Population
Ames
66,112
Rochester
121,638
Median Income
Ames
$60,102
Rochester
$87,767
Home Value
Ames
$263,800
Rochester
$287,500
Rent
Ames
$1,040
Rochester
$1,316
Crime Rate
Ames
1.48
Rochester
1.54
Cost of Living
Ames
104.8
Rochester
126.4
Avg Temp
Ames
N/A
Rochester
N/A
Unemployment
Ames
6.4%
Rochester
3.8%
How Similar Are Ames & Rochester?
Rochester is Ames's #21 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Ames
66,112
Rochester
121,638
Rochester has a 46% larger population than Ames.
Violent Crime
Ames
1.48
Rochester
1.54
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 4% difference.
Property Crime
Ames
15.06
Rochester
13.68
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 9% difference.
Political Leaning
Ames
44.0%
Rochester
43.6%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 1% difference.
Unemployment
Ames
6.4%
Rochester
3.8%
Ames has a 40% higher unemployment than Rochester.
Median Income
Ames
$60,102
Rochester
$87,767
Rochester has a 32% higher median income than Ames.
Home Values
Ames
$263,800
Rochester
$287,500
Both cities have similar home values — just a 8% difference.
Education
Ames
29.0%
Rochester
34.0%
Rochester has a 15% higher education than Ames.
Demographics
Ames
79.0%
Rochester
74.3%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 6% difference.
Cost of Living
Ames
104.8
Rochester
126.4
Rochester has a 17% higher cost of living than Ames.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Ames and Rochester share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Ames
0
Rochester
Rochester 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 94.2 in Rochester. Ames scores 95.9 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 117.1 in Rochester. Ames has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,153 vs $1,407 in Rochester (18% 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 — Rochester leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSRochester has a vacancy rate of 5.5% compared to 8.2% in Ames. Rochester has a owner-occupied of 65.4% compared to 42.9% in Ames. Rochester has a single-family homes of 68.0% compared to 46.6% in Ames.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Rochester leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSRochester has a poverty rate of 9.1% compared to 25.9% in Ames. Rochester has a unemployment rate of 3.8% compared to 6.4% in Ames. Rochester: 67,801 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
Source: FBI UCRAmes has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.04 in Rochester. Ames has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.08 compared to 0.26 in Rochester. Rochester has a violent crime clearance of 76.2% compared to 32.0% in Ames.
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 — Rochester leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauRochester has a high school diploma or higher of 46.8% compared to 34.2% in Ames. Rochester has a bachelor's degree or higher of 34.0% 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 ACSRochester has a population of 121,638, about 1.8x the size of Ames (66,112). Ames skews younger with a median age of 23.3 vs 36.4.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Ames
Rochester
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareAmes: 5 vs Rochester: 4 for with emergency services. Rochester: 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 bicycle of 1.6% compared to 0.8% in Rochester. Ames has a public transit of 5.8% compared to 4.1% in Rochester. Rochester has a work from home of 12.9% 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.