Ames, IA vs Aurora, IL

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Ames

76.2

#367 nationally

Aurora

73.2

#764 nationally

Ames leads in average commute (15.8 min vs 28.6 min). Ames leads in crime level (4.1 vs 7.3). Aurora leads in median household income ($85,943 vs $57,428).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Ames, IA	Aurora, IL
WhereAtHome Score	76.2 (#367)	73.2 (#764)
Population	65,686	177,563
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$306,337	$326,890
Median Household Income	$57,428	$85,943
Average Commute	15.8 min	28.6 min
Walk Score	42	40
Crime Level	4.1	7.3
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	100	105
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+10.4	D+13.3