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

How much does a medical secretary make in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

In the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metropolitan area, medical secretaries earned a median of $40,660 a year ($19.55 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 620 of these jobs there. That is 14% below the $47,430 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $35,360 and $48,410; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Iowa tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $33,957 in take-home pay.

Medical secretary pay in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA at a glance

Median salary

$40,660$19.55 per hour · $3,388 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$35,360$17.00/hr
25th percentile$37,650$18.10/hr
75th percentile$46,520$22.37/hr
90th percentile$48,410$23.28/hr
Jobs in this metro620Location quotient 1.18 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here14% belowAll-jobs median $47,430
Against Iowa1% belowStatewide median $40,980
Against the U.S.11% belowNational median $45,930

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.

Medical secretary salary in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA after taxes

$40,660
$15,000$85,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$40,660
Net 84%
Fed 7%
IA 2%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$33,957After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,830Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,306Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate16.5%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$2,699 / yr
Iowa state income tax$893 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$3,110 / yr

Medical secretaries 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 medical secretaries earned in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (IA)
10th percentile$17.00/hr$2,947$35,360$29,900
25th percentile$18.10/hr$3,138$37,650$31,653
MedianMedian$19.55/hr$3,388$40,660$33,957
75th percentile$22.37/hr$3,877$46,520$38,443
90th percentile$23.28/hr$4,034$48,410$39,890

Is $40,660 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 medical secretaries 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 household57.4%of area median income

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

Medical secretary pay in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA: common questions

What is the median salary for medical secretaries in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

The BLS median annual wage for medical secretaries in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area was $40,660 in May 2025, about $3,388 a month or $19.55 an hour. Statewide, the Iowa median for this job is $40,980, so the metro pays 1% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for medical secretaries in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

The median hourly wage for medical secretaries in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA was $19.55 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $17.00 an hour and one in ten earned more than $23.28.

How many medical secretaries work in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

BLS estimated 620 jobs for medical secretaries in the metro in May 2025, or 7.3 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.18 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for medical secretaries in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

BLS wage estimates for medical secretaries in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA run from $35,360 at the 10th percentile to $37,650 at the 25th, $46,520 at the 75th, and $48,410 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do medical secretaries take home after taxes in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

On a median gross salary of $40,660, an estimated $33,957 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,306 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Iowa in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $6,703 (an effective rate of 16.5%).

How much do medical secretaries make per month in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

On the median annual salary of $40,660, gross monthly income is $3,388. After federal, FICA, and Iowa state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,830 per month (or $1,306 every two weeks).

Is $40,660 a good salary in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

At $40,660, the median salary for medical secretaries is 57.4% of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA median household income ($70,811). It is 14% 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.