Cedar Falls is a city in Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 40,713. Cedar Falls is home to the University of Northern Iowa, a public university. Cedar Falls along with neighboring city Waterloo, Iowa are the two principal municipalities within the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. This area is known locally as the "Cedar Valley," due to the Cedar River that traverses the vicinity.