Should I Move To
Roughly 66,265 people live in Ames, Iowa. Living here costs very affordable relative to the rest of the country, 17% below the national average. Median rent runs about $1,011/mo; the typical household pulls in $57,428. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 52/100 — a C-, putting it at #440 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, Ames sits at 83 — very affordable when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($1,011/mo against $57,428 median household income), housing eats roughly 21% of a typical paycheck — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Buying-side, the median home value is $247,500.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is cold-winter: roughly 84°F in summer, 17°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 37 inches. Walking covers most daily life if you live in a central neighborhood; a car is helpful for longer trips but not essential. AQI runs about 37 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Ames is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 74/100 — a B. Its standout dimension is affordability (93/100); the soft spot is climate (15/100).
For retirees, Ames is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 62/100 — a C+. Its standout dimension is affordability (93/100); the soft spot is climate (15/100).
For remote workers, Ames is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 68/100 — a B-. Its standout dimension is affordability (93/100); the soft spot is climate (15/100).
For young professionals, Ames isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 51/100 — a C-. Its standout dimension is affordability (93/100); the soft spot is climate (15/100).
Our overall score for Ames is 52/100 — a C-, sitting at #440 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Ames sits at 83 — very affordable, 17% below the national average. Median renter pays around $1,011 a month.
Ames runs cold-winter on the weather. Summer's near 84°F, winter's near 17°F; 37 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 82/100. Walking covers most daily life if you live in a central neighborhood; a car is helpful for longer trips but not essential.
Roughly 66,265 people live here, with 63% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 23.
Drop Ames into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Ames with other Iowa cities scored on UrbRank.
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