Ames, IA vs Lake Forest, 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

Lake Forest

66.3

#1557 nationally

Lake Forest leads in crime level (0.6 vs 4.1). Lake Forest leads in median household income ($202,153 vs $57,428). Ames leads in walk score (42 vs 18).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Ames, IA	Lake Forest, IL
WhereAtHome Score	76.2 (#367)	66.3 (#1557)
Population	65,686	19,354
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$306,337	$1,246,873
Median Household Income	$57,428	$202,153
Average Commute	15.8 min	34.5 min
Walk Score	42	18
Crime Level	4.1	0.6
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	100	178
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+10.4	D+20.8