IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Ames, IA
Ames is a mid-size city of 67,669 people in Story County, Iowa. It's part of the Ames, IA area. Summer highs average 84°F and winter highs 29°F, with about 30 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $277k and rent runs about $1k a month.
67,669people
$277kTypical home
$1,023/moRent
84° / 29°Summer / winter
30"Snow
233Sunny days
115Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Mid-size city of 67,669
- Part of a metro area
- About 2,399 people per sq mi
- 204 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- In the Ames, IA area
- Has its own stores and services
Money
- Typical home $277k (≈$1,749/mo)
- Median rent $1,023/mo
- Median household income $61k
- Property tax about 1.4% of value
- 6.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 84°F
- Winter highs around 29°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
- 233 sunny days a year (82 totally clear)
- 132 cloudy days a year
- 40 of 90 winter days are gray
- 115 days a year with rain or snow
- 30" of snow a year
- 12 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 36 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Very low violent crime (101 per 100k)
- Low property crime (1,254 per 100k)
People
- Median age 23
- 16% of households have kids
- 11% are 65 or older
- 66% have a college degree
- Mixed community
- 43% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 17 min
- 16% walk or take transit to work
- 34 mi to DSM airport
- 34 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 77 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 45% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1992
- 74% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 935 ft
- 826 mi to the ocean
- 223 mi to a big lake
- 29 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 17 mi to the nearest ski area
- 2 mi to the nearest campground
- 29 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 164 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 33 bars within 25 mi
- 64 coffee shops within 25 mi
- 1 music venue or club within 25 mi
- 26 museums within 25 mi
- 7 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 37 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 48% of Iowa districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 2 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 2 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- Vet in town
- 2 mi to the nearest dog park
- 7 congregations per 10k people
- College in town
Politics
- Story County: D+10 in 2024
- Iowa: R+13 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Moderate flood risk
- Very low drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Moderate heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk