SOC 25-2021 · Educational Instruction and Library Occupations · May 2025
How much do Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education make in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?
In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA is $60,780. The 10th percentile is $47,220 and the 90th percentile is $77,500. Employment is 890.
Median annual wage
$60,780
- 10th percentile
- $47,220
- 25th percentile
- $48,500
- Median
- $60,780
- 75th percentile
- $74,230
- 90th percentile
- $77,500
- Mean
- $60,150
Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates. BLS reports this occupation on an annual basis. Hourly wages are not published.

Percentile spread
For Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education, the published 10th percentile is $47,220 and the 90th percentile is $77,500. The difference is $30,280, which is 49.8% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.
The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $48,500 to the 75th at $74,230, covers $25,730.
The mean annual wage is $60,150, which sits below the median of $60,780. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.
Hourly wages are not published because BLS reports this occupation on an annual basis. Hourly and annual wages.
National and state comparison
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA median is 5% lower than the national median of $63,970 for Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education. In 2024 national prices the local median is $69,816, which is 9.1% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.
It is 0.3% higher than the Iowa median of $60,580.
Price-adjusted pay
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA is 87.057, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $60,780 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education at $69,816 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.
Nearby metros
16 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education. Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA ranks 12th of 17 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).
- Cedar Rapids, IA is 53 miles away, with a median of $61,430 and employment of 980. That median is 1.1% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $69,051, against $69,816 here.
- Ames, IA is 72 miles away, with a median of $62,430 and employment of 440. That median is 2.7% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $70,280, against $69,816 here.
- Dubuque, IA is 81 miles away, with a median of $57,840 and employment of 560. That median is 4.8% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $66,233, against $69,816 here.
Employment share
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education accounts for 1.1% of wage-and-salary employment in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA (890 of 84,260). Nationally the occupation is 0.89% of employment (1,388,390 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.18 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.
Highest-paying jobs in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA · Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices
Questions this page answers
How much do Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education make in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?
In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA is $60,780. The 10th percentile is $47,220 and the 90th percentile is $77,500. Employment is 890.
How does that compare with the national median for Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education?
The local median is 5% lower than the national median of $63,970.
What is Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education pay in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA after local prices?
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA is 87.057, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $60,780 is $69,816. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.
How does Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA compare with nearby metros for Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education?
Cedar Rapids, IA is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 53 miles away, at $61,430. Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA ranks 12th of 17 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.