Population
Ames
66,112
Bloomington
78,791
Median Income
Ames
$60,102
Bloomington
$48,918
Home Value
Ames
$263,800
Bloomington
$289,700
Rent
Ames
$1,040
Bloomington
$1,160
Crime Rate
Ames
1.48
Bloomington
2.87
Cost of Living
Ames
104.8
Bloomington
100.1
Avg Temp
Ames
N/A
Bloomington
N/A
Unemployment
Ames
6.4%
Bloomington
6.2%
How Similar Are Ames & Bloomington?
Bloomington is Ames's #5 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Ames
66,112
Bloomington
78,791
Bloomington has a 16% larger population than Ames.
Violent Crime
Ames
1.48
Bloomington
2.87
Bloomington has a 48% higher violent crime than Ames.
Property Crime
Ames
15.06
Bloomington
27.18
Bloomington has a 45% higher property crime than Ames.
Political Leaning
Ames
44.0%
Bloomington
35.5%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Ames has a stronger Democratic lean (19% difference).
Unemployment
Ames
6.4%
Bloomington
6.2%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 3% difference.
Median Income
Ames
$60,102
Bloomington
$48,918
Ames has a 19% higher median income than Bloomington.
Home Values
Ames
$263,800
Bloomington
$289,700
Both cities have similar home values — just a 9% difference.
Education
Ames
29.0%
Bloomington
29.9%
Both cities have similar education — just a 3% difference.
Demographics
Ames
79.0%
Bloomington
77.8%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 2% difference.
Cost of Living
Ames
104.8
Bloomington
100.1
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Ames and Bloomington share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Ames
0
Bloomington
Bloomington leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Bloomington leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDBloomington scores 68.0 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 75.1 in Ames. Bloomington scores 87.4 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 95.9 in Ames. Bloomington scores 89.9 on the healthcare index (100 = national avg) vs 96.8 in Ames.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Ames leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBloomington has a median property tax of $2,370 vs $3,838 in Ames (62% lower). Ames has a vacancy rate of 8.2% compared to 11.1% in Bloomington. Ames has a owner-occupied of 42.9% compared to 35.1% in Bloomington.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Bloomington leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBloomington has a work from home of 16.9% compared to 11.3% in Ames. Ames has a median household income of $60,102 vs $48,918 in Bloomington (23% higher). Ames has a poverty rate of 25.9% compared to 30.5% in Bloomington.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Ames leads
Source: FBI UCRAmes has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.04 in Bloomington. Ames has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.08 compared to 0.56 in Bloomington. Ames has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.70 compared to 1.66 in Bloomington.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Bloomington leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauBloomington has a high school diploma or higher of 38.1% compared to 34.2% in Ames. Bloomington has a bachelor's degree or higher of 29.9% compared to 29.0% in Ames.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBloomington has a population of 78,791, about 1.2x the size of Ames (66,112). Ames skews younger with a median age of 23.3 vs 24.9.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Ames
Bloomington
Healthcare — Ames leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareAmes: 5 vs Bloomington: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Bloomington leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAmes has a public transit of 5.8% compared to 3.7% in Bloomington. Bloomington has a work from home of 16.9% compared to 11.3% in Ames. Bloomington has a bicycle of 2.0% compared to 1.6% in Ames.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Ames, IA
Compare Ames against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.