Population
San Luis Obispo
48,039
Ames
66,112
Median Income
San Luis Obispo
$66,711
Ames
$60,102
Home Value
San Luis Obispo
$896,500
Ames
$263,800
Rent
San Luis Obispo
$1,906
Ames
$1,040
Crime Rate
San Luis Obispo
4.24
Ames
1.48
Cost of Living
San Luis Obispo
174.0
Ames
104.8
Avg Temp
San Luis Obispo
N/A
Ames
N/A
Unemployment
San Luis Obispo
6.7%
Ames
6.4%
How Similar Are San Luis Obispo & Ames?
Ames is San Luis Obispo's #20 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
San Luis Obispo
48,039
Ames
66,112
Ames has a 27% larger population than San Luis Obispo.
Violent Crime
San Luis Obispo
4.24
Ames
1.48
San Luis Obispo's violent crime is significantly higher than Ames's — 65% difference.
Property Crime
San Luis Obispo
26.69
Ames
15.06
San Luis Obispo has a 44% higher property crime than Ames.
Political Leaning
San Luis Obispo
43.1%
Ames
44.0%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 2% difference.
Unemployment
San Luis Obispo
6.7%
Ames
6.4%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 4% difference.
Median Income
San Luis Obispo
$66,711
Ames
$60,102
Both cities have similar median income — just a 10% difference.
Home Values
San Luis Obispo
$896,500
Ames
$263,800
San Luis Obispo's home values is significantly higher than Ames's — 71% difference.
Education
San Luis Obispo
28.4%
Ames
29.0%
Both cities have similar education — just a 2% difference.
Demographics
San Luis Obispo
75.9%
Ames
79.0%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 4% difference.
Cost of Living
San Luis Obispo
174.0
Ames
104.8
San Luis Obispo has a 40% higher cost of living than Ames.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. San Luis Obispo and Ames share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
San Luis Obispo
0
Ames
Ames leads in 4 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 297.5 in San Luis Obispo. Ames has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,153 vs $2,512 in San Luis Obispo (118% lower). Ames has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,026 vs $1,914 in San Luis Obispo (87% 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 — Ames leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSan Luis Obispo has a median home value of $896,500 vs $263,800 in Ames (240% higher). Ames has a median rent of $1,040 vs $1,906 in San Luis Obispo (83% lower). Ames has a median property tax of $3,838 vs $5,528 in San Luis Obispo (44% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — San Luis Obispo leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSan Luis Obispo has a work from home of 15.9% compared to 11.3% in Ames. San Luis Obispo has a per capita income of $45,462 vs $33,314 in Ames (36% higher). Ames: 38,289 vs San Luis Obispo: 27,661 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 — Ames leads
Source: FBI UCRAmes has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.08 compared to 0.82 in San Luis Obispo. Ames has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.70 compared to 2.82 in San Luis Obispo. Ames has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 1.48 compared to 4.24 in San Luis Obispo.
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 BureauSan Luis Obispo has a high school diploma or higher of 35.0% compared to 34.2% in Ames. Ames has a bachelor's degree or higher of 29.0% compared to 28.4% in San Luis Obispo.
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 1.4x the size of San Luis Obispo (48,039). Ames skews younger with a median age of 23.3 vs 26.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
San Luis Obispo
Ames
Healthcare — Ames leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareAmes: 4.0 vs San Luis Obispo: 2.6 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 ACSSan Luis Obispo has a bicycle of 4.5% compared to 1.6% in Ames. Ames has a public transit of 5.8% compared to 1.4% in San Luis Obispo. San Luis Obispo has a work from home of 15.9% compared to 11.3% in Ames.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to San Luis Obispo, CA
Compare San Luis Obispo 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.