City profile · Nebraska · Census ACS 2023

Waterloo, NE

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Waterloo — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

950
Residents
$75,417
Median income
$218,400
Median home
$1,001
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Waterloo, NE

Waterloo is a city in Nebraska with a population of 950 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $75,417 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 4.1%. Typical homes in Waterloo are valued around $218,400, and the median resident age is 38.5 years. About 18.3% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 63.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 553.7 incidents per 1,000 residents, above the national average, indicating elevated public-safety concerns.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Nebraska registers 90.1 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,001 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $207 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 25.8 out of 100 (Very Low).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

950 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Nebraska

Median Household Income

$75,417 /yr

Poverty 4.1%

Cost of Living Index

90.1 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Waterloo compare to other US cities?

Where Waterloo sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 57% higher than other cities
Home value 48% pricier than other cities
Median rent 15% pricier than other cities
Safety 83% safer than other cities

Percentiles compare Waterloo against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Waterloo, NE Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Waterloo, NE. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Waterloo, NE — median $75,417/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Waterloo, NE — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 18.3%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 4.1%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 63.2%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
950
Median Income
$75,417
Median Home Value
$218,400
Median Age
38.5
Poverty Rate
4.1%
Labor force participation
63.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
18.3%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
553.7
per 1,000 residents
Violent Crime
332.2
per 1,000 residents
Property Crime
221.5
per 1,000 residents

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
82.8%
Carpool
3.0%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
2.1%
Work from Home
12.1%

Based on 470 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Nebraska — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$100
avg/month
Natural Gas
$65
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$42
avg/month
Total Utilities
$207
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Nebraska state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Nebraska state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
90.1
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,001/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
25.8 / 100
Very Low
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Waterloo, NE Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Waterloo, NE — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Waterloo compares to nearby Nebraska cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Waterloo) plus the nearest peer cities in Nebraska, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

NE

Waterloo

75.42% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$75,417
Brackets
1
Selected

NE

Laurel

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$90
Brackets
1
Selected

NE

Benkelman

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$90
Brackets
1
Selected

NE

Crawford

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$100
Brackets
1
Census ACS 5-year FIPS NE FBI UCR OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Waterloo, NE?

What is the population of Waterloo, NE? +

Waterloo, NE has a population of 950 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Waterloo, NE? +

The median household income in Waterloo is $75,417 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Waterloo? +

Waterloo has a cost of living index of 90.1 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

Is Waterloo, NE safe? +

Waterloo has a total crime rate of 553.7 per 1,000 residents, which is above the national average. Source: FBI UCR data.

What is the median home value in Waterloo, NE? +

The median home value in Waterloo is $218,400, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

Verify with HUD →

Verify with FBI →

Verify with NOAA →

Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →

Verify with EPA →

Verify with FEMA →

Verify with BEA →

Verify with EIA →

Verify with NCES →