Best Small Places for Business and Careers 2019

Waterloo, IA

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
the place image

Waterloo, IA

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
gross metro product
$10.5B
population
169.7K
median household income
$53,500
median home price
$132,000
cost of living
16% below nat'l avg
college attainment
28.8%
net migration
-10 (year: 2018)
unemployment
2.8%
major industries
Education
job growth
1.1% (year: 2018)
As of October 2019
Located on the Cedar River, Waterloo boasts a broad industrial economic base, as the city has sought to diversify throughout its development. The city's heritage, arts scene and culture are presented in several sites throughout the city including the Waterloo Center for the Arts and the Phelps Youth Pavilion, the Grout Museum District, the Rensselaer Russell House Museum, the Bluedorn Science Imaginarium and Snowden House. Hawkeye Community College is located in Waterloo while neighboring Cedar Falls is home to the
University of Northern Iowa.
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On forbes lists
#48
In Cost of Doing Business
#173
In Job Growth
#63
In Education
By The Numbers
EmploymentHousingEducationQuality of Life
Job Growth
1.1% (year: 2018)
Projected Annual Job Growth
0.4%
Unemployment
2.8%
Median Household Income
$53,500
Household Income Growth
1%
High-Tech Employment
0.8%
  • Data is for the metro area
  • Sources: Moody's Analytics; Sperling's BestPlaces; U.S. Census.
  • Numbers as of October 2019


  • a - Value of 100 means that a family with the median income has exactly enough income to qualify for a typical mortgage on a median-priced single-family home. An index above 100 signifies that the family has surplus income.
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