Population
Lakewood
69,884
Ames
66,112
Median Income
Lakewood
$57,576
Ames
$60,102
Home Value
Lakewood
$618,400
Ames
$263,800
Rent
Lakewood
$1,647
Ames
$1,040
Crime Rate
Lakewood
1.51
Ames
1.48
Cost of Living
Lakewood
153.0
Ames
104.8
Avg Temp
Lakewood
N/A
Ames
N/A
Unemployment
Lakewood
6.8%
Ames
6.4%
How Similar Are Lakewood & Ames?
Ames is Lakewood's #4 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Lakewood
69,884
Ames
66,112
Both cities have similar populations — Lakewood at 69,884 and Ames at 66,112.
Violent Crime
Lakewood
1.51
Ames
1.48
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 2% difference.
Property Crime
Lakewood
5.85
Ames
15.06
Ames's property crime is significantly higher than Lakewood's — 61% difference.
Political Leaning
Lakewood
67.4%
Ames
44.0%
Lakewood leans Republican while Ames leans Democratic.
Unemployment
Lakewood
6.8%
Ames
6.4%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 6% difference.
Median Income
Lakewood
$57,576
Ames
$60,102
Both cities have similar median income — just a 4% difference.
Home Values
Lakewood
$618,400
Ames
$263,800
Lakewood's home values is significantly higher than Ames's — 57% difference.
Education
Lakewood
11.6%
Ames
29.0%
Ames's education is significantly higher than Lakewood's — 60% difference.
Demographics
Lakewood
85.3%
Ames
79.0%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 7% difference.
Cost of Living
Lakewood
153.0
Ames
104.8
Lakewood has a 32% higher cost of living than Ames.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Lakewood and Ames share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Lakewood
0
Ames
Ames leads in 6 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Ames leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDAmes has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,153 vs $2,328 in Lakewood (102% lower). Ames scores 129.6 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 259.4 in Lakewood. Ames has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,026 vs $1,889 in Lakewood (84% 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
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAmes has a median property tax of $3,838 vs $10,001 in Lakewood (161% lower). Lakewood has a median home value of $618,400 vs $263,800 in Ames (134% higher). Ames has a median rent of $1,040 vs $1,647 in Lakewood (58% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Ames leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAmes: 38,289 vs Lakewood: 19,688 for labor force. Ames has a per capita income of $33,314 vs $17,984 in Lakewood (46% higher). Lakewood has a work from home of 14.8% compared to 11.3% 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 robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.08 compared to 0.19 in Lakewood. Ames has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.70 compared to 1.15 in Lakewood. Lakewood has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 4.65 compared to 12.44 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 — Ames leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauAmes has a bachelor's degree or higher of 29.0% compared to 11.6% in Lakewood. Ames has a high school diploma or higher of 34.2% compared to 22.3% in Lakewood.
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 ACSLakewood has a population of 69,884, about 1.1x the size of Ames (66,112). Lakewood skews younger with a median age of 17.3 vs 23.3.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Lakewood
Ames
Healthcare — Ames leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareAmes: 4.0 vs Lakewood: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Ames: 5 vs Lakewood: 4 for with emergency services.
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 0.2% in Lakewood. Ames has a public transit of 5.8% compared to 2.2% in Lakewood. Lakewood has a work from home of 14.8% compared to 11.3% in Ames.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Lakewood, NJ
Compare Lakewood 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.