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Ames, Iowa: crime rate and local statistics
FBI figures for 2025 show 1.0 violent crimes per 1,000 people in Ames, 56% lower than the rate across Iowa (2.3). Median household income is $60,991 and the median home value is $277,400. About 67,669 people live in Ames.
Last updated . Crime: FBI 2025. Income and housing: Census ACS 2020-2024. Road work: October 11, 2026.
Also on the map: income by neighborhood · home values · schools
What is the crime rate in Ames?
Ames's violent-crime rate for 2025 was 1.0 per 1,000 residents, based on 71 offenses reported to the FBI. For comparison, that is 56% lower than the Iowa rate (2.3) and 69% lower than the national rate (3.3). Its murder count for the year was 1. There were also 879 property crimes, a rate of 12.6 per 1,000. Compared with 2021, when 136 were reported, the count is down 48%.
| Offense (2025) | Ames count | Per 1,000 | Iowa per 1,000 | U.S. per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 71 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 3.3 |
| Murder | 1 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.04 |
| Rape | 39 | 0.56 | 0.36 | 0.36 |
| Robbery | 0 | 0.00 | 0.15 | 0.49 |
| Aggravated assault | 31 | 0.44 | 1.8 | 2.4 |
| Property crime | 879 | 12.6 | 11.7 | 15.3 |
| Burglary | 114 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.9 |
| Larceny-theft | 700 | 10.0 | 8.8 | 11.4 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 65 | 0.93 | 1.2 | 2.0 |
How has crime in Ames changed since 2021?
| Year | Violent crimes | Property crimes | Murders |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 136 | 910 | 4 |
| 2022 | 141 | 862 | 2 |
| 2023 | 116 | 932 | 0 |
| 2024 | 100 | 989 | 1 |
| 2025 | 71 | 879 | 1 |
Most crime never reaches the police, so these are reported crimes, a floor rather than the full count. In 2024 about half of violent crimes (48%) and about 3 in 10 property crimes (31%) were reported to police (U.S. Justice Department, National Crime Victimization Survey). Rates also depend on how completely each agency reports to the FBI. City figures are the Ames Police Department's own reports.
How does Ames compare with Iowa?
Ames's median household earns $60,991 a year, 19% lower than the state figure ($75,059). The median owner-occupied home is worth $277,400 by owners' estimates, and half of renters pay more than $1,023 a month. About 67,669 people live on 28 square miles of land, roughly 2,399 per square mile. The city lies in Story County.
| Census ACS 2020-2024 | Ames | Iowa | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 67,669 | 3,210,507 | 334,922,499 |
| Median household income | $60,991 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $277,400 | $208,000 | $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $1,023 | $972 | $1,413 |
| Unemployment rate (2020-2024 average) | 5.8% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
| People below the poverty line | 25.5% | 11.1% | 12.5% |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher | 65.8% | 31.4% | 35.7% |
| Homeowner households | 42.1% | 71.7% | 65.2% |
| Median age | 23.3 | 38.6 | 38.9 |
What environmental sites and hazards are in Ames?
Ames has 3 dams classed as high hazard in the National Inventory of Dams. None is rated Poor or Unsatisfactory; 3 are rated Satisfactory or Fair. The two tallest are Ames Basin #2 (13 ft) and Ames Basin #4 (12 ft). “High hazard” describes what lies downstream (people would probably die if the dam failed), not how likely the dam is to fail.
Story County carries a “Relatively Low” overall rating in FEMA's National Risk Index. Among the hazards we show, the highest-rated are tornadoes (Relatively High). The index compares counties with each other and also weighs how vulnerable and resilient a community is, so it is a long-run estimate, not a forecast.
Is there road construction in Ames?
Ames city limits had 15 highway work zones in the October 11, 2026 feed from the state DOT (5 active that day). Where crews are working: US-30, RAMP: US-69N TO US-30 and RAMP: US-30E TO SOUTH DAYTON AVENUE. The map's construction layer is refreshed every morning.
See today's work zones on the map →
How many schools, nursing homes and parks are in or near Ames?
Federal school lists place 8 public and 1 private schools within Ames. 3 Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes are in the city. Within about 15 miles: 2 state parks or recreation areas: Big Creek State Park and Ledges State Park.
Gun shops, liquor stores and Planned Parenthood in Ames
Gun shops
4 gun shops with a public storefront are on the map inside the Ames city limits, plus 1 more licensed dealer without a public storefront (not shown). One of them is a pawnshop licensed to sell guns. On the ATF list: Cycle Source Group (Ames), Dunham's Sports 9288 (Ames), Ezpawn (Ames) and Theisen's INC (Ames).
Liquor stores
5 liquor stores are on the map inside the Ames city limits: AJ's Liquor (Ames), Cyclone Liquors, Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits, Kwik Stop (Ames) and Neighborhood Liquor Mart (Ames). Iowa has no complete public liquor licence list we can use, so this count also draws on OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps and may miss some stores or include closed ones.
Planned Parenthood
There is no Planned Parenthood health center inside the Ames city limits on the map.
See them on the map: gun shops · liquor stores →
Sources: ATF licensee list (Sept 2026); state liquor licence lists, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (non-official; partial in some states); HHS Title X directory and CMS NPPES.
Common questions
What is the crime rate in Ames?
In 2025, Ames had 1.0 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (71 reported), 56% lower than the Iowa rate (2.3). The property-crime rate was 12.6 per 1,000 (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting).
What is the median household income in Ames?
$60,991 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024), compared with $75,059 for Iowa.
How much do homes cost in Ames?
The median value of owner-occupied homes is $277,400 (Census ACS 2020-2024), against $208,000 statewide.
What natural hazards affect Ames?
Story County carries a “Relatively Low” overall rating in FEMA's National Risk Index. Among the hazards we show, the highest-rated are tornadoes (Relatively High).
Nearby cities
Ankeny, IA (20 mi) · Des Moines, IA (31 mi) · West Des Moines, IA (34 mi) · Waterloo, IA (72 mi) · Cedar Rapids, IA (100 mi) · Iowa City, IA (111 mi)
More: Iowa statewide numbers · county page: Story County · Sex-offender registry search (NSOPW)
Where do these numbers come from?
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, agency counts 2021-2025 (Return A); state and national rates: FBI estimated crimes.
- Income, housing, education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B19013 (median household income) and related tables, for the Census place Ames city.
- Land area: Census 2024 Gazetteer. Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county scores (county level).
- Superfund: U.S. EPA, Superfund site boundaries and NPL status (October 2026). Dams: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Inventory of Dams (public map service, October 2026).
- Work zones: State departments of transportation, via the U.S. DOT Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and state 511 feeds; refreshed every morning (snapshot October 11, 2026).
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE public school locations 2024-25; budgets: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2024; National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE Private School geocodes (Private School Survey 2023-24). Nursing homes: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Nursing Home Provider Information and Penalties (September 2026).
- Parks: USGS Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 4.1); state park agencies' open data (CA, NY, PA, TN, TX, FL, NJ, KY, HI, UT, MT and others); OpenStreetMap contributors for some hours, phones, fees and camping; U.S. National Park Service: unit boundaries (Land Resources Division), Acreage Report (Sept 30, 2026), park pages on nps.gov (hours, fees), Visitor Use Statistics (2025).
Map the Block shows public statistics about places, not people, and does not rate or rank neighborhoods as places to live. Figures are as published by each source; check the source before relying on a number.
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