Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA · CBSA 47940
Mechanical Engineer Salary in Waterloo
VerifiedPublished metro-area wages for mechanical engineers in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA, from the BLS OEWS May 2024 release — with the local distribution set against Iowa and the national benchmark.
Mechanical Engineers in Waterloo earn a median of $97,570 per year, per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $76,740–$128,530; the top 10% earn $172,750. That is 5% below the national median and level with the Iowa median. BLS reports 290 employed locally.
Median wage
Verified$97,570
-5% vs national
Top 10% earn
$172,750
90th percentile
Employed in metro
290
Reliability Good (9.1% RSE)
Mechanical Engineer pay — Waterloo vs Iowa vs national
All three distributions are published BLS percentiles on a single shared scale.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $62,100 | -10% |
| 25th percentile | $76,740 | -6% |
| Median50th percentile | $97,570 | -5% |
| 75th percentile | $128,530 | -1% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $172,750 | +7% |
| Meanaverage | $104,870 | -5% |
How concentrated mechanical engineers are in Waterloo
Location quotient compares local concentration to the national rate. Above 1.00 means this metro employs the occupation more densely than the country overall.
Location quotient
1.85
Jobs per 1,000
3.43
Metro rank (pay)
#165 of 342
All engineering roles
$103,108
At a location quotient of 1.85, Waterloo is a genuine hub for this discipline — the occupation is roughly 1.9× as concentrated here as nationally, which usually means deeper employer competition and more lateral options.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a mechanical engineer make in Waterloo?
Does Waterloo pay more than the rest of Iowa?
Where does Waterloo rank nationally for mechanical engineers?
Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 17-2141 (Mechanical Engineers), Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA (metro area).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →