PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Ames, IA

65.2
Life Score / 100
A
Grade (curved)
#14
of 387 metros
96%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Ames ranks #14 of 387 US metros, ahead of 96% - carried by its rent (91/100) and held back most by environment (3/100).

91
strongest: Rent
82
then: Cost of Living
3
weakest: Environment
7
weighted dimensions

Where Ames sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

65 Top 4% higher than 96% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Below this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Below this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Below this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Below this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Below this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). This entry sits in this band. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Ames Life Score

Ames's composite score of 65.2 out of 100, a grade of A, places the metro at rank #14 of 387, ahead of 96% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Rent (91/100) and Cost of Living (82/100), which pull the composite upward, while Environment (3/100) and Schools (44/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 88.8 (rent-RPP 69.2). BLS median salary $64,722, 48,070 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Cashiers, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,026/mo (studio $783).

FBI UCR (IA): 238 violent, 1286 property/100K. NCES: 14.8:1 ratio, 0.3% charter. DOL infant childcare $8,306/yr. EPA: 25 Superfund sites (IA). Ranks #11-#17 below.

Dimension detail

How Ames scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 82/100 (20%)
Wages 65/100 (20%)
Rent 91/100 (15%)
Safety 73/100 (15%)
Schools 44/100 (10%)
Childcare 66/100 (10%)
Environment 3/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

88.8
Cost Index (RPP)
$64,722
Avg Median Salary
$1,026
2BR Fair Market Rent
238
Violent Crime/100K (IA)
14.8:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$8,306
Infant Childcare/yr (IA)
25
Superfund Sites (IA)
48,070
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Ames With...

Ames vs Waterloo Compare → Ames vs Sioux City Compare → Ames vs Cedar Rapids Compare → Ames vs Wildwood Compare → Ames vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Ames outranks 96% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#11 Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH 65.7 A
#12 Youngstown-Warren, OH 65.8 A
#13 Rocky Mount, NC 65.8 A+
#14 Ames, IA 65.2 A
#15 Parkersburg-Vienna, WV 65.2 A
#16 Spartanburg, SC 64.4 A
#17 Cedar Rapids, IA 64.2 A

IA Metro Scores

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA A+ 71.5 Sioux City, IA-NE-SD A+ 66.7 Cedar Rapids, IA A 64.2 Dubuque, IA A 63.5 Iowa City, IA A 62.2 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL A 61.7

Using Ames's Life Score

Ames is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is rent (91/100) and its weakest is environment (3/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Ames head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Ames lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Ames's biggest strengths? ▼
Ames's strongest dimensions are Rent (91/100), Cost of Living (82/100), Safety (73/100). Rent is top-tier nationally.
What are Ames's weakest areas? ▼
Ames's lowest-scoring dimensions are Environment (3/100), Schools (44/100), Wages (65/100). Environment weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Ames compared to the national average? ▼
Ames's Regional Price Parity is 88.8 (11.2% less than national); rent RPP 69.2.
What is the average salary in Ames? ▼
Ames median salary: $64,722, 48,070 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Cashiers, Retail Salespersons.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Ames's 65.2/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.