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Ames

A city of 67,669 people in Iowa
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Outdoors in Ames

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Map of Ames: conserved land, trails and the top places to walk
Conserved land6.6%1,196 of 18,162 acres
Trails37 mi1.3 mi per sq mi
Parks & preserves4218 conserved acres per 1,000 residents

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

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The town at a glance, and the guide to how things work

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About Ames

City in Iowa, US
1864Established
66,427Population
25.3 sq miArea
942 ftElevation

Ames () is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States, located approximately 30 miles (48 km) north of Des Moines in central Iowa. It is the home of Iowa State University (ISU). According to the 2020 census, Ames had a population of 66,427, making it the state's ninth-most populous city. Iowa State University was home to 30,177 students as of fall 2023, which make up approximately one half of the city's population. A United States Department of Energy national laboratory, Ames National Laboratory, is located on the ISU campus. Ames also hosts United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) sites: the largest federal animal disease center in the United States, the USDA Agricultural Research …

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From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Town numbers

ZIP code50010, 50011, 50012
Area code515
Living in Ames

Housing in Ames

$304K▲ 2.8% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Ames home is worth about $304,000, up 2.8% in a year, 27% above the Iowa typical home.

A strong seller's market

Buyer’sBalancedSeller’s
Days on market15
Sale-to-list99.1%
Sold in May61
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Ames

B−

Safety Grade B-

Ames reports less crime per resident than 50% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade.

Violent crime per 1,000
Ames 1
Iowa 2.4
U.S. 3.3
Property crime per 1,000
Ames 12.6
Iowa 12
U.S. 15.5
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Schools in Ames

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B

School Grade B

The public schools Ames’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 56% of Iowa’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.

#60Best public schoolsof 139 in IA
DistrictAmes Comm School DistrictSchools9

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within IA. Ratings are from neighbors.

Famous people from AmesWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Ames.Meet them →

Where Ames is

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Locator map of Ames
Wikimedia Commons · Map: Arkyan · CC BY-SA 3.0

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Nevada Ames Nevada
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Ames

Iowa · IA
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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01