Des Moines vs Ames
Des Moines, IA compared with Ames, IA · 31 miles apart
Des Moines has 212,086 residents to Ames’s 68,220. Des Moines comes out ahead on median household income, homeownership, poverty rate. Ames does better on median rent, average commute, bachelor's degree +.
| Des Moines, IA | Ames, IA | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 212,086 | 68,220 |
| Density (per sq mi) | 2,406 | 2,419 |
| Median household income | $65,932 | $60,991 |
| Median home value | $194,700 | $277,400 |
| Median rent | $1,090 | $1,023 |
| Homeownership | 60.5% | 42.1% |
| Average commute | 19.5 min | 15.6 min |
| Median age | 34.6 | 23.3 |
| Bachelor's degree + | 29.7% | 65.8% |
| Poverty rate | 15% | 25.5% |
| Unemployment | 5.6% | 5.8% |
| Price to income | 3× | 4.5× |
Highlighted where one city is clearly better on that measure. Population, density, home value and median age carry no highlight — a higher number there is good or bad depending on what you want.
Full profiles
- Des Moines, IAClimate, crime, housing
- Ames, IAClimate, crime, housing