Population
Battle Creek
52,392
Waterloo
66,947
Median Income
Battle Creek
$51,699
Waterloo
$56,344
Home Value
Battle Creek
$127,600
Waterloo
$150,200
Rent
Battle Creek
$934
Waterloo
$896
Crime Rate
Battle Creek
11.22
Waterloo
4.76
Cost of Living
Battle Creek
87.4
Waterloo
91.8
Avg Temp
Battle Creek
N/A
Waterloo
N/A
Unemployment
Battle Creek
7.4%
Waterloo
6.4%
How Similar Are Battle Creek & Waterloo?
Waterloo is Battle Creek's #17 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Battle Creek
52,392
Waterloo
66,947
Waterloo has a 22% larger population than Battle Creek.
Violent Crime
Battle Creek
11.22
Waterloo
4.76
Battle Creek's violent crime is significantly higher than Waterloo's — 58% difference.
Property Crime
Battle Creek
25.23
Waterloo
24.45
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 3% difference.
Political Leaning
Battle Creek
56.4%
Waterloo
48.8%
Battle Creek leans Republican while Waterloo leans Democratic.
Unemployment
Battle Creek
7.4%
Waterloo
6.4%
Battle Creek has a 14% higher unemployment than Waterloo.
Median Income
Battle Creek
$51,699
Waterloo
$56,344
Both cities have similar median income — just a 8% difference.
Home Values
Battle Creek
$127,600
Waterloo
$150,200
Waterloo has a 15% higher home values than Battle Creek.
Education
Battle Creek
14.7%
Waterloo
14.9%
Both cities have similar education — just a 2% difference.
Demographics
Battle Creek
64.8%
Waterloo
69.1%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 6% difference.
Cost of Living
Battle Creek
87.4
Waterloo
91.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 5% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Battle Creek and Waterloo share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Battle Creek
0
Waterloo
Waterloo leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Battle Creek leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDWaterloo has a fair market rent (1br) of $801 vs $976 in Battle Creek (22% lower). Waterloo has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,051 vs $1,176 in Battle Creek (12% lower). Battle Creek scores 79.2 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 86.1 in Waterloo.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Waterloo leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBattle Creek has a median property tax of $2,097 vs $2,498 in Waterloo (16% lower). Waterloo has a median home value of $150,200 vs $127,600 in Battle Creek (15% higher). Battle Creek has a owner-occupied of 65.1% compared to 61.1% in Waterloo.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Waterloo leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWaterloo: 34,480 vs Battle Creek: 25,401 for labor force. Waterloo has a unemployment rate of 6.4% compared to 7.4% in Battle Creek. Waterloo has a per capita income of $33,372 vs $29,763 in Battle Creek (11% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Waterloo leads
Source: FBI UCRWaterloo has a assault rate (per 1k) of 3.98 compared to 9.47 in Battle Creek. Waterloo has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 4.76 compared to 11.22 in Battle Creek. Waterloo has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.05 compared to 0.08 in Battle Creek.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Waterloo leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauWaterloo has a bachelor's degree or higher of 14.9% compared to 14.7% in Battle Creek.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWaterloo has a population of 66,947, about 1.3x the size of Battle Creek (52,392). Waterloo skews younger with a median age of 36.6 vs 37.6.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Battle Creek
Waterloo
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareWaterloo: 5 vs Battle Creek: 3 for with emergency services. Battle Creek: 3.7 vs Waterloo: 3.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Battle Creek leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBattle Creek has a public transit of 1.2% compared to 0.4% in Waterloo. Battle Creek has a bicycle of 0.5% compared to 0.4% in Waterloo. Battle Creek has a work from home of 7.2% compared to 7.1% in Waterloo.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Battle Creek, MI
Compare Battle Creek against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.