Waterloo-Cedar Falls migration, mapped
In 2022–23, 5,168 people moved into the Waterloo metro and 5,272 moved out, a net of −104. Yellow arcs are people arriving, blue arcs are people leaving. Hover a dot to see the corridor, or click through to compare.
The map couldn’t load. The numbers below still tell the story.
† IRS methodology change in this year’s files (see methodology)
What the flows say
- Biggest published corridors: Rest of Iowa leads both directions, with 1,201 people in and 828 out in 2022–23. The listed corridors cover about 40% of all flows; the totals count everyone.
- Trend: net outflow has eased over the last three years, from −1,144 in 2020–21 to −104 in 2022–23†.
Population · 2025
169,189
▼ 0.0% year over year · shrinking
Peak population · 2015
170,921
1.0% below the 2015 peak
Why the population is changing
- Growth driver: domestic outflow led the population decline in 2025: −612, against births minus deaths (+175) and international migration (+416).
- Peak population: the high-water mark was 170,921 in 2015. The 2025 estimate of 169,189 is 1.0% below that.
Net income flow · 2022–23
−$20M
▼ $161M arrived · $181M left
Avg household income · movers
$50k in · $55k out
leavers out-earn arrivals by 10%
Waterloo wealth migration
- Money moved: households moving into the Waterloo metro in 2022–23 reported $161M in income (AGI). Households leaving took $181M with them, a net loss of $20M.
- Income gap: the average household moving in reported $50k of income, vs $55k for leavers. Leavers out-earn arrivals by 10%.
About the data
Corridors are IRS county-to-county migration flows added up into metro areas (2023 Census metro definitions; exemptions ≈ people). "Rest of" entries cover a state's counties outside any featured metro. The IRS hides corridors with fewer than 20 returns, so the lists here cover about 40% of inbound and 40% of outbound movers in 2022–23. The in, out, and net totals count everyone. Income figures are the total income (AGI) movers reported, from the complete county totals. Dollars are not adjusted for inflation, and household averages divide by the number of returns. Population figures are Census Bureau estimates; the peak covers records since 2000. Years marked † had a change in how the IRS built the files. Full details on the methodology page.
Download this data (CSV), free to use with attribution.
Every mover in Waterloo is a future client
Shilo's AI listens to your calls, grades them, and shows you where deals slip away, so your next call is sharper.
