Population
Ames
66,112
Columbia
127,200
Median Income
Ames
$60,102
Columbia
$64,488
Home Value
Ames
$263,800
Columbia
$268,300
Rent
Ames
$1,040
Columbia
$1,067
Crime Rate
Ames
1.48
Columbia
3.49
Cost of Living
Ames
104.8
Columbia
108.5
Avg Temp
Ames
N/A
Columbia
N/A
Unemployment
Ames
6.4%
Columbia
3.9%
How Similar Are Ames & Columbia?
Columbia is Ames's #9 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Ames
66,112
Columbia
127,200
Columbia has a 48% larger population than Ames.
Violent Crime
Ames
1.48
Columbia
3.49
Columbia's violent crime is significantly higher than Ames's — 58% difference.
Property Crime
Ames
15.06
Columbia
23.18
Columbia has a 35% higher property crime than Ames.
Political Leaning
Ames
44.0%
Columbia
44.1%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 0% difference.
Unemployment
Ames
6.4%
Columbia
3.9%
Ames has a 39% higher unemployment than Columbia.
Median Income
Ames
$60,102
Columbia
$64,488
Both cities have similar median income — just a 7% difference.
Home Values
Ames
$263,800
Columbia
$268,300
Both cities have similar home values — just a 2% difference.
Education
Ames
29.0%
Columbia
32.1%
Both cities have similar education — just a 10% difference.
Demographics
Ames
79.0%
Columbia
74.3%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 6% difference.
Cost of Living
Ames
104.8
Columbia
108.5
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 3% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Ames and Columbia share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Ames
0
Columbia
Ames leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Ames leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDAmes scores 75.1 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 98.6 in Columbia. Columbia scores 124.7 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 129.6 in Ames. Ames scores 95.9 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 99.3 in Columbia.
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 — Columbia leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColumbia has a median property tax of $2,478 vs $3,838 in Ames (55% lower). Columbia has a single-family homes of 58.8% compared to 46.6% in Ames. Columbia has a owner-occupied of 49.4% compared to 42.9% in Ames.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Columbia leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColumbia has a unemployment rate of 3.9% compared to 6.4% in Ames. Columbia: 69,265 vs Ames: 38,289 for labor force. Columbia has a poverty rate of 20.0% compared to 25.9% in Ames.
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 0.10 in Columbia. Ames has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.08 compared to 0.40 in Columbia. Ames has a property crime clearance of 22.0% compared to 12.6% in Columbia.
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 — Columbia leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauColumbia has a high school diploma or higher of 41.7% compared to 34.2% in Ames. Columbia has a bachelor's degree or higher of 32.1% 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 ACSColumbia has a population of 127,200, about 1.9x the size of Ames (66,112). Ames skews younger with a median age of 23.3 vs 29.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Ames
Columbia
Healthcare — Ames leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareAmes: 5 vs Columbia: 3 for with emergency services. Ames: 4.0 vs Columbia: 3.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Ames leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAmes has a public transit of 5.8% compared to 1.2% in Columbia. Ames has a bicycle of 1.6% compared to 1.0% in Columbia. Ames has a work from home of 11.3% compared to 9.6% in Columbia.
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.