Ames, Iowa: commercial real estate data.
Ames is a Census city of 67,669 people across 28.20 square miles of land, in Story County. Median household income is $60,991, 42.1 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 44 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $13.8 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Ames
What Ames is
- Census place typecity
- Land area28.2 sq mi
- Water area0.35 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land2,399
- County holding the largest share of its areaStory County, 100.0 percent
US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Ames
How many people live in Ames
- Population67,669
- Median age23.3
- Population under 187,547
- Share under 1811.2 percent
- Population 65 and over7,494
- Share 65 and over11.1 percent
- Households25,785
- Family households9,808
- Share of households that are families38.0 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Ames
Income and work in Ames
- Median household income$60,991
- Per capita income$34,343
- Civilian labor force40,498
- Employed38,134
- Unemployed2,364 plus or minus 618
- Unemployment rate5.8 percent plus or minus 1.5
- Adults 25 and over30,619
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher97.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher65.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree31.8 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Ames
Housing in Ames
- Housing units28,041
- Occupied units25,785
- Vacant units2,256
- Vacancy rate8.0 percent
- Owner occupied10,851
- Renter occupied14,934
- Ownership rate42.1 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$277,400
- Median gross rent, monthly$1,023
- Annual rent as a share of median income20.1 percent
- Single family units12,541
- Share single family44.7 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more14,650
- Share in buildings of two or more52.2 percent
- Mobile homes844 plus or minus 203
- Median year structure built1992
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Ames
How Ames gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute32,592
- Commuting under 15 minutes18,680
- Share commuting under 15 minutes57.3 percent
- Commuting 30 minutes or more4,597
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more14.1 percent
- Drove alone62.5 percent
- Carpooled7.3 percent
- Public transport5.5 percent plus or minus 1.1
- Walked10.2 percent
- Worked from home12.1 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Ames
SBA loans in Ames (7(a))
- Approvals44
- Gross approval$13,816,800
- Average approval$314,018
- Median approval$150,000
- Ninetieth percentile approval$605,830
- Largest approval$4,400,000
- Jobs supported360
- Jobs per approval8.2
- Loans with a final outcome10
- Paid in full8
- Charged off2
- Median term120 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more6.8 percent
- Share to franchises9.1 percent
- Distinct lenders19
- Distinct industries by NAICS29
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Ames, in any county, FY2020 to FY2026. Only 10 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ames
SBA loans in Ames (504)
- Approvals10
- Gross approval$6,980,000
- Average approval$698,000
- Median approval$576,500
- Largest approval$1,312,000
- Jobs supported144
- Loans with a final outcome2
- Charged off0
- Median term240 months
- Distinct CDCs3
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Ames, in any county, FY2010 to FY2026. Only 2 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ames
Flood risk in Ames
- NFIP communityCity of Ames
- NFIP community number190254
- Participating in the NFIPYes
- Community Rating System classNone
- Currently effective map date01/15/21
The City of Ames participates in the National Flood Insurance Program as community 190254 and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies to it.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Story County, not Ames
Story County context, not Ames figures
- Establishments in Story County2,162
- Covered employment, Story County47,549
- Average annual pay, Story County$62,615
- Housing units permitted, Story County198
Every figure in this section is published for Story County as a whole and is not a measurement of Ames.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages. US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Parcel detail, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Common questions
Ames questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Ames, Iowa?
67,669, in 25,785 households. Ames city covers 28.20 square miles of land, which is 2,399 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is Ames in?
Story County, which holds 100.0 percent of the place by area. Source: US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage.
What is the median household income in Ames?
$60,991. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $277,400. Median gross rent is $1,023 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to Ames businesses?
44 7(a) approvals totaling $13.8 m since FY2020, across 19 lenders, median approval $150,000, plus 10 504 approvals worth $7.0 m since FY2010. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in Ames, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to Ames borrowers get paid back?
No rate is published for Ames. Only 10 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published. The counts are shown instead.
Is Ames in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. Ames appears in the FEMA Community Status Book as Ames, city of, community 190254, with no Community Rating System class, so no CRS discount applies. Whether a specific parcel sits in a mapped special flood hazard area is an address level question the platform answers.
Are the county figures on this page Ames figures?
No, and they are labeled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Story County as a whole and there is no place level equivalent. They appear in one clearly marked section as context and are never presented as measurements of Ames.
Is zoning published for Ames?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.
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