Population
Ames
66,112
Eau Claire
69,274
Median Income
Ames
$60,102
Eau Claire
$65,369
Home Value
Ames
$263,800
Eau Claire
$228,000
Rent
Ames
$1,040
Eau Claire
$971
Crime Rate
Ames
1.48
Eau Claire
1.62
Cost of Living
Ames
104.8
Eau Claire
106.5
Avg Temp
Ames
N/A
Eau Claire
N/A
Unemployment
Ames
6.4%
Eau Claire
3.7%
How Similar Are Ames & Eau Claire?
Eau Claire is Ames's #17 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Ames
66,112
Eau Claire
69,274
Both cities have similar populations — Ames at 66,112 and Eau Claire at 69,274.
Violent Crime
Ames
1.48
Eau Claire
1.62
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 9% difference.
Property Crime
Ames
15.06
Eau Claire
19.06
Eau Claire has a 21% higher property crime than Ames.
Political Leaning
Ames
44.0%
Eau Claire
60.9%
Ames leans Democratic while Eau Claire leans Republican.
Unemployment
Ames
6.4%
Eau Claire
3.7%
Ames has a 42% higher unemployment than Eau Claire.
Median Income
Ames
$60,102
Eau Claire
$65,369
Both cities have similar median income — just a 8% difference.
Home Values
Ames
$263,800
Eau Claire
$228,000
Ames has a 14% higher home values than Eau Claire.
Education
Ames
29.0%
Eau Claire
21.8%
Ames has a 25% higher education than Eau Claire.
Demographics
Ames
79.0%
Eau Claire
86.9%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 9% difference.
Cost of Living
Ames
104.8
Eau Claire
106.5
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Ames and Eau Claire share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Ames
0
Eau Claire
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 99.9 in Eau Claire. Eau Claire scores 117.5 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 129.6 in Ames. Eau Claire has a fair market rent (1br) of $962 vs $1,026 in Ames (7% lower).
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 — Eau Claire leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSEau Claire has a vacancy rate of 4.6% compared to 8.2% in Ames. Eau Claire has a single-family homes of 63.1% compared to 46.6% in Ames. Eau Claire has a owner-occupied of 55.4% compared to 42.9% in Ames.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Eau Claire leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSEau Claire has a poverty rate of 14.2% compared to 25.9% in Ames. Eau Claire has a unemployment rate of 3.7% compared to 6.4% in Ames. Eau Claire has a government sector of 43.7% compared to 34.8% 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 0.03 in Eau Claire. Eau Claire has a violent crime clearance of 51.3% compared to 32.0% in Ames. Ames has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.73 compared to 2.53 in Eau Claire.
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
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauAmes has a bachelor's degree or higher of 29.0% compared to 21.8% in Eau Claire. Eau Claire has a high school diploma or higher of 37.9% compared to 34.2% 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 ACSEau Claire has a population of 69,274, about 1x the size of Ames (66,112). Ames skews younger with a median age of 23.3 vs 33.0.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Ames
Eau Claire
Healthcare — Ames leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareAmes: 5 vs Eau Claire: 4 for with emergency services.
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 1.0% in Eau Claire. Ames has a bicycle of 1.6% compared to 1.1% in Eau Claire. Eau Claire has a drive alone of 76.7% compared to 65.3% 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.