Ames, IA

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2024 Population

127,134

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

29.9

0.333% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

15.5%

2.34% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$73,127

2.87% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$246,300

6.35% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

68,925

3.31% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Ames, IA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

95.5% of the residents in Ames, IA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Ames, IA are Iowa State University (7,793 degrees awarded in 2024) and PCI Academy-Ames (121 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Ames, IA was $246,300, and the homeownership rate was 60.9%.

Most people in Ames, IA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 18.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Ames, IA was 2 cars per household.

Ames, IA borders Boone, IA, Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Marshalltown, IA, and Newton, IA.

United States Iowa

Population & Diversity

Ames, IA is home to a population of 127k people, from which 95.5% are citizens. As of 2024, 7.09% of Ames, IA residents were born outside of the country (9.02k people).

In 2024, there were 15.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (106k people) in Ames, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 6.69k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 3.43k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

95.5%

2024 Citizenship

95.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 95.5% of Ames, IA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Ames, IA was 95.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Ames, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Ames, IA

White (Non-Hispanic)
106k ± 450
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
6.69k ± 491
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
3.43k ± 505

4.69%

Hispanic Population

5.97k people

4.69% of the people in Ames, IA are hispanic (5.97k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Ames, IA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for Iowa.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
44,333 ± 5,134 people
India
11,889 ± 2,672 people
Guatemala
8,189 ± 2,219 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Iowa was Mexico, the natal country of 44,333 Iowa residents, followed by India with 11,889 and Guatemala with 8,189.

Foreign-Born Population

7.09%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

9.02k people

6.75%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

8.45k people

As of 2024, 7.09% of Ames, IA residents (9.02k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Ames, IA was 6.75%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Ames, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,473 ± 208
Gulf War (2001-)
1,104 ± 291
Gulf War (1990s)
521 ± 121

Ames, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.33 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Ames, IA.

Health

96% of the population of Ames, IA has health coverage, with 62.7% on employee plans, 8.57% on Medicaid, 10.7% on Medicare, 12.9% on non-group plans, and 1.05% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Iowa see 1,385 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,385 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1411 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 466 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 52.2% were men and 47.8% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

1,385 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Iowa

Primary care physicians in Iowa see an average of 1,385 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,385 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Iowa in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.9% under 18 years, 35.2% between 18 and 34 years, 29.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 14.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 52.2% were men and 47.8% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

4.04%

Uninsured

62.7%

Employer Coverage

8.57%

Medicaid

10.7%

Medicare

12.9%

Non-Group

1.05%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Ames, IA declined by 7.39% from 4.36% to 4.04%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Ames, IA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Economy

The economy of Ames, IA employs 68.9k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Ames, IA were Educational Services (14,727 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (8,582 people), and Retail Trade (7,933 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($75,188), Public Administration ($72,814), and Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($62,292).

Employment

Occupations

68.9k

2024 Value

± 1,898

3.31%

1 Year growth

± 3.76%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Ames, IA grew at a rate of 3.31%, from 66.7k employees to 68.9k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Ames, IA, are Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (7,889 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (6,923 people), and Management Occupations (6,289 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Ames, IA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Iowa (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

68.9k

2024 Value

± 1,898

3.31%

1 Year growth

± 3.76%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Ames, IA grew at a rate of 3.31%, from 66.7k employees to 68.9k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Ames, IA, are Educational Services (14,727 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (8,582 people), and Retail Trade (7,933 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Ames, IA, though some of these residents may live in Ames, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$48,003

Median earning men ± $2,084

$34,003

Median earning women ± $1,752

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($75,820), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($62,126), and Manufacturing ($60,660).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Construction ($70,625), Public Administration ($67,500), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($49,208).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

Y-Axis

1.48%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.57M people employed in Iowa. This represents a 1.48% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Iowa.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

192
Other Services (except Public Administration)
182
Construction
178
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$413k
Manufacturing
$402k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$185k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Iowa went to Donald J. Trump with 55.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.789%).

Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are the senators currently representing the state of Iowa. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Iowa is currently represented by 4 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Ames, IA. Showing the available data for Iowa.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (55.7%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (42.5%)
Democratic Party
Robert Kennedy (0.789%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Iowa went to Donald J. Trump with 55.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.789%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Iowa for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Iowa

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

Chuck Grassley

Senator from Iowa

Assumed office on January 3, 1981

Joni Ernst

Senator from Iowa

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are the senators currently representing Iowa.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Iowa over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2024, universities in Ames, IA awarded 7,914 degrees. The student population of Ames, IA in 2024 is skewed towards men, with 16,530 male students and 14,026 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Ames, IA are White (5,656 and 77.6%), Unknown (582 and 7.98%), Two or More Races (327 and 4.48%), and Asian (301 and 4.13%).

The largest universities in Ames, IA by number of degrees awarded are Iowa State University (7,793 and 98.5%) and PCI Academy-Ames (121 and 1.53%).

The most popular majors in Ames, IA are Mechanical Engineering (369 and 4.66%), General Marketing & Marketing Management (270 and 3.41%), and Information Technology (249 and 3.15%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $9,252 for in-state students and $27,346 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Ames, IA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 88.7%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 28.8%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 30,556 (54.1% men and 45.9% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 30,556 students enrolled in Ames, IA, 54.1% men and 45.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 21,254 records, of which 46.5% were women and 53.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Mechanical Engineering
369 degrees awarded
General Marketing & Marketing Management
270 degrees awarded
Kinesiology & Exercise Science
235 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Ames, IA was Mechanical Engineering with 369 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Ames, IA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Iowa State University
7,793 degrees awarded
PCI Academy-Ames
121 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Iowa State University with 7,793 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 4,081 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Ames, IA, which is 1.06 times more than the 3,833 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 5,656 degrees mean that there were 9.72 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 582 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($9,252) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,535) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,091) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Ames, IA was $246,300 in 2024, which is 0.74 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $231,600 to $246,300, a 6.35% increase. The homeownership rate in Ames, IA is 60.9%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Ames, IA have an average commute time of 18.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Ames, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$246,300

Median Property Value 2024

±$5,617

$30,348

Median Property Taxes

±$1,066

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Ames, IA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Ames, IA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

60.9%

Homeownership

2024

64.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 60.9% of the housing units in Ames, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 61.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Ames, IA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$73,127

Median Household Income

± $2,402

49.8k

Number of Households

± 1,561

In 2024, the median household income of the 49.8k households in Ames, IA grew to $73,127 from the previous year's value of $71,090.

The following chart displays the households in Ames, IA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Ames, IA is from Iowa.

0.435

2024 Wage GINI in Iowa

0.441

2023 Wage GINI in Iowa

In 2024, the income inequality in Iowa was 0.435 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1.29% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Iowa was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Iowa in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Iowa across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (70.6%)
Worked At Home (11.4%)
Carpooled (7%)

In 2024, 70.6% of workers in Ames, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (11.4%) and those who carpooled to work (7%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

18.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Ames, IA have a shorter commute time (18.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.24% of the workforce in Ames, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Ames, IA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Ames, IA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Ames, IA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

15.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Ames, IA (17.6k out of 114k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 18 - 24, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Males 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Ames, IA is White, followed by Asian and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.