Food and drink · Metro area · Iowa
Pizza places in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for pizza places in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #282 of 387 scored metro areas
#6 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa
- Listings
- 79
- 61 chain locations (77%)
- Official establishments
- 115
- All limited-service restaurants · +1.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $258.5M
- On food away from home · $3,725 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.3M
- 36% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.4
- 43% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 169,189
- +0.5% since 2020
See the pizza places around any address in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area
The site report maps the pizza places 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 79 pizza places in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area. 61 of them (77%) are chain locations, against 58% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.4, 43% above the U.S. rate of 8.0.
At $3,725 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area spend about $258.5M a year on food away from home. That works out to $3.3M per pizza place, 36% below the U.S. figure of $5.1M. That spending covers all food away from home, which pizza places share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 115 businesses with payroll in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area classed as limited-service restaurants, up 1.8% from 2019. That is one for every 603 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only pizza places: fast food and sandwich shops are counted too. Official counts list 12 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.1M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants 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%). The Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area scores 39 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for pizza places, ranking #282 of 387 scored metro areas and #6 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 food away from home by the pizza places 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 | 11.4 | 11.7 | 8.0 |
| Spending per listing | $3.3M | $3.3M | $5.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 603 | 628 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.8% | −0.9% | +6.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.5% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,725 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $70,811 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 39 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 115All limited-service restaurants · +1.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,314
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $41.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 12All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7961 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 51The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants 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. These official figures cover all limited-service restaurants, not only pizza places.
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 pizza places 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 cardPizza across Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Iowa for pizza places, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha, NE-IA | 63 | 331 | 8.5 | $5M | +4.2% | #103 of 387 |
| 1Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 62 | 312 | 10.6 | $4M | +6.7% | #107 of 387 |
| 2Iowa City, IA | 53 | 80 | 11.1 | $3.6M | +4.1% | #170 of 387 |
| 3Cedar Rapids, IA | 48 | 138 | 12.1 | $3.3M | +1.0% | #216 of 387 |
| 4Dubuque, IA | 46 | 44 | 10.7 | $3.7M | +0.1% | #230 of 387 |
| 5Ames, IA | 44 | 57 | 11.4 | $3.4M | +2.2% | #245 of 387 |
| 6Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 39 | 79 | 11.4 | $3.3M | +0.5% | #282 of 387 |
| 7Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 35 | 64 | 11.5 | $3.3M | +1.0% | #308 of 387 |
| 8Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 33 | 172 | 10.6 | $3.6M | −0.9% | #319 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
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many pizza places are in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area?
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area has 79 pizza places on map listings as of September 2026. 61 of them (77%) are chain locations. The listings count pizza restaurants. Official counts show 115 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 1.8% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (fast food and sandwich shops included), not only pizza places. Official counts also show 12 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area spend on food away from home?
About $258.5M a year, or $3,725 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 79 pizza places on map listings, it comes to $3.3M per pizza place. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only pizza places. 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 pizza places?
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area has 11.4 pizza places per 10,000 households, 43% above the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per pizza place is $3.3M, 36% below the U.S. figure of $5.1M. At the national ratio of pizza places to household spending, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area would have about 51, against 79 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 603 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% 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 39 for pizza places (lower middle), #282 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 pizza places 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 pizza places · 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.