Population
Ames
66,112
East Lansing
45,394
Median Income
Ames
$60,102
East Lansing
$43,547
Home Value
Ames
$263,800
East Lansing
$251,600
Rent
Ames
$1,040
East Lansing
$1,122
Crime Rate
Ames
1.48
East Lansing
2.20
Cost of Living
Ames
104.8
East Lansing
100.1
Avg Temp
Ames
N/A
East Lansing
N/A
Unemployment
Ames
6.4%
East Lansing
6.9%
How Similar Are Ames & East Lansing?
East Lansing is Ames's #19 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Ames
66,112
East Lansing
45,394
Ames has a 31% larger population than East Lansing.
Violent Crime
Ames
1.48
East Lansing
2.20
East Lansing has a 33% higher violent crime than Ames.
Property Crime
Ames
15.06
East Lansing
12.20
Ames has a 19% higher property crime than East Lansing.
Political Leaning
Ames
44.0%
East Lansing
53.5%
Ames leans Democratic while East Lansing leans Republican.
Unemployment
Ames
6.4%
East Lansing
6.9%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 7% difference.
Median Income
Ames
$60,102
East Lansing
$43,547
Ames has a 28% higher median income than East Lansing.
Home Values
Ames
$263,800
East Lansing
$251,600
Both cities have similar home values — just a 5% difference.
Education
Ames
29.0%
East Lansing
21.5%
Ames has a 26% higher education than East Lansing.
Demographics
Ames
79.0%
East Lansing
73.8%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 7% difference.
Cost of Living
Ames
104.8
East Lansing
100.1
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Ames and East Lansing share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Ames
0
East Lansing
Ames leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — East Lansing leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDEast Lansing scores 63.4 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 75.1 in Ames. East Lansing scores 83.3 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 95.9 in Ames. East Lansing scores 86.6 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 ACSAmes has a median property tax of $3,838 vs $5,540 in East Lansing (31% lower). Ames has a vacancy rate of 8.2% compared to 11.3% in East Lansing. Ames has a single-family homes of 46.6% compared to 42.2% in East Lansing.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Ames leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAmes: 38,289 vs East Lansing: 23,173 for labor force. East Lansing has a work from home of 18.9% compared to 11.3% in Ames. Ames has a median household income of $60,102 vs $43,547 in East Lansing (38% higher).
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 property crime clearance of 22.0% compared to 3.2% in East Lansing. East Lansing has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.63 compared to 1.73 in Ames. Ames has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.04 in East Lansing.
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 — Ames leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauAmes has a bachelor's degree or higher of 29.0% compared to 21.5% in East Lansing. Ames has a high school diploma or higher of 34.2% compared to 25.4% in East Lansing.
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 ACSAmes has a population of 66,112, about 1.5x the size of East Lansing (45,394). East Lansing skews younger with a median age of 21.3 vs 23.3.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Ames
East Lansing
Healthcare — Ames leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareAmes: 4.0 vs East Lansing: 2.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Ames: 5 vs East Lansing: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — East Lansing leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSEast Lansing has a bicycle of 3.8% compared to 1.6% in Ames. East Lansing has a work from home of 18.9% compared to 11.3% in Ames. Ames has a drive alone of 65.3% compared to 47.4% in East Lansing.
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.