Ames, IA vs Royal Oak, MI

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

Royal Oak

79.7

#111 nationally

Royal Oak leads in median household income ($92,799 vs $57,428). Ames leads in average commute (15.8 min vs 24.7 min). Royal Oak leads in walk score (57 vs 42).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Ames, IA	Royal Oak, MI
WhereAtHome Score	76.2 (#367)	79.7 (#111)
Population	65,686	57,452
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$306,337	$337,493
Median Household Income	$57,428	$92,799
Average Commute	15.8 min	24.7 min
Walk Score	42	57
Crime Level	4.1	3.4
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	100	106
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+10.4	D+10.6