Lawyers in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Lawyers pay in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA at a median of $126,570 per year ($60.85/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $159,670, the metro estimate is 21% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 160 lawyers are employed across the Waterloo-Cedar Falls MSA in SOC 23-1011.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls pay distribution spans from $63,800 at the 10th percentile to $360,480 at the 90th, a 5.7× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $80,260 and the 75th at $204,230, so half of Waterloo-Cedar Falls-based lawyers earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide IA estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.