Question 1

What is the cost of living in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

Accepted Answer

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA's overall price level (BEA Regional Price Parity) is 87.06, where 100 equals the U.S. average. That means everyday goods, services, and housing cost about 12.9% less than the national average. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom is $1,051/month.

Question 2

What is the average salary in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

Accepted Answer

Across the 100 BLS-tracked occupation categories with published data in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA, the average median wage is $93,011. The single highest-paying occupation here is Physicians, All Other at $295,200/year (BLS OEWS).

Question 3

What are the highest-paying jobs in Waterloo-Cedar Falls?

Accepted Answer

Based on BLS OEWS data, the top-paying occupations in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA are: 1) Physicians, All Other at $295,200; 2) Family Medicine Physicians at $287,990; 3) Chief Executives at $199,010; 4) Dentists, General at $163,600; 5) Architectural and Engineering Managers at $140,340. Click any occupation above to see the full wage breakdown (10th to 90th percentile).

Question 4

How much does it cost to rent a 2-bedroom apartment in Waterloo-Cedar Falls?

Accepted Answer

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Fair Market Rent (FMR) for a 2-bedroom unit in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA is $1,051/month. FMR is the rent level HUD uses to administer housing assistance and reflects the 40th percentile of standard-quality rentals, updated annually.

Question 5

Where does AffordMap's Waterloo-Cedar Falls data come from?

Accepted Answer

Salary figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. Cost of living comes from the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (RPP). Rent comes from HUD Fair Market Rents. All three are federal datasets, updated annually, and free to use. AffordMap pairs them so you can see what a salary actually buys after local costs.

Rank	Occupation	Category	Median salary	Hourly
41	Mechanical Engineers	Engineering	$89K	$42.68/hr
42	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	Science	$85K	$40.91/hr
43	Education Administrators, Postsecondary	Management	$85K	$40.9/hr
44	Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers	Technology	$85K	$40.83/hr
45	Management Analysts	Business & Finance	$84K	$40.31/hr
46	Dental Hygienists	Healthcare	$83K	$39.66/hr
47	General and Operations Managers	Management	$82K	$39.62/hr
48	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	Technology	$82K	$39.55/hr
49	Data Scientists	Technology	$82K	$39.45/hr
50	Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians	Engineering	$82K	$39.39/hr

Top Paying Jobs in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA

Highest paying careers in Waterloo-Cedar Falls

Affordability snapshot: Waterloo-Cedar Falls