Ames is a larger medium-sized city located in the state of Iowa. With a population of 66,950 people and 19 associated neighborhoods, Ames is the ninth largest community in Iowa.

Ames real estate is some of the most expensive in Iowa, although Ames house values don't compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.

And if you like science, one thing you'll find is that Ames has lots of scientists living in town - whether they be life scientists, physical scientists (like astronomers), or social scientists (like geographers!). So, if you're scientific-minded, you might like it here too.

Also of interest is that Ames has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 10.18% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Ames is also a major college town with a large number of people who are 18 years or older and attending college. As is often the case in college towns, the many students that live in Ames have a strong influence on the local culture and entertainment scene, which may seem dormant by comparison in the summer months when much of the student population is away. In the fall, the return of students has a reinvigorating effect on the community. Because colleges are lasting institutions, they have a stabilizing effect on the economy by providing direct local benefits such as jobs for faculty and staff and spending by students. Ames’s economy is one such example of this.

Not only is Ames a city with many college students, but it also retains many recent graduates who are looking to start new careers, shaping the character of the city into a place that is geared toward, and considered attractive to, many single, educated people. Many singles consider Ames a good place to live without being in a really big city, with opportunities for friendships and fun with others like themselves.

Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Ames spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 16.84 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the city are less than they would otherwise be.

Many people in Ames take advantage of public transportation to get around. In fact, for the size of the city, the number of people who use the bus to commute to work is quite high. This helps to fill a need among Ames citizens for affordable transportation.

If knowledge is power, Ames is a pretty powerful place. 62.77% of the adults in Ames have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Ames in 2022 was $31,050, which is lower middle income relative to Iowa, and middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $124,200 for a family of four. However, Ames contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Ames is a very ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Ames home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Ames residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Ames include German, Irish, English, Norwegian, and Swedish.

The most common language spoken in Ames is English. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese and Spanish.