Ames, IA vs Rochester, NY

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

Rochester

71.9

#953 nationally

Rochester leads in walk score (59 vs 42). Ames leads in median household income ($57,428 vs $42,124). Ames leads in average commute (15.8 min vs 21.2 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Ames, IA	Rochester, NY
WhereAtHome Score	76.2 (#367)	71.9 (#953)
Population	65,686	211,328
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$306,337	$249,152
Median Household Income	$57,428	$42,124
Average Commute	15.8 min	21.2 min
Walk Score	42	59
Crime Level	4.1	High
School Rating	N/A	4.2
Cost of Living Index	100	88
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+10.4	D+19.1