Population
Iowa City
75,264
Ames
66,112
Median Income
Iowa City
$57,533
Ames
$60,102
Home Value
Iowa City
$273,600
Ames
$263,800
Rent
Iowa City
$1,094
Ames
$1,040
Crime Rate
Iowa City
3.21
Ames
1.48
Cost of Living
Iowa City
107.8
Ames
104.8
Avg Temp
Iowa City
N/A
Ames
N/A
Unemployment
Iowa City
4.2%
Ames
6.4%
How Similar Are Iowa City & Ames?
Ames is Iowa City's #6 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Iowa City
75,264
Ames
66,112
Iowa City has a 12% larger population than Ames.
Violent Crime
Iowa City
3.21
Ames
1.48
Iowa City's violent crime is significantly higher than Ames's — 54% difference.
Property Crime
Iowa City
16.74
Ames
15.06
Iowa City has a 10% higher property crime than Ames.
Political Leaning
Iowa City
30.3%
Ames
44.0%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Ames has a stronger Democratic lean (31% difference).
Unemployment
Iowa City
4.2%
Ames
6.4%
Ames has a 34% higher unemployment than Iowa City.
Median Income
Iowa City
$57,533
Ames
$60,102
Both cities have similar median income — just a 4% difference.
Home Values
Iowa City
$273,600
Ames
$263,800
Both cities have similar home values — just a 4% difference.
Education
Iowa City
31.7%
Ames
29.0%
Both cities have similar education — just a 9% difference.
Demographics
Iowa City
75.1%
Ames
79.0%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 5% difference.
Cost of Living
Iowa City
107.8
Ames
104.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 3% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Iowa City and Ames share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Iowa City
0
Ames
Ames leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Ames leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDAmes scores 129.6 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 139.6 in Iowa City. Iowa City has a fair market rent (1br) of $961 vs $1,026 in Ames (6% lower). Ames scores 75.1 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 78.2 in Iowa City.
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 property tax of $3,838 vs $4,765 in Iowa City (24% lower). Ames has a vacancy rate of 8.2% compared to 9.1% in Iowa City. Iowa City has a owner-occupied of 46.3% compared to 42.9% in Ames.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Ames leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSIowa City has a unemployment rate of 4.2% compared to 6.4% in Ames. Iowa City: 45,100 vs Ames: 38,289 for labor force. Ames: 14 min vs Iowa City: 16 min for mean commute.
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 robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.08 compared to 0.50 in Iowa City. Ames has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.70 compared to 2.17 in Iowa City. Ames has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 1.48 compared to 3.21 in Iowa City.
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 — Iowa City leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauIowa City has a high school diploma or higher of 38.9% compared to 34.2% in Ames. Iowa City has a bachelor's degree or higher of 31.7% 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 ACSIowa City has a population of 75,264, about 1.1x the size of Ames (66,112). Ames skews younger with a median age of 23.3 vs 26.3.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Iowa City
Ames
Healthcare — Ames leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareAmes: 4.0 vs Iowa City: 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 ACSIowa City has a bicycle of 3.1% compared to 1.6% in Ames. Iowa City has a public transit of 6.7% compared to 5.8% in Ames. Ames has a drive alone of 65.3% compared to 56.0% in Iowa City.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Iowa City, IA
Compare Iowa City 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.