Bay City, MI vs Waterloo, IA

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Bay City

79.9

#99 nationally

Waterloo

81.8

#36 nationally

Bay City leads in walk score (54 vs 37). Waterloo leads in average commute (16.5 min vs 21.4 min). Waterloo leads in median household income ($54,104 vs $45,026).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Bay City, MI	Waterloo, IA
WhereAtHome Score	79.9 (#99)	81.8 (#36)
Population	32,082	66,606
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$126,569	$149,005
Median Household Income	$45,026	$54,104
Average Commute	21.4 min	16.5 min
Walk Score	54	37
Crime Level	15.5	13.0
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	82	88
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	R+14.7	D+1.2