Population
Ames
66,112
Lakewood
50,229
Median Income
Ames
$60,102
Lakewood
$65,925
Home Value
Ames
$263,800
Lakewood
$241,500
Rent
Ames
$1,040
Lakewood
$1,013
Crime Rate
Ames
1.48
Lakewood
1.42
Cost of Living
Ames
104.8
Lakewood
112.0
Avg Temp
Ames
N/A
Lakewood
N/A
Unemployment
Ames
6.4%
Lakewood
5.2%
How Similar Are Ames & Lakewood?
Lakewood is Ames's #15 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Ames
66,112
Lakewood
50,229
Ames has a 24% larger population than Lakewood.
Violent Crime
Ames
1.48
Lakewood
1.42
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 4% difference.
Property Crime
Ames
15.06
Lakewood
11.41
Ames has a 24% higher property crime than Lakewood.
Political Leaning
Ames
44.0%
Lakewood
33.9%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Ames has a stronger Democratic lean (23% difference).
Unemployment
Ames
6.4%
Lakewood
5.2%
Ames has a 19% higher unemployment than Lakewood.
Median Income
Ames
$60,102
Lakewood
$65,925
Both cities have similar median income — just a 9% difference.
Home Values
Ames
$263,800
Lakewood
$241,500
Both cities have similar home values — just a 8% difference.
Education
Ames
29.0%
Lakewood
41.0%
Lakewood has a 29% higher education than Ames.
Demographics
Ames
79.0%
Lakewood
85.4%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 7% difference.
Cost of Living
Ames
104.8
Lakewood
112.0
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 6% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Ames and Lakewood share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Ames
0
Lakewood
Cost of Living & Affordability — Ames leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDAmes scores 75.1 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 100.8 in Lakewood. Ames has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,153 vs $1,279 in Lakewood (10% lower). Ames scores 104.8 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 112.0 in Lakewood.
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 $5,188 in Lakewood (26% lower). Ames has a single-family homes of 46.6% compared to 40.9% in Lakewood. Ames has a median home value of $263,800 vs $241,500 in Lakewood (9% higher).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Lakewood leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLakewood has a poverty rate of 10.8% compared to 25.9% in Ames. Lakewood has a work from home of 19.0% compared to 11.3% in Ames. Lakewood has a per capita income of $49,172 vs $33,314 in Ames (32% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Lakewood leads
Source: FBI UCRLakewood has a violent crime clearance of 80.0% compared to 32.0% in Ames. Lakewood has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.10 compared to 1.73 in Ames. Ames has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.08 compared to 0.16 in Lakewood.
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 — Lakewood leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauLakewood has a high school diploma or higher of 55.0% compared to 34.2% in Ames. Lakewood has a bachelor's degree or higher of 41.0% 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 ACSAmes has a population of 66,112, about 1.3x the size of Lakewood (50,229). Ames skews younger with a median age of 23.3 vs 34.7.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Ames
Lakewood
Healthcare — Ames leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareAmes: 5 vs Lakewood: 4 for with emergency services. Ames: 4.0 vs Lakewood: 3.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAmes has a bicycle of 1.6% compared to 0.5% in Lakewood. Ames has a public transit of 5.8% compared to 2.3% in Lakewood. Lakewood has a work from home of 19.0% compared to 11.3% 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.