 14.6%
55 to 6412.3%(20,559)
US avg: 11.8%
65 to 747.3%(12,260)
US avg: 7%
75 to 845%(8,310)
US avg: 4.2%
85 and over2.4%(4,095)
US avg: 1.8%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$46,732
−3%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $37,934 in 2000
US average: $52,703
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$24,079
+27%since 2000
from $18,949 in 2000
US average: $27,286
Households earning $100K+
25.9%
+1.6 ptssince 2009
from 24.2% in 2009
US average: 33.3%
Poverty rate
14.9%
+3.6 ptssince 2000
from 11.3% in 2000
US average: 13.8%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.429
US average: 0.461
Workforce by industry, 2010
Retail trade17.6%
US avg: 10.9%
Information11.8%
US avg: 11.5%
Other services6.3%
US avg: 7%
Public administration5.2%
US avg: 4.9%
Wholesale trade5.2%
US avg: 7.2%
Finance & insurance4.1%
US avg: 5.1%
Professional, scientific, technical3.4%
US avg: 4.2%
Transportation & warehousing3.1%
US avg: 3.1%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing2.3%
US avg: 1.9%
Construction2.2%
US avg: 1.4%
Arts, entertainment, food1.6%
US avg: 2.4%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$120,090
+21%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $78,129 in 2000
US average: $225,659
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$605
+5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $454 in 2000
US average: $853
Owner-occupied
70.7%
−0.4 ptssince 2000
from 71.1% in 2000
29.3% rent
Vacancy rate
6.6%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 6.0% in 2009
US average: 12.1%
Persons per household
2.40 people
+2%since 2009
from 2.35 people in 2009
US average: 2.60
Owner cost-burdened
18.8%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 19.7% in 2009
US average: 30.9%
Renter cost-burdened
45.3%
−2.3 ptssince 2009
from 47.6% in 2009
US average: 46.8%
Afford Score
2.6
+1%since 2009
from 2.6 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic90%(147,256)
Black6.2%(10,228)
Hispanic / Latino1.6%(2,561)
Asian0.9%(1,396)
Other0%
2010
White, non-Hispanic86.8%(145,617)
Black7%(11,705)
Hispanic / Latino3.1%(5,268)
Asian1.1%(1,885)
Other1.8%(3,103)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican2.1%(3,543)
Puerto Rican0.2%(273)
Salvadoran0.2%(214)
Guatemalan0.1%(162)
Honduran0.1%(125)
Spaniard0.1%(97)
Venezuelan0.1%(65)
Argentine0%(46)
Colombian0%(46)
+ 6 more hispanic origin groups with data
Chilean0%(30)
Cuban0%(22)
Bolivian0.1%(16)
Ancestry
German45.5%(75,496)
Irish13.7%(22,665)
English8.3%(13,728)
American6.9%(11,424)
Norwegian5.8%(9,551)
Dutch3%(4,971)
Danish2.5%(4,157)
French2.4%(4,039)
Swedish2.1%(3,432)
Czech1.8%(2,964)
Scottish1.7%(2,740)
Italian1.5%(2,561)
+ 38 more ancestry groups with data
Scotch-Irish1.4%(2,346)
Polish1%(1,603)
Welsh0.5%(817)
Swiss0.4%(597)
Russian0.3%(425)
Greek0.2%(382)
British0.2%(261)
Croatian0.2%(232)
Belgian0.1%(182)
Finnish0.1%(165)
Slovak0.1%(165)
Hungarian0.1%(150)
West Indian0.1%(149)
Lithuanian0.1%(118)
Austrian0.1%(111)
Ukrainian0.1%(100)
Jamaican0.1%(87)
Bulgarian0%(81)
Nigerian0.1%(80)
Serbian0.1%(76)
Canadian0%(73)
Romanian0%(57)
Arab0%(45)
Iranian0%(35)
Kenyan0%(34)
Somali0%(30)
Brazilian0%(24)
Australian0.1%(20)
Lebanese0%(18)
Turkish0%(16)
Armenian0%(14)
Iraqi0%(9)
Slovene0%(6)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
24.7%
+2.4 ptssince 2000
from 22.3% in 2000
US average: 27.9%
High school or higher
89.6%
+3.0 ptssince 2000
from 86.6% in 2000
US average: 84.9%
Graduate degree
7.5%
−0.5 ptssince 2000
from 8.0% in 2000
US average: 10.2%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
16.4 min
+51%since 2000
from 10.9 min in 2000
US average: 25.2
Drive alone to work
81.7%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 81.7% in 2009
US average: 76.2%
Carpooled to work
8.5%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 8.4% in 2009
US average: 10.4%
Public transit
0.4%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.4% in 2009
US average: 4.7%
Worked from home
3.4%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 3.2% in 2009
US average: 4.1%
Walked to work
5.1%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 5.2% in 2009
US average: 2.8%
Biked to work
0.4%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.4% in 2009
US average: 0.5%
No vehicle available
6.4%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 6.2% in 2009
US average: 8.7%
Section 07

Work & employment

Self-employed
13.6%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 13.5% in 2009
US average: 12.9%
Management & professional
31.1%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 30.9% in 2009
US average: 35.2%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.6%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 48.3% in 2009
Female
51.4%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 51.7% in 2009
Foreign born
3.7%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 3.5% in 2009
US average: 12.8%
Veterans
10.7%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 10.6% in 2009
US average: 9.9%
Marital status (2024)
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

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
4.6%
−2.9 ptssince 2013
from 7.4% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
59.3%
−3.6 ptssince 2020
from 62.9% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
15.1%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 14.4% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
19.9%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 18.9% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
21.2%
+1.8 ptssince 2020
from 19.3% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
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)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)16.5%(1,256)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era39.2%(2,989)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5%(382)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.1%(11)
US avg: 1%

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
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

Black Hawk CountyCENTRAL131,532Bremer County25,296Grundy County12,361
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 Waterloo
Head to head

Compare Waterloo side by side

WATERLOO VS
Odessa
Income$71,536+53%
Home value$200,200+67%
Population173,801+3%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WATERLOO VS
La Crosse
Income$73,555+57%
Home value$248,970+107%
Population171,182+1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WATERLOO VS
Hanford
Income$70,995+52%
Home value$324,300+170%
Population154,327−9%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WATERLOO VS
Grand Junction
Income$73,658+58%
Home value$378,600+215%
Population162,845−4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA has about 167,819 residents according to the 2010 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

The typical household in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA earns about $46,732 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 $120,090, and the typical rent is about $605 a month.

How educated are people in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

About 24.7% 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 14.9% 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 9,179 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

How we source and harmonize this data →