Ames, IA vs St. Charles, 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

St. Charles

73.3

#762 nationally

St. Charles leads in median household income ($110,346 vs $57,428). Ames leads in average commute (15.8 min vs 28.4 min). St. Charles leads in crime level (2.5 vs 4.1).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Ames, IA	St. Charles, IL
WhereAtHome Score	76.2 (#367)	73.3 (#762)
Population	65,686	32,654
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$306,337	$482,151
Median Household Income	$57,428	$110,346
Average Commute	15.8 min	28.4 min
Walk Score	42	37
Crime Level	4.1	2.5
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	100	118
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+10.4	D+9.4