City · Iowa
Waverly, Iowa
Waverly, city, in Bremer County, Iowa. Waverly had 10,561 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 1.5% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 10,394 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 10,494 (±43). GEOID 1982875.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
10,561
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 10,394 · ACS 2020-2024: 10,494 ±43
Median household income
$80,284
±$8,947 (90% margin)
Iowa: $75,059
Median home value
$223,300
±$14,319 (90% margin)
Iowa: $208,000
Median gross rent
$1,057
±$147 (90% margin)
Iowa: $972
Where is Waverly and what county is it in?
Waverly is a city in Bremer County, Iowa. It covers 11.3 square miles of land, 923 residents per square mile in 2020.
Waverly is in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metropolitan statistical area, which takes in 3 counties (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Waverly, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 10,561 people lived in Waverly on July 1, 2025, up 1.5% since 2020, in line with Iowa (+1.5%). The 2020 Census counted 10,394 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 10,494 (±43).
| Measure | Waverly | Bremer County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 10,494 ±43 | 25,204 | +400 |
| Households | 3,856 ±147 | 9,716 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.36 ±0.09 | 2.44 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 4,111 ±146 | 10,585 | +227 |
Waverly's population since 2000
From 8,968 in 2000 to 10,561 in 2025: up 17.8%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Waverly as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.
Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Waverly?
The median resident of Waverly is 32.8 years old; 20.6% are under 18 and 18.6% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 89.3%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 3.6%. 2.7% of residents were born outside the United States.
| Measure | Waverly | Bremer County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 32.8 ±2.4 | 39.0 | −4.1 |
| Under 18 years | 20.6% ±1.6 pts | 22.4% | – |
| 65 years and over | 18.6% ±1.4 pts | 19.8% | – |
| Male | 47.3% ±1.9 pts | 49.8% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 3.6% ±0.7 pts | 2.1% | +1.9 pts |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 89.3% ±1.3 pts | 92.3% | −2.1 pts |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 2.4% ±0.7 pts | 1.1% | no clear change |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 1.5% ±0.6 pts | 0.9% | no clear change |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±0.2 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±0.2 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 3.1% ±1.0 pts | 2.6% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.1% ±0.2 pts | 1.0% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 2.7% ±0.9 pts | 1.6% | no clear change |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 3.2% ±1.1 pts | 2.3% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 5.8% ±1.3 pts | 6.3% | – |
| With a disability | 12.7% ±2.2 pts | 11.5% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 3.0% ±1.4 pts | 2.2% | no clear change |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 95.0% ±2.3 pts | 96.2% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 44.1% ±4.2 pts | 36.2% | no clear change |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 18.3% ±2.8 pts | 12.1% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 82.0% ±4.1 pts | 88.1% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 3.3% ±1.3 pts | 2.2% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Waverly earn?
Half of Waverly's 3,856 households earn less than $80,284 a year (±$8,947), against $86,784 in Bremer County and $75,059 in Iowa. In 2015-2019 it was $79,932 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 10.9% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Waverly | Bremer County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $80,284 ±$8,947 | $86,784 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $114,483 ±$26,175 | $108,261 | – |
| Per capita income | $43,064 ±$8,165 | $43,033 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 10.9% ±3.0 pts | 7.3% | no clear change |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 9.8% ±6.6 pts | 8.1% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 6.7% ±3.3 pts | 5.3% | – |
| Households with a computer | 95.5% ±1.8 pts | 95.2% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 94.2% ±1.8 pts | 92.6% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Waverly?
Owners occupy 69.0% of Waverly's occupied homes and renters 31.0%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $223,300 by its owner (±$14,319). The median renter pays $1,057 a month including utilities, and 26.9% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.
| Measure | Waverly | Bremer County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $223,300 ±$14,319 | $219,600 | no clear change |
| Median gross rent | $1,057 ±$147 | $921 | +$177 |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 26.9% ±10.3 pts | 25.1% | no clear change |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $1,680 ±$119 | $1,586 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 69.0% ±5.5 pts | 79.7% | −8.7 pts |
| Renter-occupied homes | 31.0% ±5.5 pts | 20.3% | – |
| Housing units | 4,111 ±146 | 10,585 | +227 |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 0.0% ±0.9 pts | 0.6% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 5.3% ±4.7 pts | 5.6% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 66.1% ±4.1 pts | 80.9% | – |
| Mobile homes | 2.3% ±1.2 pts | 1.6% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 1.7% ±1.6 pts | 0.9% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 19.8% ±3.9 pts | 10.4% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 15.1% ±3.2 pts | 28.2% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 2.5% ±1.6 pts | 2.6% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How do people in Waverly work and get to work?
68.2% of Waverly's workers drive alone and 10.6% work from home. The average trip to work takes 17.2 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 3.5%.
| Measure | Waverly | Bremer County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 65.5% ±3.4 pts | 66.1% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 3.5% ±1.4 pts | 3.3% | no clear change |
| Drove alone to work | 68.2% ±4.6 pts | 75.0% | – |
| Carpooled | 10.0% ±4.2 pts | 7.1% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0% ±0.1 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Walked | 10.7% ±2.2 pts | 5.9% | – |
| Worked from home | 10.6% ±2.7 pts | 11.3% | +6.6 pts |
| Mean travel time to work | 17.2 min ±1.8 | 20.1 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Waverly?
3 census tracts lie mostly in Waverly, and 1 more reaches into it (2020 census blocks). Their median household incomes run from $54,706 (Tract 40) to $87,702 (Tract 42).
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Waverly) · Census block assignment files
How does Waverly compare with other places in Iowa?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Waverly is the 3,092nd-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 40th-most populous of 939 in Iowa.
Waverly ranks 87th of 279 places in Iowa with 1,000 or more residents and a reliable estimate, by median household income.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 40th | 939 |
| Growth 2020-2025 (PEP) | 79th | 275 |
| Residents per square mile | 182nd | 279 |
| Median household income | 87th | 279 |
| Per capita income | 64th | 279 |
| Median home value | 68th | 279 |
| Median gross rent | 38th | 266 |
| Poverty rate | 109th | 232 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 31st | 279 |
| Median age | 259th | 279 |
| Owner-occupied share | 191st | 279 |
| Work from home | 86th | 221 |
| Travel time to work | 203rd | 279 |
Waverly's figures with every place in Iowa (CSV)
Every place in Iowa, sortable · Compare Waverly with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Waverly?
8 of the 57 figures for Waverly on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Waverly are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' public schools in Waverly.