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METRO AREA · 2020 ACS

Waterloo Metro

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA · 3 counties · 168,461 residents · 1,503 sq mi
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The short version

Waterloo is a metro area of 168,461 people. The typical home is worth $152,103, having more than doubled since 2000. Getting to work takes 18 minutes on average. The foreign-born share is 6%. Median rent is $788 a month. 69% of homes are owner-occupied.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $66,278
Mid-age
median age 37.6
US median: 38.8
Average education
30% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 30%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
168,461
+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
37.6
+6%since 2000
from 35.4 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
1,503 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
157K161K164K168K171K19902000201020202024Waterloo
2024169K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 56%(10,043)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.2%(10,480)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 146.4%(10,768)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 197.2%(12,053)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 248.4%(14,195)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3412.6%(21,220)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4411.9%(20,102)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5410.5%(17,768)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6412.4%(20,834)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 7410.6%(17,861)
US avg: 10%
75 to 845.4%(9,065)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over2.4%(4,072)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$58,603
+3%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $37,934 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$32,108
+69%since 2000
from $18,949 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
38.2%
+14.0 ptssince 2009
from 24.2% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
13.5%
+2.1 ptssince 2000
from 11.3% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Retail trade17.3%
US avg: 10%
Information13.1%
US avg: 11.1%
Other services6%
US avg: 6.6%
Wholesale trade5.8%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration4.9%
US avg: 4.7%
Finance & insurance4.2%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical3.6%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing2.7%
US avg: 2.5%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing2.1%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction2.1%
US avg: 1.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.1%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.8%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$152,103
+30%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $78,129 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$788
+15%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $454 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
68.8%
−2.3 ptssince 2000
from 71.1% in 2000
31.2% rent
Persons per household
2.38 people
+1%since 2009
from 2.35 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
2.6
+2%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%
2020
White, non-Hispanic80.9%(136,344)
Black8.2%(13,811)
Hispanic / Latino4.2%(7,104)
Asian2.2%(3,632)
Other2.6%(4,326)
Segregation Score
46
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
Mexican2.7%(4,604)
Puerto Rican0.3%(444)
Guatemalan0.2%(324)
Salvadoran0.1%(222)
Dominican0.1%(109)
Panamanian0.1%(105)
Colombian0.1%(102)
Spaniard0.1%(72)
Honduran0.1%(71)
+ 5 more hispanic origin groups with data
Cuban0%(41)
Chilean0%(39)
Argentine0%(32)
Peruvian0%(14)
Asian origin
Burmese0.6%(841)
Asian Indian0.5%(778)
Pakistani0.4%(623)
Korean0.2%(421)
Chinese0.2%(382)
Thai0.2%(258)
Laotian0.1%(154)
Filipino0.1%(95)
Japanese0.1%(78)
Vietnamese0.1%(72)
Mongolian0%(36)
Taiwanese0%(27)
+ 2 more asian origin groups with data
Pacific Islander origin
Tongan0.1%(92)
Marshallese0.1%(89)
Samoan0%(58)
Chamorro0%(56)
Ancestry
German34.8%(58,886)
Irish11.6%(19,625)
English7.2%(12,195)
Norwegian4.7%(7,879)
American4.5%(7,525)
Dutch2.2%(3,742)
French1.7%(2,867)
Swedish1.6%(2,767)
Scottish1.6%(2,678)
Danish1.6%(2,660)
Czech1.5%(2,506)
Italian1.5%(2,497)
+ 39 more ancestry groups with data
Polish0.9%(1,601)
Scotch-Irish0.9%(1,493)
Swiss0.5%(909)
Welsh0.5%(827)
British0.4%(614)
Greek0.2%(361)
Belgian0.2%(305)
Russian0.1%(222)
Austrian0.1%(213)
Croatian0.1%(193)
Finnish0.1%(180)
Hungarian0.1%(153)
Serbian0.1%(118)
Portuguese0.1%(117)
Iranian0.1%(110)
Canadian0.1%(100)
Romanian0.1%(90)
Moroccan0.1%(80)
Bulgarian0.1%(79)
Lithuanian0.1%(75)
Ghanaian0.1%(72)
Slovak0%(58)
Jamaican0%(54)
Lebanese0%(47)
Arab0%(35)
Ukrainian0%(33)
Armenian0%(16)
Barbadian0.1%(14)
Slovene0%(13)
Ethiopian0%(13)
Kenyan0%(12)
Haitian0%(9)
Syrian0%(8)
Turkish0%(5)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
29.6%
+7.3 ptssince 2000
from 22.3% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
92.7%
+6.1 ptssince 2000
from 86.6% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
9.7%
+1.7 ptssince 2000
from 8.0% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
17.6 min
+62%since 2000
from 10.9 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
80.2%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 81.7% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
6.4%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 6.2% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.8%
−1.7 ptssince 2011
from 6.5% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
67.5%
+0.7 ptssince 2011
from 66.7% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
79.3%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
34.3%
+3.4 ptssince 2009
from 30.9% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.2%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 48.3% in 2009
Female
50.8%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 51.7% in 2009
Foreign born
5.6%
+2.1 ptssince 2009
from 3.5% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
4.1%
−3.3 ptssince 2013
from 7.4% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
90.5%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
82.0%
US average: 86.2%
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

Uninsured
4.1%
−3.3 ptssince 2013
from 7.4% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
62.9%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
14.4%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
18.9%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
19.3%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
2.0%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
75.1%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
36.2%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)13.1%(1,171)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)16.2%(1,456)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era40%(3,583)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War9.6%(865)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II3.7%(335)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 8,965 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+22%
Home value$200,200+32%
Population173,801+3%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WATERLOO VS
La Crosse
Income$73,555+26%
Home value$248,970+64%
Population171,182+1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WATERLOO VS
Hanford
Income$70,995+21%
Home value$324,300+113%
Population154,327−9%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WATERLOO VS
Grand Junction
Income$73,658+26%
Home value$378,600+149%
Population162,845−4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

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

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA has about 168,461 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA earns about $58,603 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 $152,103, and the typical rent is about $788 a month.

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

About 29.6% 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 13.5% 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 9,821 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 →

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA (2020): population, income & housing data · CensusEasy