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Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA

Latest: 2024↓ R+7.5 vs 2020

Leans Republican — shifted 7.5pp toward Republicans in 2024 — 169K residents — 3 counties

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Race & ancestry
Group%
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)
81.4%
▶Hispanic / Latino(15)
4.5%
▶Black / African American(11)
7.4%
▶Asian(6)
2.3%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(6)
0.2%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(2)
0.3%
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(1)
0.6%
Multiracial / Other
3.5%
View full demographics →
Religious adherence
Tradition% Pop% Adherents
Mainline Protestant18.8%37.0%
Catholic13.6%26.9%
Evangelical Protestant9.7%19.1%
Black Protestant5.6%11.0%
Other3.0%5.9%
LDS (Mormon)0.8%1.6%
Non-religious49.4%—
View full religion →
Presidential results
YearResult
2024Trump+6.5
2020Biden+1.1
2016Clinton+0.3
2012Obama+14.1
2008Obama+17.2
2004Kerry+5.6
2000Gore+6.1
1996Clinton+15.3
1992Clinton+9.1
View full election history →

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA is a metro area that has a population of 168,637. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Republican with a margin of R+6.5. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA Presidential Election Results, 1948–2024
YearDem %Rep %MarginSwing
202445.9%52.4%R+6.5R+7.5
202049.6%48.5%D+1.1D+0.8
201646.1%45.8%D+0.3R+13.9
201256.3%42.1%D+14.1R+3.1
200857.9%40.7%D+17.2D+11.7
200452.4%46.9%D+5.6R+0.5
200051.7%45.6%D+6.1R+9.2
199653.6%38.4%D+15.3D+6.2
199245.6%36.6%D+9.1D+0.5
198854.0%45.3%D+8.6D+16.2
198445.8%53.4%R+7.6D+2.3
198040.0%49.9%R+9.9R+3.2
197645.7%52.4%R+6.7D+15.1
197238.1%59.9%R+21.8R+5.2
196838.9%55.6%R+16.7R+35.5
196459.4%40.5%D+18.9D+33.9
196042.5%57.5%R+15.0D+6.5
195639.1%60.7%R+21.6D+10.3
195233.9%65.7%R+31.8R+36.7
194851.6%46.7%D+4.9—
Political Identity

What defines Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA flipped to Republicans in 2024 after voting the other way in 2020.

Constituent Counties

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Similarity Explorer

Similar metro areas

Nearest neighbors matched on the same place-page feature set used across the dossier system.
8 visible matches
Constituent Geography

Counties in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA

2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.
Sort:
CountyPop.MarginDemRepTotalShare
Black Hawk131K
D+1.2
31,29930,57262,90674.3%
Bremer25K
R+22.1
5,5718,79914,60717.3%
Grundy12K
R+41.7
2,0194,9987,1468.4%
3 countiesTotal votes: 84,659
Historian Query

Ask the Historian

Explore Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA's political evolution with the Historian
Automated Readout

Key Insights

High-confidence patterns distilled from this geography's election history.
  • The 2016 election was decided by just 0.3 points — razor-thin
  • Won by both parties in recent history — Democrats most recently in 2020, Republicans in 2024
  • Highly elastic — margins have ranged 23.7 points across recent elections, suggesting a volatile electorate
Race & Ancestry

Who Lives Here

A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IACensus ACS 2024Ancestry detail available
Census race profile
Major Census race and ethnicity groups shown as a share of total population.
Expand rows for ancestry detail
White (Non-Hispanic) 81.4%Black 7.4%Hispanic 4.5%Multiracial 3.5%Asian 2.3%Native Hawaiian 0.6%
GroupLocalNational
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)
81.4%57.4%
▶Black / African American(11)
7.4%12.2%
▶Hispanic / Latino(15)
4.5%19.3%
Multiracial / Other
3.5%4.0%
▶Asian(6)
2.3%6.0%
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(1)
0.6%0.2%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(2)
0.3%0.9%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(6)
0.2%0.9%
Method notes

Census treats race and Hispanic/Latino origin as separate questions. Race categories other than Hispanic reflect total populations (small Hispanic overlap in Black, Asian, AIAN, NHPI). “Multiracial / Other” is derived as a non-overlapping remainder.

Click rows to expand ancestry detail. Ancestry from ACS B04006, B03001, B02020, B02016. Totals may differ from race — individuals can report multiple ancestries.

Black / African American (estimated remainder) is derived as Black population share minus reported Sub-Saharan African and West Indian ancestry. It is shown as an estimated ancestry detail, not a standalone Census ancestry category.

MENA estimated from ancestry reporting — Census does not have a separate MENA race category. Not shown in bar (overlaps with other race groups).

Religious Adherents

Population that are religious adherents:
50.7%(85.4K people)
U.S. Religion Census 2020
Browse all religions
Tradition% Pop% AdherentsUS PopUS Adherents
Mainline Protestant
18.8%37.0%——
Catholic
13.6%26.9%——
Evangelical Protestant
9.7%19.1%——
Black Protestant
5.6%11.0%——
Other
3.0%5.9%——
LDS (Mormon)
0.8%1.6%——
Non-religiousPopulation
49.4%———
Click the chevron to expand denominations. Tradition and denomination rows label both share of total population and share of all religious adherents. Non-religious is shown as a share of total population only.

Who lives in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area? 168,637 residents across 3 counties.

Demographic Comparison

Demographics

Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA vs National169K residents
Population & electorate

Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.

Total population
Local vs state vs U.S.
169K
local
169KNational 334.9M
Share of U.S. population
Local vs state vs U.S.
0.05%
local
0.05%National 100%
Voting-age population
Local vs state vs U.S.
74.1%
local
74.1%National 75.7%
Economic profile

Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.

Median household income
Local vs state vs U.S.
$70,801
local
$70,801National $83,960
Poverty rate
Local vs state vs U.S.
13.2%
local
13.2%National 12.5%
College degree
Local vs state vs U.S.
31.0%
local
31.0%National 35.6%
Homeownership
Local vs state vs U.S.
69.5%
local
69.5%National 65.2%
Community profile

Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.

Median age
Local vs state vs U.S.
36.6 yrs
local
36.6 yrsNational 39.1 yrs
Age 18–29
Local vs state vs U.S.
19.8%
local
19.8%National 15.7%
Age 65+
Local vs state vs U.S.
18.2%
local
18.2%National 17.0%
Foreign born
Local vs state vs U.S.
5.4%
local
5.4%National 14.1%
Non-English at home
Local vs state vs U.S.
7.3%
local
7.3%National 22.2%
English only
Local vs state vs U.S.
92.7%
local
92.7%National 77.8%
Voter Turnout

Turnout in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA

Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.
2024 Turnout
67.8%
vs Previous
-3.0pp
Voting-Age Pop
124,884
History
1988–2024
Competitiveness

How competitive is Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

TossupAvg margin: R+1.7 (last 3 elections)
2008
D+17.2
2012
D+14.1
2016
D+0.3
2020
D+1.1
2024
R+6.5
Elasticity
23.7pp
margin range
Party Flips
1
last 30 years
5-Elec Avg
D+5.3
Ticket-Splitting

Do voters in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA split their tickets?

Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.
ConsistencyHeavy splitting (8/100)
2022 Office Comparisons
OfficesMargin AMargin BSplit
Senate vs GovernorR+6.0R+13.67.5pp
Average divergence across office pairs: 16.0pp
Containing Geography

Located In

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA sits inside these higher-level geographies.
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