Ames, IA vs Rolling Meadows, 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

Rolling Meadows

77.3

#260 nationally

Ames leads in average commute (15.8 min vs 26.6 min). Rolling Meadows leads in median household income ($91,287 vs $57,428). Rolling Meadows leads in crime level (2.7 vs 4.1).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Ames, IA	Rolling Meadows, IL
WhereAtHome Score	76.2 (#367)	77.3 (#260)
Population	65,686	23,329
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$306,337	$342,521
Median Household Income	$57,428	$91,287
Average Commute	15.8 min	26.6 min
Walk Score	42	42
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+42.0