Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ames grades B overall, ranked 72nd of 140 in Iowa, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is healthier than 78% of U.S. towns and it is more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns. It also does better than most on incomes: the median household earns $61K. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $302K, 4.1 years of the Ames metro’s $73K median household income. 66% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Ames, where Iowa’s towns sit at 25% and U.S. towns at 29%. Its National Register listings include Knapp-Wilson House and Engineering Hall. Of the 140 Iowa towns we compare, none has a lower share of children under 18 than Ames.
Where Ames beats most towns.
Knapp-Wilson House
Knapp-Wilson House is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 636 in 1870, 66,427 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1892 and 2 maps from 1912 on.
22 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Ames is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ames, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Ames.
Ames is shaped by its college students, draws workers from Boone and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
The Ames Community School District runs its public schools. Three of its 9 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. 5 public schools serve Ames, with 1,971 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ames Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,033 | B |
| Ames High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,440 | B+ |
| Fellows Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 489 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
In Ames, the trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Ada Hayden Heritage Park, at 438 acres. Parks and preserves here: 42, covering 1,368 acres.
| Ames | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.6% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. McDonald Woods | 3.7 mi | 86 |
| 2. Brookside Park | 1.2 mi | 96 |
| 3. Moore Memorial Park | 1.1 mi | 82 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
34,775 jobs are based in Ames, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
The share of residents in Ames who live below the poverty line: 26%. The top destinations are Des Moines (7%), West Des Moines (4%) and Ankeny (3%). In Ames, the average trip to work is 16 minutes. The town had 34,775 jobs in 2023, up 3,610 from 2013.
| Ames | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 26% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 12% | 8.5% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 9,171 U.S. towns with household incomes like Ames’s, it is healthier than 96%, so its A− isn’t only a matter of income.
Among adults in Ames, 10% report frequent physical distress. Only one of the 140 Iowa towns we compare has a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Ames. Against the Iowa average, Ames comes out ahead on 14 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 10.
| Ames | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 20% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 6.4% | 12% | 12% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Ames | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 15.1% | 27% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 3.7% | 6.6% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 11.1% | 6.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
On the market in Ames: a median 15 days to sell. The typical home value in the town is about $302,000, up 2.7% in a year, 28% above the Iowa typical home. In Ames, the typical sale closed at 99.1% of the list price.
| Ames | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 42% | 70% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 50% | 42% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,023 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The range runs from 11° on a January night to 84° on a July afternoon, with about 33 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
175 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 24 properties have flooded more than once.
175 flood insurance claims have been paid in Ames since 1979. FEMA expects less storm and flood damage in the town than in 56% of U.S. communities. Expected losses in Ames break down as 49% from inland flooding and 36% from tornadoes. Federal aid has come to Ames households in 8 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 1,044 to 950 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Ames’ level of property crime comes in at 12.6 per 1,000 residents. The level of violent crime in the town is 1 per 1,000 residents.
| Ames | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.6 per 1,000 residents | 7.2 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ames. Close and well known come first.
in town Stadium & arenaHilton Coliseum
30 mi Stadium & arenaCasey's Center26 mi Theme parkAdventureland
30 mi MuseumIowa State Capitol
in town GardenReiman Gardens
31 mi MuseumDes Moines Art CenterHilton Coliseum: Johannes Cater--Jaretac (talk) 15:14, 17 June 2009 (UTC), Public domain · Casey's Center: Iowahwyman at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Iowa State Capitol: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Reiman Gardens: GardenLover2008 (talk), CC BY 3.0 · Des Moines Art Center: Nhandler at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Ames
College town 42 of every 100 Ames residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
22 places in Ames on the National Register of Historic Places.
45 notable people were born in Ames.
City in Iowa, US
Ames () is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States, located approximately 30 miles (48 km) north of Des Moines in central Iowa. It is the home of Iowa State University (ISU). According to the 2020 census, Ames had a population of 66,427, making it the state's ninth-most populous city. Iowa State University was home to 30,177 students as of fall 2023, which make up approximately one half of the city's population. A United States Department of Energy national laboratory, Ames National Laboratory, is located on the ISU campus. Ames also hosts United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) sites: the largest federal animal disease center in the United States, the USDA Agricultural Research …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Ames.
Nevada reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Ames with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Ames grades B overall, better than 63% of U.S. towns and #72 of 140 in Iowa. It grades A− for health, B− for safety and B− for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
45 notable people were born here, including Laurel Clark and Peter Schickele.
