Ames, IA vs Chapel Hill, NC

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

Chapel Hill

68.6

#1303 nationally

Chapel Hill leads in median household income ($85,940 vs $57,428). Ames leads in cost of living index (100 vs 133). Ames leads in average commute (15.8 min vs 19.6 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Ames, IA	Chapel Hill, NC
WhereAtHome Score	76.2 (#367)	68.6 (#1303)
Population	65,686	62,043
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$306,337	$636,021
Median Household Income	$57,428	$85,940
Average Commute	15.8 min	19.6 min
Walk Score	42	34
Crime Level	4.1	4.7
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	100	133
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+10.4	D+51.1