Ames, IA vs Mint Hill, 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

Mint Hill

68.7

#1295 nationally

Ames leads in walk score (42 vs 10). Ames leads in average commute (15.8 min vs 28.1 min). Mint Hill leads in median household income ($92,102 vs $57,428).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Ames, IA	Mint Hill, NC
WhereAtHome Score	76.2 (#367)	68.7 (#1295)
Population	65,686	27,815
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$306,337	$516,660
Median Household Income	$57,428	$92,102
Average Commute	15.8 min	28.1 min
Walk Score	42	10
Crime Level	4.1	2.7
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	100	111
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+10.4	D+32.9