Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ames’ average trip to work is 44 minutes, against 25 minutes in New York’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Only 1 of the 759 New York towns we compare have a higher share of households owning their home than Ames. Ames has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Ames beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 150 in 1870, a peak of 224 in 1980, 138 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1835 and 3 maps from 1898 on.
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 Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Ames.
Adults 35 to 64 are 57% of residents (39% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 6% of residents (23% statewide). At 48.8 years, Ames’ median age is above both New York’s towns (43 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). 42% of Ames adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Ames | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 48.8 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 42% | 32% | 29% |
| Ames | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 0% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 14.9% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.4% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 2.3% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 26.4% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.6% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.4% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.6% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.2% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 0% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.8% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 8.5% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 22.5% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 31% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.3% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 100, single groups can be off by several points
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 73% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Ames has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 13° and about 54 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
43% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Ames. Ames beats the New York average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 19% of adults smoke cigarettes in Ames.
| Ames | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 37% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Ames | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.5% | 6% |
| More smokers | 19.1% | 11.3% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.1% | 6.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ames. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi MuseumNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum315K visitors a year14 mi CaveHowe Caverns24 mi LandmarkFort Dayton
37 mi Stadium & arenaUtica Memorial Auditorium
34 mi TheatreProctor's Theatre
5 mi MuseumArkell MuseumNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Utica Memorial Auditorium: Doug Kerr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Proctor's Theatre: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Arkell Museum: Bakrell1 at English Wikipedia, GFDL
1 within 15 miles of the center of Ames
About 9 of every 100 Ames residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Village in New York, United States
Ames is a village in Montgomery County, New York, United States. The population was 138 at the 2020 census. It is within the town of Canajoharie. As of 2025, it is the smallest village in upstate New York.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ames has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
2 notable people were born here, including Alexander Randall and Marcy H. Randall.
