Photo: RifeIdeas · CC BY-SA 3.0Cedar Falls runs its own hospital
Cedar Falls’ city government spent $79.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,950 per resident. It also runs a hospital ($14,000) and water utilities ($66.9 million), counted separately. Census Bureau figures.
What stands out about how Cedar Falls is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,950 per resident a year, or $5.34 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 33%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,606 per resident in 2022: more than 67% of them
Cedar Falls’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,606 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 39 Iowa cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,462, and the middle half spent $1,146–$1,768. Cedar Falls spent more than 67% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($6.9 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Iowa cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Cedar Falls itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 23% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Cedar Falls reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,606 · 2023: $1,665 · 2024: $1,950.
full-time in March 2025 (hospital, health & welfare left out), up from 385 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,702 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.40% of the home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Cedar Falls’ rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Cedar Falls’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Cedar Falls →
Who’s in charge in Cedar Falls
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Cedar Falls’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.cedar-falls.ia.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 100 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (40,746).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Cedar Falls Community School District
Cedar Falls’ K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,799 per pupil, $7,979 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Iowa districts overall: 43% local, 49% state, 8% federal.
Waterloo Community School District · $15,351 per pupil
Hudson Community School District · $11,653 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Cedar Falls’ votes are counted by county
Iowa reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cedar Falls alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Black Hawk County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat50.0%31,299 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican48.8%30,572 votesOthers: 1.2% (782 votes).
Most votes in Black Hawk County: Kamala D Harris
Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Cedar Falls lies in Black Hawk County. Every 2024 race in Black Hawk County is on the county’s page.
Black Hawk County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Cedar Falls.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.cedar-falls.ia.us ↗
- 2Iowa HouseCedar Falls is split between 2 districts
- 3Iowa SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Iowa
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Cedar Falls compares with the towns next door
Cedar Falls spent $1,606 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,591 to $1,740. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Cedar Falls’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Cedar Falls’ government
How much does Cedar Falls spend per resident?
About $1,950 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. Cedar Falls also runs a hospital ($14,000), counted separately. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,606 was more than 67% of 39 Iowa cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Cedar Falls?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,702 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.40% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.cedar-falls.ia.us.
Who runs Cedar Falls’ government?
See ci.cedar-falls.ia.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Cedar Falls yet.
How did Cedar Falls vote in 2024?
Iowa counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cedar Falls alone. Black Hawk County, where 100% of Cedar Falls lies, voted Harris 50.0%, Trump 48.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Cedar Falls?
407 full-time and 166 part-time employees in March 2025 (plus 0 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $3.4M (about $41.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Cedar Falls in the state legislature?
Cedar Falls is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Iowa Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 38 (Dave Sires). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Cedar Falls’ government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →