Ames, IA vs Wilmington, 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

Wilmington

67.8

#1388 nationally

Ames leads in average commute (15.8 min vs 21.2 min). Ames leads in walk score (42 vs 32). Ames leads in median household income ($57,428 vs $54,891).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Ames, IA	Wilmington, NC
WhereAtHome Score	76.2 (#367)	67.8 (#1388)
Population	65,686	119,238
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$306,337	$421,733
Median Household Income	$57,428	$54,891
Average Commute	15.8 min	21.2 min
Walk Score	42	32
Crime Level	4.1	Moderate
School Rating	N/A	6.2
Cost of Living Index	100	101
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+10.4	D+0.6