Population
Ames
66,112
Fargo
129,064
Median Income
Ames
$60,102
Fargo
$66,029
Home Value
Ames
$263,800
Fargo
$269,800
Rent
Ames
$1,040
Fargo
$916
Crime Rate
Ames
1.48
Fargo
4.98
Cost of Living
Ames
104.8
Fargo
107.9
Avg Temp
Ames
N/A
Fargo
N/A
Unemployment
Ames
6.4%
Fargo
3.9%
How Similar Are Ames & Fargo?
Fargo is Ames's #12 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Ames
66,112
Fargo
129,064
Fargo has a 49% larger population than Ames.
Violent Crime
Ames
1.48
Fargo
4.98
Fargo's violent crime is significantly higher than Ames's — 70% difference.
Property Crime
Ames
15.06
Fargo
36.97
Fargo's property crime is significantly higher than Ames's — 59% difference.
Political Leaning
Ames
44.0%
Fargo
53.3%
Ames leans Democratic while Fargo leans Republican.
Unemployment
Ames
6.4%
Fargo
3.9%
Ames has a 40% higher unemployment than Fargo.
Median Income
Ames
$60,102
Fargo
$66,029
Both cities have similar median income — just a 9% difference.
Home Values
Ames
$263,800
Fargo
$269,800
Both cities have similar home values — just a 2% difference.
Education
Ames
29.0%
Fargo
27.2%
Both cities have similar education — just a 6% difference.
Demographics
Ames
79.0%
Fargo
80.8%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 2% difference.
Cost of Living
Ames
104.8
Fargo
107.9
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 3% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Ames and Fargo share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Ames
0
Fargo
Ames leads in 3 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 100.9 in Fargo. Fargo has a fair market rent (1br) of $917 vs $1,026 in Ames (12% lower). Fargo scores 120.1 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 129.6 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 — Fargo leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSFargo has a median property tax of $3,351 vs $3,838 in Ames (15% lower). Fargo has a median rent of $916 vs $1,040 in Ames (14% lower). Fargo has a vacancy rate of 7.2% compared to 8.2% in Ames.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Fargo leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSFargo has a poverty rate of 12.8% compared to 25.9% in Ames. Fargo has a unemployment rate of 3.9% compared to 6.4% in Ames. Fargo: 79,516 vs Ames: 38,289 for labor force.
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 Fargo. Ames has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.08 compared to 0.77 in Fargo. Ames has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.70 compared to 3.14 in Fargo.
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 BureauFargo has a high school diploma or higher of 38.9% compared to 34.2% in Ames. Ames has a bachelor's degree or higher of 29.0% compared to 27.2% in Fargo.
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 ACSFargo has a population of 129,064, about 2x the size of Ames (66,112). Ames skews younger with a median age of 23.3 vs 32.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Ames
Fargo
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareAmes: 5 vs Fargo: 4 for with emergency services. Fargo: 4.5 vs Ames: 4.0 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 0.8% in Fargo. Ames has a bicycle of 1.6% compared to 0.3% in Fargo. Ames has a work from home of 11.3% compared to 8.1% in Fargo.
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.