Jobs, pay and daily life in Waterloo, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Waterloo is a city in Iowa with 67,008 residents. The median household earns $57,480 a year and the median rent is $923 a month, which is 19.3% of the median household income. It is part of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metropolitan area, where BLS counts 84,260 jobs.
How Waterloo compares. Among the 60 largest places in Iowa, Waterloo is #9 by population, #55 for household income (#1 = highest), #49 for homeownership (#1 = highest), #45 for college degrees (#1 = most). Its county, Black Hawk County, is #12 of 99 counties for average pay ($59,631).
Waterloo has 67,008 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 2.1% of the population of Iowa. It covers 62 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 1,088 people per square mile. The median age is 36.7, 5% younger than the state median (36.7 against 38.6).
The median gross rent is $923 a month (rent plus utilities), 5% below the state median ($923 against $972). Over a year that is 19.3% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $152,600, which is 2.7 times the median household income ($57,480); a ratio under 4 usually means ownership is within reach for many households. 62.1% of households own their home, 13% below the state average (62.1% against 71.7%).
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metropolitan area has 84,260 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $47,430 a year, 7% below the national median ($47,430 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are production (9,740 jobs, median $50,030); transportation and material moving (8,740 jobs, median $44,790); office and administrative support (8,480 jobs, median $45,370). The area is most specialised in production (2.1 times) and educational instruction and library (1.3 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are healthcare practitioners and technical ($76,200) and production ($50,030). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Black Hawk County was 3.6%. 65.6% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Black Hawk County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 78.1% drive alone, 0.4% use public transit, 1.6% walk, 7.6% work from home. 4.5% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 45% below the state average (4.5% against 8.2%).
21.8% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 31% below the state share (21.8% against 31.4%). 10.1% of residents were born outside the United States, 71% above the state share (10.1% against 5.9%). The poverty rate is 16.6%, 50% above the state rate (16.6% against 11.1%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 74°F (23.3°C), and the coolest is Jan at 19°F (-7.4°C). About 929 mm (37 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Jun is the wettest month (141 mm) and Jan the driest (26 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Cedar Falls (6 miles, rent 30% higher); Waverly (17 miles, rent 15% higher); Marshalltown (42 miles, rent 3% lower); Charles City (43 miles, rent 20% lower). Rent differences are against Waterloo; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Iowa (226) →State guide: IowaCountry guideBlack Hawk CountyIowa rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 226 federal postings open in Iowa (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 2,920 | 1.83 | $47,440 | $35,530 | $48,440 | +18% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 2,500 | 1.20 | $27,820 | $21,720 | $35,870 | -11% |
| Retail Salespersons | 2,460 | 1.16 | $31,270 | $26,380 | $45,890 | -12% |
| Cashiers | 2,340 | 1.40 | $29,320 | $23,300 | $36,650 | -11% |
| Registered Nurses | 1,890 | 1.03 | $76,920 | $63,100 | $97,310 | -21% |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 1,610 | 2.11 | $50,310 | $40,160 | $61,680 | +13% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 1,600 | 1.43 | $58,730 | $37,780 | $79,220 | +0% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 1,560 | 1.02 | $36,990 | $27,780 | $49,040 | -1% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 1,540 | 1.10 | $39,530 | $28,740 | $61,230 | -12% |
| General and Operations Managers | 1,510 | 0.79 | $82,400 | $41,870 | $170,250 | -22% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,440 | 1.20 | $34,510 | $28,430 | $46,810 | -6% |
| Nursing Assistants | 1,440 | 1.83 | $38,930 | $35,790 | $46,560 | -8% |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | 1,350 | 1.75 | $29,900 | $22,570 | $37,480 | -19% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 1,320 | 0.56 | $36,510 | $27,360 | $46,380 | +2% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,280 | 1.04 | $21,490 | $15,080 | $48,840 | -39% |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,220 | 0.91 | $43,980 | $29,000 | $61,200 | -2% |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 890 | 1.18 | $60,780 | $47,220 | $77,500 | -5% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 870 | 1.04 | $50,940 | $36,290 | $74,450 | +3% |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | 780 | 1.16 | $67,040 | $37,380 | $127,570 | -7% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 720 | 0.78 | $46,230 | $35,270 | $62,100 | -3% |
These figures are for the whole Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $47,430 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.5% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 20.8% |
| Manufacturing | 19.6% |
| Retail trade | 13.5% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 11.3% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 7.5% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 5.6% |
| Construction | 5.5% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 5.3% |
| Other services | 4.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 2.4% |
| Public administration | 2.2% |
| Information | 1.4% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.7% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Waterloo lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Hawk County | 131,049 | $10,039 million | $76,607 | 70,886 | 3,947 | $59,631 | -1.6% | 3.6% | 66,263 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 13,298 | 22.6% | $87,134 | 2.28 |
| Health care and social assistance | 10,852 | 18.4% | $59,120 | 1.07 |
| Retail trade | 8,506 | 14.5% | $35,090 | 1.20 |
| Accommodation and food services | 6,080 | 10.3% | $20,630 | 0.94 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 3,671 | 6.2% | $55,797 | 1.22 |
| Administrative and waste services | 2,920 | 5.0% | $43,899 | 0.70 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 2,761 | 4.7% | $49,200 | 1.29 |
| Construction | 2,578 | 4.4% | $67,786 | 0.69 |
| Professional and technical services | 2,362 | 4.0% | $77,225 | 0.48 |
| Finance and insurance | 2,260 | 3.8% | $86,881 | 0.79 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 852 | 1.4% | $20,682 | 0.72 |
| Management of companies | 814 | 1.4% | $103,967 | 0.68 |
| Educational services | 720 | 1.2% | $35,089 | 0.49 |
| Real estate and rental | 651 | 1.1% | $45,853 | 0.59 |
| Information | 531 | 0.9% | $106,054 | 0.40 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 78.1% |
| Public transit | 0.4% |
| Walk | 1.6% |
| Work from home | 7.6% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 4.5% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $57,480 |
| Income per person | $32,837 |
| Median gross rent per month | $923 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 19.3% |
| Median home value | $152,600 |
| Homeowners | 62.1% |
| Poverty rate | 16.6% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 87.1 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $47,430 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Flat 3.80%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 36.7 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 89.6% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 21.8% |
| Born abroad | 10.1% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 65.6% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -7.4 | 19 | 26 |
| Feb | -5.7 | 22 | 32 |
| Mar | 1.7 | 35 | 49 |
| Apr | 8.9 | 48 | 98 |
| May | 15.3 | 60 | 118 |
| Jun | 21.1 | 70 | 141 |
| Jul | 23.3 | 74 | 104 |
| Aug | 21.9 | 71 | 107 |
| Sep | 17.8 | 64 | 92 |
| Oct | 9.7 | 49 | 72 |
| Nov | 2.5 | 36 | 46 |
| Dec | -4.5 | 24 | 44 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Falls | IA | 6 mi | 40,888 | $76,987 | $1,203 |
| Waverly | IA | 17 mi | 10,494 | $80,284 | $1,057 |
| Marshalltown | IA | 42 mi | 27,626 | $69,068 | $891 |
| Charles City | IA | 43 mi | 7,232 | $59,180 | $735 |
| Hiawatha | IA | 45 mi | 7,206 | $66,270 | $855 |
| Marion | IA | 50 mi | 41,896 | $86,743 | $961 |
| Cedar Rapids | IA | 50 mi | 137,264 | $70,424 | $967 |
| Grinnell | IA | 56 mi | 9,505 | $65,320 | $895 |
| Mason City | IA | 62 mi | 27,050 | $64,804 | $882 |
| Decorah | IA | 63 mi | 7,535 | $64,366 | $853 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
67,008 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$923 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 19.3% of the median household income.
$57,480 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
3.6% (BLS county, Black Hawk County (latest month 2026M09)).
Iowa. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.