Ames, IA vs New Brighton, MN

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

New Brighton

75.6

#440 nationally

New Brighton leads in crime level (2.5 vs 4.1). New Brighton leads in median household income ($84,707 vs $57,428). Ames leads in average commute (15.8 min vs 20.9 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Ames, IA	New Brighton, MN
WhereAtHome Score	76.2 (#367)	75.6 (#440)
Population	65,686	22,228
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$306,337	$389,217
Median Household Income	$57,428	$84,707
Average Commute	15.8 min	20.9 min
Walk Score	42	35
Crime Level	4.1	2.5
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	100	112
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+10.4	D+43.3