Ames, IA vs Crystal Lake, IL

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

Crystal Lake

74.8

#541 nationally

Ames leads in average commute (15.8 min vs 29.8 min). Crystal Lake leads in median household income ($103,018 vs $57,428). Crystal Lake leads in crime level (2.9 vs 4.1).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Ames, IA	Crystal Lake, IL
WhereAtHome Score	76.2 (#367)	74.8 (#541)
Population	65,686	40,861
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$306,337	$388,566
Median Household Income	$57,428	$103,018
Average Commute	15.8 min	29.8 min
Walk Score	42	30
Crime Level	4.1	2.9
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	100	108
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+10.4	R+5.3