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Ames, Iowa

Ames is a college town of about 68,000 people in Story County, Iowa. It has grown about 3% since 2020. A typical home costs about 4.5 years of the typical household's income, compared with 4.1 across the U.S. The nearest metro area of about a million people or more, Omaha, is about 136 miles away as the crow flies.

College townSmall city

Population
68,220
up 2.6% since 2020
Typical home, 2020-24
$277,400
Story County prices up 18% since 2022
Household income
$60,991
U.S.: $80,734
Prices, Ames area
88.8
U.S. average = 100
Emergency room
In town
Mary Greeley Medical Center
To Omaha
136 mi
straight line

The book's checklist

  • Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 11.2% below the U.S. average in the Ames metro area.
  • More house for the moneyA typical home costs 4.5 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
  • A safer neighborhood71 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 1 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 12.6 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
  • Schools in town8 public schools: 6 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
  • A hospital close byMary Greeley Medical Center is in town and has an emergency room.
  • Within reach of a big cityOmaha is about 136 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Ames meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

College town. About 42% of residents are college students, with Iowa State University in town. Concerts, sports and good food all year, and a big employer that rarely closes. Expect higher home prices close to campus.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024
$277,400U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then
Up 18%Story County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities
$1,023 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income
$60,991U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them
42%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill
$3,850 a yearIowa: $2,897
Homes built before 1940
9%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010
20%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes
1%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices
88.8U.S. average = 100 (the Ames metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 18% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Ames metro area, not Ames alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate
68,2202020: 66,497
Median age
23.3 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older
11%U.S.: 17%
Under 18
11%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
66%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year
21%U.S.: 6%
College students
42%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work
Schools, health care and social services (39%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (13%); retail (12%)
Unemployment rate
6%U.S.: 5%
Average commute
16 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home
12%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line
25%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Mary Greeley Medical Center, Ames, IA, in town. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

8 public schools in Ames, run by Ames Comm School District.

Colleges in or next to town: Iowa State University (20,000 or more students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Iowa's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet
65%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription
74%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low
11°F
July average high
84°F
Days 90°F or hotter
17 a year
Nights at or below freezing
147 a year
Rain and melted snow
38.1 inches a year
Snow
27 inches a year
Elevation
928 feet

Weather stations: Ames Muni Ap (2 miles away) and Ames 5 SE (6 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Ankeny, Omaha.

Story County is in a metro area of fewer than 250,000 people (USDA rural-urban code 3, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

23 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Knapp-Wilson House, the Ames Main Street Historic District, the Bandshell Park Historic District and the Old Town Historic District. One is a National Historic Landmark, the country's highest honor for a historic place.

Campus life. Check Iowa State University's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Ames's history on Wikipedia.

Know Ames?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Smaller places

  • Kelley, IA307 people, 6 miles
  • Cambridge, IA827 people, 10 miles
  • Luther, IA146 people, 11 miles
  • Sheldahl, IA306 people, 12 miles
  • Randall, IA158 people, 15 miles
  • Alleman, IA440 people, 15 miles
  • Maxwell, IA844 people, 15 miles

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
  3. Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions)
  4. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
  6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
  7. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal)
  8. National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024
  9. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
  10. U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
  11. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
  12. National Park Service, park unit boundaries
  13. USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
  14. U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.