Waterloo, Illinois
2026 Edition · 10 cards · data as of Oct 30, 2026
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Population
Growing. Up 1.3% since 2020.
11,132
people, the 207th-largest of Illinois's cities and towns.
Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Illinois's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates
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The workday
7 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.
74.1%
of 3,503 jobs located in Waterloo are filled by in-commuters.
Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES
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Rent
Median rent is up 22% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.
$886
a month. Illinois's median is $1,274.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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The seam
Cross one tract line and median rent jumps $452.
A $452 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Monroe County.
- $729 Tract 6005.01
- $1,181 Tract 6004.02
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Room to build
The median rent sits inside what local wages can carry.
$768–$1,152
is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.
- $886 median
Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year
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Building
66% of the housing here was built before 2000.
- 501 homes permitted in ten years, 2016–2025
- 8% of those were in multifamily buildings
- 66% of all homes were built before 2000
Census Building Permits Survey, 2016–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year
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Units needed
Closing the gap would add 0.2–0.7% to the 4,818 homes here.
10–35
is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.
Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac
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Home value
A median home costs 5% less than Illinois's.
$249,500
median home value in Waterloo.
- $249,500 Waterloo
- $263,300 Illinois
- $332,700 U.S.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year