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Waverly, IA

Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

10,494
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

32.8
years ∙ half population younger than 32.8, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
19.9%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

2.7%
foreign-born population
97.3%Native
2.7% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Waverly is a city within Bremer County, Iowa, United States.
Location
City in Bremer County, IA, US
Co-ordinates
DEC42.722049° N, 92.469462° W
DMS42° 43′ 19.38″ N, 92° 28′ 10.06″ W

Population Density & area

928.7/sq mi (359.4/km²)
Total Area
11.8 sq mi (30.5 km²)
Land Area
11.3 sq mi (29.2 km²) · 95.7%
Water Area
0.5 sq mi (1.3 km²) · 4.3%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

47.3% male
Male 47.3%
Female 52.7%
males per 100 females
Waverly 89.9
Bremer County 99.1
Iowa 100.6

Nativity

2.7%
foreign-born population
97.3%Native
2.7% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Waverly 2.7%
Bremer County 1.6%
Iowa 5.9%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

32.8
years ∙ half population younger than 32.8, half older
Waverly
32.8
Bremer County
39
Iowa
38.6

Dependency ratio

Low High
64.6
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Waverly 64.6
Bremer County 73
Iowa 69.6

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Waverly Bremer County Iowa
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 20.6% 22.4% 22.9%
Working age (18-64) 60.8% 57.8% 59%
Senior (65+) 18.6% 19.8% 18.1%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 64.6 73 69.6
Child dependency ratio 33.9 38.8 38.8
Old-age dependency ratio 30.6 34.2 30.7
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
89.3%
Black
2.4%
Asian
1.5%
Hispanic
3.6%
Other
3.2%
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

Low High
19.9%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Waverly 19.9%
Bremer County 14.7%
Iowa 31.4%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Waverly population
Waverly Bremer County Iowa
Hispanic or Latino 3.6% 2.1% 7.3%
Mexican 1.5% 0.9% 5%
Puerto Rican 0.8% 0.4% 0.3%
Cuban 0% 0% 0.1%
Other Hispanic / Latino 1.3% 0.8% 1.8%
Not Hispanic or Latino 96.4% 97.9% 92.7%
One race 93.3% 95.3% 89.2%
White 89.3% 92.3% 82.3%
Black or African American 2.4% 1.1% 3.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0% 0% 0.2%
Asian 1.5% 0.9% 2.5%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0.2%
Some Other Race 0.1% 1% 0.3%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 3.1% 2.6% 3.5%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

61.6% family
Family 61.6%
Non family 38.4%
% family households
Waverly 61.6%
Bremer County 67.4%
Iowa 61.6%

Average household size

2.36
persons per household
Waverly
2.36
Bremer County
2.44
Iowa
2.36

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Waverly population
Waverly Bremer County Iowa
Total households 3,856 9,716 1,315,707
Average houshold size 2.36 2.44 2.36
Family households 2,377 6,552 809,836
Average family size 2.95 2.95 2.98
Married couple family 1,897 5,469 635,347
Other families 480 1,083 174,489
Male householder 89 342 56,457
Female householder 391 741 118,032
Non-family households 1,479 3,164 505,871
One-person households 1,093 2,602 406,436
Male householder 413 1,255 193,582
Senior (65+) living alone 157 450 58,028
Female householder 680 1,347 212,854
Senior (65+) living alone 396 833 111,645
Other living arrangements 386 562 99,435

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

4,111
housing units
Waverly 4,111
Bremer County 10,585
Iowa 1,437,699

Occupancy status

93.8% occupied
Occupied 93.8%
Vacant 6.2%
vacancy rate
Waverly 6.2%
Bremer County 8.2%
Iowa 8.5%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

71.1%
Single family houses
Single family houses
71.1%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
26.5%
Mobile homes
2.3%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1976
Half of houses were built before 1976, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
15.1%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
24.5%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
30.6%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
29.8%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Waverly Bremer County Iowa
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 6.1 6.4 5.9
1–3 rooms 12.9% 7.4% 11.8%
4–6 rooms 42.2% 44.5% 47.4%
7+ rooms 45% 48.1% 40.7%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 0.2% 0.3% 1.7%
1 bedroom 7.2% 5.7% 9.2%
2 bedrooms 30.9% 24.3% 27%
3 bedrooms 33.6% 39.4% 37.3%
4+ bedrooms 28% 30.3% 24.7%
At a glance
Median year built 1976 1970 1972
Total housing units 4,111 10,585 1,437,699
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

69% owners
Renter-occupied 31%
Owner-occupied 69%
homeownership rate
Waverly 69%
Bremer County 79.7%
Iowa 71.7%

Average household size

2.44
Owner-occupied
2.2
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Waverly 2.44
Bremer County 2.54
Iowa 2.5

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Waverly Bremer County Iowa
Total occupied units 3,856 9,716 1,315,707
Year moved in
2020 or later 28.9% 20.3% 24.3%
2010 to 2019 41% 37.5% 38.7%
2000 to 2009 14.7% 17.1% 16.4%
1999 or earlier 15.5% 25.1% 20.7%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 100% 99.5% 98.4%
1.01 to 1.50 0% 0.4% 1.1%
1.51 or more 0% 0.1% 0.5%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 2.5% 2.6% 5.4%
1 vehicle 37.5% 27.5% 30.5%
2 vehicles 41.9% 41.1% 37.8%
3 or more vehicles 18.2% 28.8% 26.3%
House heating fuel used
Gas 78.6% 78.7% 72.8%
Electricity 21% 18.1% 24.4%
Solar 0% 0.1% 0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0% 0.2% 0.3%
All other fuels 0.2% 2.7% 1.8%
No fuel used 0.3% 0.2% 0.6%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0% 0.2% 0.3%
Lacking complete kitchen 0.3% 1% 0.8%
No telephone service available 0.8% 1.1% 0.8%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$223,300
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Waverly
$223,300
Bremer County
$219,600
Iowa
$208,000

Housing Cost Burden

20%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
20%
Owners without a mortgage
6.1%
Renters
33.8%
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Waverly Bremer County Iowa
Property value
Median Value $223,300 $219,600 $208,000
Under $100,000 9% 13.2% 17.8%
$100,000 - $200,000 33.3% 30.7% 30%
$200,000 - $300,000 28.8% 27.6% 23.1%
$300,000 - $500,000 23.4% 21.7% 21.3%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 5.6% 6.1% 6.8%
$1,000,000 and more 0% 0.7% 1.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 60.2% 59.4% 59.4%
Without a mortgage 39.8% 40.6% 40.6%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,680 $1,586 $1,533
Without a mortgage $607 $635 $616
Gross rent
Median rent $1,057 $921 $972

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

44.1%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Waverly 44.1%
Bremer County 36.2%
Iowa 31.4%

Adults without a high school diploma

5.1%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Waverly 5.1%
Bremer County 3.8%
Iowa 6.7%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

3,451
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
5%
K–12
45.6%
College / Undergraduate
46.2%
Graduate / Professional
3.2%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

74.9%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Waverly
74.9%
Bremer County
63.2%
Iowa
42.3%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Waverly Bremer County Iowa
Total enrolled (age 3+) 3,451 6,740 784,322
Nursery / preschool 5% 5.3% 6.2%
K–12 45.6% 62.5% 68.4%
Kindergarten 5% 5.1% 5.2%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 13% 21.3% 20.3%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 13.4% 16.4% 21.3%
High School: Grades 9–12 14.2% 19.6% 21.6%
College or graduate school 49.4% 32.2% 25.4%
College, undergraduate 46.2% 29.3% 20.8%
Graduate, professional school 3.2% 2.9% 4.6%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 74.9% 63.2% 42.3%
School type
Public school 58.9% 76.9% 84.4%
Private school 41.1% 23.1% 15.6%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

6,233
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
0.9%
9th-12th, no diploma
4.2%
HS graduate
26.5%
Some college no degree
14.4%
Associates degree
10%
Bachelors degree
25.8%
Graduate or professional degree
18.3%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
36.4% · 63.6%
9th-12th, no diploma
54.4% · 45.6%
HS graduate
49.7% · 50.3%
Some college no degree
41.7% · 58.3%
Associates degree
52.9% · 47.1%
Bachelors degree
44% · 56%
Graduate or professional degree
46.6% · 53.4%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Waverly Bremer County Iowa
Population (25+) 6,233 16,629 2,154,149
Less than 9th grade 0.9% 1% 2.7%
9th–12th, no diploma 4.2% 2.8% 4%
High school diploma or GED 26.5% 29.4% 30%
Some college, no degree 14.4% 17.4% 19.7%
Associate's degree 10% 13.1% 12.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher 44.1% 36.2% 31.4%
Bachelor's degree 25.8% 24.2% 20.9%
Graduate or professional 18.3% 12.1% 10.5%
High School or higher 95% 96.2% 93.3%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$56,359
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$45,508
HS graduate
$48,977
Some college or associates
$51,765
Bachelors degree
$56,935
Graduate or professional degree
$63,580

Poverty Rate

1.8%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
22%
HS graduate
15.2%
Some college or associates
6.6%
Bachelors degree or higher
1.8%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Waverly Bremer County Iowa
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $56,359 $56,226 $51,106
Less than high school graduate $45,508 $38,125 $35,996
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $48,977 $48,950 $41,528
Some college or associate's degree $51,765 $52,000 $47,635
Bachelor's degree $56,935 $61,928 $62,744
Graduate or professional degree $63,580 $73,136 $80,022
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 22% 15.1% 21.5%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 15.2% 8.9% 12.4%
Some college or associate's degree 6.6% 4.7% 8.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher 1.8% 2.4% 3.8%

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