Population
Ames
66,112
Normal
52,908
Median Income
Ames
$60,102
Normal
$66,350
Home Value
Ames
$263,800
Normal
$199,900
Rent
Ames
$1,040
Normal
$974
Crime Rate
Ames
1.48
Normal
3.29
Cost of Living
Ames
104.8
Normal
107.9
Avg Temp
Ames
N/A
Normal
N/A
Unemployment
Ames
6.4%
Normal
4.2%
How Similar Are Ames & Normal?
Normal is Ames's #6 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Ames
66,112
Normal
52,908
Ames has a 20% larger population than Normal.
Violent Crime
Ames
1.48
Normal
3.29
Normal's violent crime is significantly higher than Ames's — 55% difference.
Property Crime
Ames
15.06
Normal
15.50
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 3% difference.
Political Leaning
Ames
44.0%
Normal
46.8%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 6% difference.
Unemployment
Ames
6.4%
Normal
4.2%
Ames has a 34% higher unemployment than Normal.
Median Income
Ames
$60,102
Normal
$66,350
Both cities have similar median income — just a 9% difference.
Home Values
Ames
$263,800
Normal
$199,900
Ames has a 24% higher home values than Normal.
Education
Ames
29.0%
Normal
26.4%
Both cities have similar education — just a 9% difference.
Demographics
Ames
79.0%
Normal
78.8%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 0% difference.
Cost of Living
Ames
104.8
Normal
107.9
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 3% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Ames and Normal share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Ames
0
Normal
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 101.4 in Normal. Ames has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,153 vs $1,302 in Normal (11% lower). Normal scores 119.7 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
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAmes has a median home value of $263,800 vs $199,900 in Normal (32% higher). Normal has a owner-occupied of 55.2% compared to 42.9% in Ames. Ames has a median property tax of $3,838 vs $4,729 in Normal (19% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Normal leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSNormal has a unemployment rate of 4.2% compared to 6.4% in Ames. Ames: 38,289 vs Normal: 28,028 for labor force. Normal has a poverty rate of 21.5% compared to 25.9% 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 0.04 in Normal. Ames has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.70 compared to 2.15 in Normal. Ames has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 1.48 compared to 3.29 in Normal.
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 26.4% in Normal. Normal has a high school diploma or higher of 36.3% 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 ACSAmes has a population of 66,112, about 1.2x the size of Normal (52,908). Ames skews younger with a median age of 23.3 vs 25.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Ames
Normal
Healthcare — Ames leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareAmes: 4.0 vs Normal: 2.0 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 public transit of 5.8% compared to 1.4% in Normal. Ames has a bicycle of 1.6% compared to 0.5% in Normal. Normal has a work from home of 12.4% 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.