Population
Ames
66,112
Lawrence
95,459
Median Income
Ames
$60,102
Lawrence
$62,838
Home Value
Ames
$263,800
Lawrence
$269,500
Rent
Ames
$1,040
Lawrence
$1,054
Crime Rate
Ames
1.48
Lawrence
4.71
Cost of Living
Ames
104.8
Lawrence
107.2
Avg Temp
Ames
N/A
Lawrence
N/A
Unemployment
Ames
6.4%
Lawrence
5.0%
How Similar Are Ames & Lawrence?
Lawrence is Ames's #25 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Ames
66,112
Lawrence
95,459
Lawrence has a 31% larger population than Ames.
Violent Crime
Ames
1.48
Lawrence
4.71
Lawrence's violent crime is significantly higher than Ames's — 69% difference.
Property Crime
Ames
15.06
Lawrence
21.57
Lawrence has a 30% higher property crime than Ames.
Political Leaning
Ames
44.0%
Lawrence
30.2%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Ames has a stronger Democratic lean (31% difference).
Unemployment
Ames
6.4%
Lawrence
5.0%
Ames has a 21% higher unemployment than Lawrence.
Median Income
Ames
$60,102
Lawrence
$62,838
Both cities have similar median income — just a 4% difference.
Home Values
Ames
$263,800
Lawrence
$269,500
Both cities have similar home values — just a 2% difference.
Education
Ames
29.0%
Lawrence
31.3%
Both cities have similar education — just a 8% difference.
Demographics
Ames
79.0%
Lawrence
76.5%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 3% difference.
Cost of Living
Ames
104.8
Lawrence
107.2
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Ames and Lawrence share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Ames
0
Lawrence
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 84.1 in Lawrence. Ames has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,153 vs $1,182 in Lawrence. Ames scores 104.8 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 107.2 in Lawrence.
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 — Lawrence leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLawrence has a vacancy rate of 7.0% compared to 8.2% in Ames. Lawrence has a single-family homes of 55.9% compared to 46.6% in Ames. Lawrence has a median property tax of $3,404 vs $3,838 in Ames (13% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Lawrence leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLawrence has a poverty rate of 17.6% compared to 25.9% in Ames. Lawrence: 57,339 vs Ames: 38,289 for labor force. Lawrence has a unemployment rate of 5.0% compared to 6.4% 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 0.05 in Lawrence. Ames has a property crime clearance of 22.0% compared to 12.0% in Lawrence. Ames has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.70 compared to 3.49 in Lawrence.
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 — Lawrence leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauLawrence has a high school diploma or higher of 41.1% compared to 34.2% in Ames. Lawrence has a bachelor's degree or higher of 31.3% 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 ACSLawrence has a population of 95,459, about 1.4x 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
Lawrence
Healthcare — Ames leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareAmes: 5 vs Lawrence: 4 for with emergency services. Ames: 4.0 vs Lawrence: 3.6 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 3.2% in Lawrence. Ames has a bicycle of 1.6% compared to 1.1% in Lawrence. Lawrence has a work from home of 14.1% 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.