Ames, IA

Census Place

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2020 Population

66,361

0.512% 1-year growth

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2018 Median Age

23.3

0.866% 1-year increase

2020 Poverty Rate

26.6%

5.07% 1-year decrease

2020 Median Household Income

$50,783

5.57% 1-year growth

2020 Median Property Value

$213,500

3.69% 1-year growth

2020 Employed Population

35,154

0.168% 1-year growth

About

In 2020, Ames, IA had a population of 66.4k people with a median age of 23.3 and a median household income of $50,783. Between 2019 and 2020 the population of Ames, IA grew from 66,023 to 66,361, a 0.512% increase and its median household income grew from $48,105 to $50,783, a 5.57% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Ames, IA are White (Non-Hispanic) (78.1%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (11.4%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (3.36%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (3.01%), and White (Hispanic) (2.34%).

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.

89.9% of the residents in Ames, IA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Ames, IA are Iowa State University (9,104 degrees awarded in 2020) and PCI Academy-Ames (74 degrees).

In 2020, the median property value in Ames, IA was $213,500, and the homeownership rate was 41.2%.

Most people in Ames, IA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 16.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Ames, IA was 2 cars per household.

Population & Diversity

Ames, IA is home to a population of 66.4k people, from which 89.9% are citizens. As of 2020, 13.2% of Ames, IA residents were born outside of the country (8.76k people).

In 2020, there were 6.84 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (51.8k people) in Ames, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 7.58k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 2.23k Two+ (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

89.9%

2020 Citizenship

90%

2019 Citizenship

As of 2020, 89.9% of Ames, IA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.4%. In 2019, the percentage of US citizens in Ames, IA was 90%, 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)
51.8k ± 448
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
7.58k ± 325
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
2.23k ± 456

3.89%

Hispanic Population

2.58k people

3.89% of the people in Ames, IA are hispanic (2.58k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Ames, IA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
41,266 ± 4,955 people
India
10,872 ± 2,556 people
China
9,649 ± 2,408 people

In 2020, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Iowa was Mexico, the natal country of 41,266 Iowa residents, followed by India with 10,872 and China with 9,649.

Foreign-Born Population

13.2%

2020 Foreign-Born Population

8.76k people

12.8%

2019 Foreign-Born Population

8.42k people

As of 2020, 13.2% of Ames, IA residents (8.76k people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.5%. In 2019, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Ames, IA was 12.8%, 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

Gulf War (2001-)
904 ± 275
Vietnam
615 ± 130
Korea
149 ± 77

Ames, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.47 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Ames, IA employs 35.2k people. The largest industries in Ames, IA are Educational Services (10,197 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (3,648 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (3,357 people), and the highest paying industries are Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($150,694), Finance & Insurance ($68,636), and Public Administration ($62,217).

Males in Iowa have an average income that is 1.33 times higher than the average income of females, which is $48,102. The income inequality in Iowa (measured using the Gini index) is 0.438, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

35.2k

2020 Value

± 1,486

0.168%

1 Year growth

± 5.93%

From 2019 to 2020, employment in Ames, IA grew at a rate of 0.168%, from 35.1k employees to 35.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Ames, IA, are Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (5,530 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (3,184 people), and Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (3,113 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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

35.2k

2020 Value

± 1,486

0.168%

1 Year growth

± 5.93%

From 2019 to 2020, employment in Ames, IA grew at a rate of 0.168%, from 35.1k employees to 35.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Ames, IA, are Educational Services (10,197 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (3,648 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (3,357 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

$29,869

Median earning men ± $2,883

$20,564

Median earning women ± $2,246

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2020 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($71,420), Public Administration ($61,795), and Construction ($45,861).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2020 are Construction ($69,313), Public Administration ($62,604), and Wholesale Trade ($40,703).

Employment by Industry Sector

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

Y-Axis

8.45%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between May 2020 and May 2021

As of May 2021, there are 145M people employed in Iowa. This represents a 8.45% increase in employment when compared to May 2020.

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

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Domestic Trade

Domestic Production & Consumption

Domestic production and consumption consists of products and services shipped from Iowa to other states, or from other states to Iowa.

Top Domestic Production in Dollars

Machinery
$20.9B
Mixed freight
$19.9B
Meat/seafood
$18.8B

In 2020, the top outbound Iowa product (by dollars) was Machinery with $20.9B, followed by Mixed freight ($19.9B) and Meat/seafood ($18.8B).

The following chart shows the share of these products in relation to all outbound Iowa products.

Domestic Trade Growth

Showing data for Iowa.

$262B

2020 Value in Iowa

$518B

Projected 2050 Value in Iowa

97.9% growth

In 2020, total outbound Iowa trade was $262B. This is expected to increase 97.9% to $518B by 2050.

The following chart shows how the domestic outbound Iowa trade is projected to change in comparison to its neighboring states.

Interstate Trade

Interstate trade consists of products and services shipped from Iowa to other states, or from other states to Iowa.

Most Common Trade Partners

Illinois
$23.7B
Minnesota
$16.5B
Texas
$11.4B

In 2020, the top outbound Iowa domestic partner for goods and services (by dollars) was Illinois with $23.7B, followed by Minnesota with $16.5B and Texas and $11.4B.

The following map shows the amount of trade that Iowa shares with each state (excluding itself).

Civics

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.

Senators 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.

US Representatives Elections

US Representatives from Iowa

Iowa is currently represented by 4 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Iowa have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

In 2020, universities in Ames, IA awarded 9,178 degrees. The student population of Ames, IA in 2020 is skewed towards men, with 17,670 male students and 14,291 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Ames, IA are White (6,479 and 79.7%), followed by Unknown (513 and 6.31%), Hispanic or Latino (483 and 5.94%), and Asian (266 and 3.27%).

The largest universities in Ames, IA by number of degrees awarded are Iowa State University (9,104 and 99.2%) and PCI Academy-Ames (74 and 0.806%).

The most popular majors in Ames, IA are Mechanical Engineering (429 and 4.67%), General Marketing & Marketing Management (328 and 3.57%), and Information Technology (287 and 3.13%).

The median tuition cost in Ames, IA for a public four year colleges is $8,042 for in-state students and $23,230 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2020 in Ames, IA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 88.4%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 28.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2020 was 31,961 (55.3% men and 44.7% 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 2020 there were 31,961 students enrolled in Ames, IA, 55.3% men and 44.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 23,245 records, of which 45.4% were women and 54.6% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Mechanical Engineering
429 degree-majors awarded
General Marketing & Marketing Management
328 degree-majors awarded
General Finance
254 degree-majors awarded

In 2020, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Ames, IA was Mechanical Engineering with 429 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
9,104 degrees awarded
PCI Academy-Ames
74 degrees awarded

In 2020, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Iowa State University with 9,104 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2020, 4,867 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Ames, IA, which is 1.13 times more than the 4,311 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2020 the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 6,479 degrees mean that there were 12.6 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 513 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 ($8,042) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2020.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,274) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2020.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,041) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

Measure

In 2020, 0.541% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.593% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

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

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2020 were High School or Equivalent (734k), Some college (566k), and Bachelors Degree (451k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Ames, IA was $213,500 in 2020, which is 0.929 times smaller than the national average of $229,800. Between 2019 and 2020 the median property value increased from $205,900 to $213,500, a 3.69% increase. The homeownership rate in Ames, IA is 41.2%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 64.4%.

People in Ames, IA have an average commute time of 16.8 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.

Median household income in Ames, IA is $50,783. In 2020, the place with the highest median household income in Ames, IA was Census Tract 12 with a value of $121,833, followed by Census Tract 6 and Census Tract 2, with respective values of $73,062 and $71,213.

Housing

Property

$213,500

Median Property Value 2020

±$7,908

$10,365

Median Property Taxes

±$668

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

41.2%

Homeownership

2020

67.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2020

In 2020, 41.2% of the housing units in Ames, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 40.7%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 12
Census Tract 6
Census Tract 2

In 2020, the place with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Ames, IA was Census Tract 12 with a value of $121,833, followed by Census Tract 6 and Census Tract 2, with respective values of $73,062 and $71,213.

The following map shows all of the places in Ames, IA colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

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

$50,783

Median Household Income

± $2,543

25.2k

Number of Households

± 1,236

In 2020, the median household income of the 25.2k households in Ames, IA grew to $50,783 from the previous year's value of $48,105.

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 < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

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

0.438

2020 Wage GINI in Iowa

0.442

2019 Wage GINI in Iowa

In 2020, the income inequality in Iowa was 0.438 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.914% decline from 2019 to 2020, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Iowa was lower than than the national average of 0.478. 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 2018

Drove Alone (67.5%)
Walked (9.74%)
Public Transit (9.31%)

In 2018, 67.5% of workers in Ames, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who walked to work (9.74%) and those who used public transit to get to work (9.31%).

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

16.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Ames, IA have a shorter commute time (16.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.9 minutes). Additionally, 0.512% 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

26.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Ames, IA (14.8k out of 55.8k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.8%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 18 - 24, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

94% of the population of Ames, IA has health coverage, with 66.6% on employee plans, 6.09% on Medicaid, 7.72% on Medicare, 12.4% on non-group plans, and 1.16% on military or VA plans.

Per capita personal health care spending in Iowa was $8,200 in 2014. This is a 5.05% increase from the previous year ($7,806).

Primary care physicians in Story County, IA see 1464 patients per year on average, which represents a 0.88% decrease from the previous year (1477 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2066 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 456 patients per year.

COVID-19

Daily New Cases by Date

Showing data at the state level for Iowa. Hospitalization data for some states may be delayed or not reported.

Y-Axis

This chart shows the number of COVID-19 daily new cases by date in Iowa, as a 7-day rolling average, compared with the four states with the most similar number of confirmed cases.

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Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the country level. Showing data for Story County, IA.

1,464 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Story County, IA

Primary care physicians in Story County, IA see an average of 1,464 patients per year. This represents a 0.88% decrease from the previous year (1,477 patients).

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

Community Mobility

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

This chart presents movement trends over time in the state of Iowa across different categories of places such as retail and recreation, groceries and pharmacies, parks, transit stations, workplaces, and residential.

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Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2020, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 15.8% under 18 years, 52.6% between 18 and 34 years, 21.6% between 35 and 64 years, and 10% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 52.7% were men and 47.3% were women.

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

Uninsured People

6.04%

Uninsured

66.6%

Employer Coverage

6.09%

Medicaid

7.72%

Medicare

12.4%

Non-Group

1.16%

Military or VA

Between 2019 and 2020, the percent of uninsured citizens in Ames, IA grew by 16.1% from 5.2% to 6.04%.

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.