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IA515641

Ames

CBSA 11180 * Metropolitan * IA * 127.6K residents

Compare

127.6K

Population

$75.2K

Median income

per household

$261.6K

Home value

15.3%

Poverty rate

What stands out

  • Median household income: $75.2K.
  • Median home value: $261.6K.
  • Poverty rate: 15.3%.

Categories vs U.S.

Economy

1 of 6 metrics better than U.S. benchmarks

Median household income

$75.2K

U.S.

$81K

Median home value

$261.6K

U.S.

$333K

Poverty rate

15.3%

U.S.

12.4%

Housing stress

Rent-burdened renters (≥30%)

44.4%

U.S.

51.1%

Severely rent-burdened (≥50%)

23.4%

U.S.

25.9%

Affordability Ratios

Rent-to-Income

15.7%

Below 30% threshold

Home-Value-to-Income

3.5×

Within typical 3-5x range

Income distribution

Share of households by income bracket (ACS).

< $50k
34.4%
$50–100k
29.7%
$100–200k
26.6%
$200k+
9.3%

Health

4 of 6 available metrics better than U.S.

CDC PLACES 2025 estimates (derived from county-level data; some measures may be unavailable).

Obesity

33.4%

U.S.

33.2%

Diabetes

8.7%

U.S.

12.1%

Current smoking

11.8%

U.S.

12.8%

Map

CBSA 11180

Ames

Population

127.6K

Area

1.1K sq mi

Density

111.6/sq mi

Nearby CBSAs

Des Moines-West Des MoinesFort DodgeMarshalltown

Counties

Counties in this CBSA (2)

Boone County, IAStory County, IA
Data Sources & Notes

Data freshness

ACS 5-year
2020–2024
CDC PLACES
2025
BLS Labor
2025-12
Page updated
2026-02-23

Release schedule and upstream dates: Sources.

Data sources

U.S. Census (ACS 5-year)U.S. Census TIGER/LineCDC PLACESBureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

Derived statistics

  • ACS-based CBSA estimates are aggregated from ZCTA (ZIP) values for ZIPs in the CBSA; totals may differ from official CBSA ACS tables.
  • Health metrics (when shown) are derived from county-level CDC PLACES.
  • Median age, household size, and mean commute time (when shown) are estimated as population-weighted averages of ZIP values.
  • If a CBSA unemployment series is unavailable, unemployment is derived as a population-weighted average of member counties.
  • Population density is computed as population ÷ land area.

Data accuracy & methodology

CBSA pages use 2020–2024 ACS 5-year ZCTA (ZIP) estimates aggregated across ZIPs in the CBSA, plus other public datasets when available (see Sources). Aggregated ZIP-based totals can differ from official CBSA ACS tables. Health estimates are derived from county-level CDC PLACES data when available.