Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does an administrative assistant make in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

In the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metropolitan area, administrative assistants earned a median of $46,230 a year ($22.22 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 720 of these jobs there. That is 3% below the $47,430 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $35,270 and $62,100; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Iowa tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $38,221 in take-home pay.

Administrative assistant pay in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA at a glance

Median salary

$46,230$22.22 per hour · $3,853 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$35,270$16.96/hr
25th percentile$38,870$18.69/hr
75th percentile$52,480$25.23/hr
90th percentile$62,100$29.86/hr
Jobs in this metro720Location quotient 0.78 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here3% belowAll-jobs median $47,430
Against Iowa2% aboveStatewide median $45,150
Against the U.S.3% belowNational median $47,540

Run the numbers on your own pay

Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Administrative assistant salary in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA after taxes

$46,230
$15,000$95,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$46,230
Net 83%
Fed 7%
IA 2%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$38,221After all taxes
Monthly deposit$3,185Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,470Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate17.3%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$3,368 / yr
Iowa state income tax$1,105 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$3,537 / yr

Administrative assistants pay range in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What administrative assistants earned in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (IA)
10th percentile$16.96/hr$2,939$35,270$29,831
25th percentile$18.69/hr$3,239$38,870$32,587
MedianMedian$22.22/hr$3,853$46,230$38,221
75th percentile$25.23/hr$4,373$52,480$43,005
90th percentile$29.86/hr$5,175$62,100$50,369

Is $46,230 a good salary in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for administrative assistants next to both.

Median household income$70,811Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)87.112.9% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household65.3%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Administrative assistant pay in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA: common questions

What is the median salary for administrative assistants in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

The BLS median annual wage for administrative assistants in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area was $46,230 in May 2025, about $3,853 a month or $22.22 an hour. Statewide, the Iowa median for this job is $45,150, so the metro pays 2% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for administrative assistants in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

The median hourly wage for administrative assistants in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA was $22.22 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $16.96 an hour and one in ten earned more than $29.86.

How many administrative assistants work in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

BLS estimated 720 jobs for administrative assistants in the metro in May 2025, or 8.6 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.78 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for administrative assistants in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

BLS wage estimates for administrative assistants in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA run from $35,270 at the 10th percentile to $38,870 at the 25th, $52,480 at the 75th, and $62,100 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do administrative assistants take home after taxes in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

On a median gross salary of $46,230, an estimated $38,221 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,470 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Iowa in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $8,009 (an effective rate of 17.3%).

How much do administrative assistants make per month in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

On the median annual salary of $46,230, gross monthly income is $3,853. After federal, FICA, and Iowa state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $3,185 per month (or $1,470 every two weeks).

Is $46,230 a good salary in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

At $46,230, the median salary for administrative assistants is 65.3% of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA median household income ($70,811). It is 3% below the $47,430 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 87.1, so prices here run 12.9% below the U.S. average.