Waterloo, IA — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Iowa·Waterloo

Black Hawk County · Waterloo-Cedar Falls · population 67,477

Affordability
Waterloo, IA
Image: Wikipedia · Waterloo, Iowa
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
63
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Waterloo stands

At or near all-time high.

Median home $145,863
1-year +0.7%
5-yr CAGR +5.3%
vs 5-yr peak -0.8%
Population +0.1%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-02$146k$87k$109k$131k$153k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
30/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
74/100
Strong remote-work fit
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$915/mo$668$819$970202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent129129100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 13.3
Buy

At a 13.3 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Waterloo on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 13.3 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
53 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
66 · w22%
Distance from peak
85 · w18%
Population growth
46 · w16%
Rent YoY
72 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
57 · w10%
Long thesis

Waterloo offers a $145,863 median home with +5.3% annualized 5-year appreciation. Affordability + positive trend is one of the better risk/reward setups in US residential — small downside, room to compound.

Short thesis

Waterloo's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Waterloo

Waterloo is a city in Black Hawk County, Iowa, with an estimated population of 67,477. It anchors the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area. The median home value in Waterloo is $145,863 as of 2026-04, up 0.7% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.3% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Waterloo average $915 per month, up 4.0% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 63 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Healthy 5-year run: +5.3% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Held the highs: currently -0.8% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
●Cheap entry point: $145,863 median home is well below the US median of $355k — room to grow without overpaying.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Waterloo (Wikipedia)

Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. It is the eighth-most populous city in Iowa, with a population of 67,314 at the 2020 census. Waterloo comprises a twin conurbation with neighboring municipality Cedar Falls, and is the larger of the two cities. The Waterloo – Cedar Falls metropolitan area has an estimated 170,000 residents.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

Area63.43 sq mi
Elevation883 ft
Incorporated1868
Density1092.85/sq mi

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Black Hawk County right now.

NWS active alerts (IA)Iowa Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Black Hawk County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Waterloo

21 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Audobon$452,640+4.2%
2Park Haven$190,261+4.4%
3Alabar Hills$167,907+4.6%
4Hurst$154,692+1.3%
5Maywood$154,463+3.3%
6Greenbrier$152,914+5.2%
7Liberty Park$152,424-2.3%
8West Central$142,407+2.2%
9Highland$140,637-0.9%
10Good Shepherd$115,939-9.9%
11Doe's$96,901-7.0%
12Chautauqua Park$95,832-5.2%
13Cityview$90,083-8.6%
14Riverfront$88,664+0.2%
15Unity$83,756+1.4%
16Gates Park$82,762-8.1%
17Cedar River$82,120+1.1%
18Riverview$81,188-5.7%
19Church Row Historic$76,363-0.5%
20Franklin Gateway$73,161+2.3%
21Roosevelt$70,269-2.6%

Cities like Waterloo

Ottumwa, IA61 · StableDes Moines, IA63 · RisingUrbandale, IA65 · RisingCouncil Bluffs, IA65 · Rising

Run the numbers for Waterloo

ToolCan I afford Waterloo?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Waterloo rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Waterloo to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolWaterloo cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
28° / 11°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
84° / 64°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
200
~55% of year
Annual precip
36″ rain
30″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
High
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
High

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Waterloo listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
72%
Humid climate
Median household income
$70,500
Iowa state median
Top industries (state-level)
InsuranceManufacturingAgriculture

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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