Iowa · Salary guide
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA CPA Salary
CPA and accountant pay across the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro — percentiles and role-by-role estimates vs the national benchmark.
Median CPA pay · Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro
$73,530
Midpoint for accountants & auditors
Typical range
$59.8K–$94.3K
Middle 50% (25th–75th percentile)
Top earners
$122.1K+
90th percentile and above
vs. national
-12.1%
Iowa · vs U.S. median
Verified BLS wage benchmark for the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro · updated June 2026
How much does a CPA make in Waterloo-Cedar Falls?
The verified BLS wage measurement for accountants and auditors in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro. The CPA-license premium layered on top is a labeled estimate.
vs. the U.S. benchmark
-12.1%
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro vs the national median and -5.0% vs Iowa statewide.
Iowa guideLicensed CPA · modeled
$82,400
A modeled ~12% credential premium on the local median — the license consistently pays more.
What the license is worthTop earners · 90th pct
$122.1K+
The BLS-measured 90th percentile for accountants in this metro — model your own with your role and experience.
Model your payWaterloo-Cedar Falls metro
verified local median
$73,530
-12.1%Iowa statewide
verified state median
$77,440
-7.5%National benchmark
verified
$83,680
base
Waterloo-Cedar Falls runs -12.1% vs the national median and -5.0% vs Iowa statewide. All three are direct BLS wage measurements for accountants and auditors at their own area level.
Cost of living
Real pay in Waterloo-Cedar Falls
What the Waterloo-Cedar Falls median actually buys once local prices are accounted for. Nominal pay is the verified BLS figure; the buying-power view divides it by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity (2024) for the metro.
Nominal
$73.5K
Price level
87.1/100
Real pay
$84.4K
Local prices run 13% below the national average, so pay here stretches further than the headline suggests — Waterloo-Cedar Falls rises 168 places once adjusted for buying power.
Real pay · BEA-adjustedA high nominal salary in an expensive metro can buy less than a smaller salary in a low-cost one. Real pay reorders the map by buying power — but it is not take-home pay: it excludes taxes, benefits, and housing choices.
See real pay across all metros →Best ways to use this page
- 1View percentiles
Find your percentile
See where your pay sits across the Waterloo-Cedar Falls range, from entry level to top earners.
- 2See pay by role
Check your role
Pay climbs steeply from staff to controller. See the estimate for your title in this metro.
- 3Open the calculator
Model your own number
Set role, experience, license, and employer for a tailored estimate — equity and bonus broken out.
- 4Submit your pay
Add your salary
Anonymous, two minutes. Submissions are how role- and employer-level pay becomes real data.
Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro · Accountants & auditors
Verified$35.35/hr median hourly · $80,970 average
Percentiles · Waterloo-Cedar Falls
Verified| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $48,610 | $23.37/hr | Entry-level / lower pay |
| 25th percentile | $59,790 | $28.75/hr | Below median |
| Median (50th) | $73,530 | $35.35/hr | Typical pay |
| 75th percentile | $94,330 | $45.35/hr | Experienced / senior |
| 90th percentile | $122,140 | $58.72/hr | Top earners |
By role
CPA roles in Waterloo-Cedar Falls
Median estimates by role, scaled to the metro wage level.
Median pay by role
In the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro, estimated pay runs from $104,400 (Accounting Manager) to $286,800 (Chief Financial Officer) — about 2.7× across the ladder.
| Role / level | Low | Est. median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Financial Officer | $286,800 | ||
| Partner | $264,700 | ||
| Director of Finance | $180,100 | ||
| Senior Manager | $150,700 | ||
| Controller | $143,400 | ||
| Tax Manager | $114,000 | ||
| Audit Manager | $114,000 | ||
| Accounting Manager | $104,400 | ||
| Audit Senior | $80,900 | ||
| Tax Senior | $79,400 | ||
| Senior Accountant | $75,000 | ||
| Audit Associate | $61,000 | ||
| Tax Associate | $60,300 | ||
| Staff Accountant | $57,400 |
Role multipliers applied to the BLS national median for Accountants & Auditors. The low–high band is a modeled typical range, not a guaranteed offer.
By experience
CPA pay by experience in Waterloo-Cedar Falls
The metro median scaled across experience bands, with the modeled CPA-license premium. Estimate.
| Experience | Est. median | CPA-licensed (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 years | $63,200 | $70,800 |
| 2–4 years | $70,600 | $79,100 |
| 5–7 years | $79,400 | $88,900 |
| 8–12 years | $88,200 | $98,800 |
| 13–20 years | $97,100 | $108,800 |
| 20+ years | $104,400 | $116,900 |
Experience multipliers on the area median; CPA column adds a modeled +12% credential premium.
By employer
CPA pay by employer type in Waterloo-Cedar Falls
Big 4, national, regional, and local firms vs. industry — at a manager-level base on the metro median. Estimate.
| Employer type | Est. manager-level pay | vs. industry |
|---|---|---|
| Big 4 firm | $127,600 | +7.7% |
| National firm | $119,700 | +1.0% |
| Regional firm | $111,700 | -5.7% |
| Local firm | $104,900 | -11.5% |
| Industry / corporate | $118,500 | — |
Employer-type multipliers applied at a manager-level base on the BLS national median.
What affects pay
What drives CPA pay in Waterloo-Cedar Falls
The same factors move pay within a metro. Use the calculator to model your own.
Waterloo-Cedar Falls market
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro’s measured accountant pay sits well below the national median, at -12.1%. Within the state it runs modestly below the Iowa median (-5.0%) — it sits below the Iowa median, meaning the state’s higher-paying work is concentrated in other metros. Metro pay reflects the local cost of labor and the density of large employers and public-accounting firms more than the job title itself. This is a direct BLS wage measurement for the metro, not an estimate scaled from the national figure.
Cost of labor
Waterloo-Cedar Falls wages track the local cost of living and employer competition — denser, higher-cost metros pay above the statewide median.
Employer mix
Big 4 and national firms pay a brand premium; regional/local firms and government pay below industry roles at the same level.
Role & experience
Pay roughly doubles from staff to controller. The CPA license adds a modeled premium and unlocks senior roles.
Remote & hybrid
Remote roles can pay to a national band rather than the local one, widening access to higher-paying employers.
How to use these figures
Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro figures here are a direct BLS wage measurement — but they cover accountants and auditors as a single occupation, so they are not specific to the CPA license, your role, or your employer. Use them as a local baseline, then model your own situation and submit a salary to sharpen the employer-level detail BLS does not publish.
Other metros
Compare nearby metro pay
CPA pay across other major metros — large, high-cost areas pay the strongest.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a CPA make in Waterloo-Cedar Falls?
- The median accountant/auditor wage in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro is about $73,530 (-12.1% vs national). Licensed CPAs generally earn above this baseline.
- Does Waterloo-Cedar Falls pay more than the rest of Iowa?
- Large metros like Waterloo-Cedar Falls typically pay above their statewide median due to higher cost of living and a denser concentration of large employers and public-accounting firms.
How to read these numbers
National, state, and metro pay comes straight from the federal wage measurement for accountants & auditors — direct and source-backed, not scaled from anything.
Role, experience, CPA-license, and employer figures are modeled on top of that measurement and labeled Estimate — the federal data does not break those out, so we never present them as measurements.
Add your Waterloo-Cedar Falls salary
BLS measures the occupation, not your role, firm, or license. Submissions are what add that layer. Anonymous and quick.