Population

68,220

US Census estimate, July 2025

Median home value

$277,400

Owner-occupied units

Ames, IA

Iowa · 42.026° N, 93.621° W · 28 sq mi

Ames is a city in Iowa, with a population of 68,220 and about 2,419 residents per square mile. The median household earns $60,991 a year, and the median home is worth $277,400.

Conditions

Humidity & wind

—

UV index

—

Sunrise & sunset

—

Local time

—

Size & density

Land area

28 sq mi

Water excluded

Population density

2,419

People per square mile

Rank by population

#611

Of cities on this site

Rank by area

#492

Of cities on this site

Money & housing

Median household income

$60,991

US median ≈ $78,538

Median gross rent

$1,023

Per month

Homeownership

42.1%

US ≈ 65%

Average commute

15.6 min

One way

People

Median age

23.3

US median 39.1

Bachelor's degree +

65.8%

Age 25 and over

Foreign born

11.6%

Households

25,785

2.14 people each

What people here do for work

Education & health care 39.4^%

Arts, food & hospitality 12.6^%

Retail trade 12.3^%

Professional & business services 7.7^%

Top four industries · share of all workers · ACS 2024

Wealthiest person in Iowa

Name

Harry Stine

Forbes, Apr 2025

Net worth

$10.2B

As of 25 Apr 2025 — not live

Lives in

Adel

Source of wealth

Agriculture

Compiled from public reporting, not from an official dataset, and not independently verified.

Largest employer in Iowa · private sector

Employer

University of Iowa

Sector

Education & health

Compiled from public reporting, not from an official dataset, and not independently verified. Government employers are excluded.

Largest public company in Iowa

Company

Principal Financial Group

Revenue

$16.1B

Fiscal year 2024

Headquarters

Des Moines

Ticker

PFG

Compiled from public reporting, not from an official dataset, and not independently verified.

Forgotten Flicks movie T-shirts on TeePublic

State of Iowa

State bird

Eastern Goldfinch

State flower

Wild Prairie Rose

State capital

Des Moines

Nickname

The Hawkeye State

Compare Ames with

Ames vs HaverhillSide by side
Ames vs PflugervilleSide by side
Ames vs AnkenySide by side
Ames vs Des MoinesSide by side
Ames vs Cedar RapidsSide by side

Cities near Ames

Ankeny, IA20 mi · 77,833
Des Moines, IA31 mi · 212,086
West Des Moines, IA34 mi · 74,224
Waterloo, IA72 mi · 66,919
Cedar Rapids, IA100 mi · 137,935
Iowa City, IA111 mi · 76,229
Council Bluffs, IA128 mi · 62,680
Bellevue, NE134 mi · 64,863