Health care · Metro area · Iowa
Medical and dental practices in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area
How the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for medical and dental practices: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #269 of 387 scored metro areas
#8 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa
- Listings
- 891
- 49 chain locations (5%)
- Official establishments
- 195
- +3.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $94.6M
- On medical and dental services · $1,363 a household
- Spending per listing
- $106K
- 30% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 128.4
- 52% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 169,189
- +0.5% since 2020
See the medical and dental practices around any address in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area
The site report maps the medical and dental practices on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Household spending on medical and dental services in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area comes to about $94.6M a year: $1,363 per household, 6% above the U.S. average. That works out to $106K per practice, 30% below the U.S. figure of $152K.
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area has 891 medical and dental practices on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 49 are chain locations, or 5%, against 11% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 128.4, 52% above the U.S. rate of 84.5.
Official counts show 195 businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area in 2023, up 3.2% from 2019. That is one for every 356 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. Another 48 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $101K has gone to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +0.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For medical and dental practices, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area has a Groundwork market score of 41 (lower middle): #269 of 387 scored metro areas and #8 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa.
How the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area compares
The same measures for Iowa and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all medical and dental services by the medical and dental practices counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 128.4 | 83.7 | 84.5 |
| Spending per listing | $106K | $169K | $152K |
| Households per official establishment | 356 | 342 | 270 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.2% | +0.7% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.5% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $1,363 | $1,412 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $70,811 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 195+3.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,412
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $187.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 48Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 89149 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 620The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $101K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 169,189+0.5% since 2020
- Households
- 69,396
- Median age
- 37.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,503 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 112
- Median household income
- $70,811+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,709
- Median home value
- $194,800
- Jobs located here
- 88,619
- Daytime population
- 179,403Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the medical and dental practices on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardDoctors, dentists and clinics across Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Iowa for medical and dental practices, numbered among those based in Iowa (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ames, IA | 80 | 268 | 53.8 | $262K | +2.2% | #11 of 387 |
| 2Iowa City, IA | 77 | 523 | 72.3 | $200K | +4.1% | #27 of 387 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | 75 | 3,071 | 78.8 | $192K | +4.2% | #32 of 387 |
| 3Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 62 | 3,180 | 107.9 | $142K | +6.7% | #105 of 387 |
| 4Dubuque, IA | 52 | 356 | 86.9 | $164K | +0.1% | #172 of 387 |
| 5Cedar Rapids, IA | 52 | 1,211 | 106.2 | $136K | +1.0% | #177 of 387 |
| 6Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 51 | 1,393 | 86.1 | $162K | −0.9% | #185 of 387 |
| 7Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 45 | 523 | 94.3 | $147K | +1.0% | #227 of 387 |
| 8Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 41 | 891 | 128.4 | $106K | +0.5% | #269 of 387 |
Other business types in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
- Doctors, dentists and clinics41
- Dentists and orthodontists73
- Primary care and pediatrics64
- Urgent care and walk-in clinics
- Chiropractors25
- Physical therapy34
- Optometrists and eye care57
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many medical and dental practices are in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 891 medical and dental practices in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area. 49 of them (5%) are chain locations. The listings count every outpatient clinic and practice, and urgent care. Official counts show 195 businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in 2023, up 3.2% from 2019. Official counts list 48 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area spend on medical and dental services?
About $94.6M a year, or $1,363 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 891 medical and dental practices on map listings, it comes to $106K per practice. It is estimated from the incomes of the 69,396 households in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area compare with the U.S. for medical and dental practices?
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area has 128.4 medical and dental practices per 10,000 households, 52% above the U.S. rate of 84.5. Spending per practice is $106K, 30% below the U.S. figure of $152K. At the U.S. ratio of medical and dental practices to household spending, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area would have about 620, against 891 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 356 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area at 169,189 people in 2025, up 0.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 69,396 households. The median household income in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area is $70,811 a year, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.2% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area scores 41 for medical and dental practices (lower middle), #269 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area. It maps the medical and dental practices on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for medical and dental practices · All 56 business types in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.