Because Cedar Falls has a very large number of students who are 18 years or older and in college, it is thought of as a college town. This has a major influence on local Cedar Falls lifestyle, entertainment, and culture in general. Life in Cedar Falls is very much tied to the academic calendar: when students return from the summer break in the fall, one will notice them out and about, buying groceries, out with friends, and generally getting re-acquainted with each other. In Cedar Falls people study hard and play hard, and there is ample opportunity to do both.
Cedar Falls, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the city.
Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Cedar Falls spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 15.55 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the city are less than they would otherwise be.
The citizens of Cedar Falls are among the most well-educated in the nation: 49.14% of adults in Cedar Falls have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree, whereas the average US city has 21.84% holding at least a bachelor's degree.
The per capita income in Cedar Falls in 2022 was $39,242, which is wealthy relative to Iowa, and upper middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $156,968 for a family of four. However, Cedar Falls contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
The people who call Cedar Falls home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Cedar Falls residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Cedar Falls include German, Irish, English, Norwegian, and Italian.
The most common language spoken in Cedar Falls is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Urdu.
