Ames, Iowa Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Ames, IA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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A
Health Above average
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D
Income Well below average
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Ames | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 60,448 | 3,204,793 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 2117.3 | 57.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.62% | 0.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 23.4 | 36.8 | 37.3 |
| Households | 22,114 | 1,308,457 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Ames grew by 32.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 60,448 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Ames is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 56.5% of residents. That is 34.2 points above Iowa as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 34,132 56.5% +34.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 8,364 13.8% -6.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 6,271 10.4% -8.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,195 8.6% -9.1 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Iowa, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 46.1% of the people living in Ames and men 53.9%.
- Women 46.1% Iowa 50.0%
- Men 53.9% Iowa 50.0%
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Economy
Ames has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Ames | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $59,440 | $75,133 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.36% | 3.99% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.2% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Ames is about 21% lower than in Iowa.
Housing
| Metric | Ames | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $116,304 | $153,425 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $989 | $971 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 41.6% | 71.7% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Ames is about 9.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $989 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Ames spend about 26 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 107 hours, about 4.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Ames | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 12.9 | 17.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 25.7 | 33.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 107 | 141 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,320 | $4,382 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.6% | 11.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,476 | 4,993 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,871 | 606 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Ames is 13 minutes, shorter than the 17 minutes in Iowa.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Ames has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Ames | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 33.8% | 27.9% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.18 | 2.37 | 2.53 |
Health
Ames has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Ames | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 82.0 | 79.2 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 10.4% | 13.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 13.2% | 17.6% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Ames, Iowa.
How many people live in Ames, Iowa?
About 60,448 people live in Ames, Iowa, in 22,114 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 23.4, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 14 years.
Is Ames, Iowa mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Ames, Iowa has 2,117 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 24 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Ames, Iowa an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.0 times the median household income ($116,304 against $59,440), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $989 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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