PlainZIP

Ames, IA

Single-footprint Census roll-up for Ames, IA: 4 USPS ZIPs, population 62,905. Open the primary ZIP for household income, housing tenure, and commute from ACS 2023 5-Year Estimates.

U.S. Census Bureau, SimpleMaps US ZIP Code Database, delivery-area ZIP coverage

ACS city ledger plate

Sheet AMES-IA · Ames, IA 4 ZIPs · 62,905 pop · #16333/25278 · Story County

INC-MID · RANK-LOWER · BELOW-PEER · BOOK-FEW · OWN-RENT · POP-SMALL · SPREAD-TIGHT · HOME-MID

  • INC-MID $63,065
  • RANK-LOWER #16333/25278
  • BELOW-PEER under Colo
  • BOOK-FEW 4 ZIPs
  • OWN-RENT 30% owners
  • POP-SMALL 62,905
  • SPREAD-TIGHT 50014→50010
  • HOME-MID $295,150

Nearest income peer: Colo, IA (+ $10,268 income $)

Instrument codes from this city’s ACS household income, national rank, county-peer gap, ZIP book, owner tenure, population scale, intra-city income spread, and home-value band, not a moving recommendation.

Income neighbourhood around Ames

Lowest/highest poles plus county-sharing cities nearest Ames on average ZIP median household income. Full ladder: /cities.

median HH income

What this shows County-sharing peers only, not the full US city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the mosaic is wide.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-25

National city placement

According to ACS 5-Year Estimates, Ames, IA sits among US cities with a below-median household income, on a small-city population base, across a handful of delivery areas.

35th pct
household income vs 25,278 US cities
62,905
city population (Census)
4
USPS ZIP codes covered
$63,065
avg ZIP median income

Income percentile ranks this city's average ZIP median household income against 25,278 US cities with ACS income on at least one ZIP. Scale and ZIP-spread words come from Census population and USPS ZIP coverage.

Below-median income with few delivery areas (4): read cost-of-living from the primary ZIP. Household income $63,065 and poverty 48.8% concentrate in 50010.

Owner-occupancy is comparatively low (29.9%) for this income tier, rent $1,019 may matter more than the home-value average.

Within Iowa, Washington is the closest lower-income city and Atlantic the closest higher-income city by average ZIP household income. Their 1 and 1 ZIP footprints are the immediate statewide comparison set for Ames.

Within-city ZIP comparison

Where the ZIP codes inside Ames differ

The most material local contrast is hardship rather than the city-wide income average. Poverty is 17.1% in ZIP 50010 and 100.0% in 50012. That spread is why the ZIP detail pages are more useful than a single city figure for comparing household conditions.

Income high-to-low ratio
1.1×

50014 to 50010

Home-value high-to-low ratio
1.3×

50010 to 50014

Poverty-rate spread
82.9 points

50010 to 50012

Derived from the published ACS 2023 ZIP-level records shown on this site. A high-to-low ratio compares the highest and lowest available ZIP values; it is not a score or forecast.

Population concentration

Lead ZIP 50010 skews compact Ames

In this 4-ZIP cluster, 50010 covers about 47% of Ames's 62,905 residents. City averages lean toward that lead; open a thinner sibling ZIP for the contrast the mean hides.

Census ZBP business roll-up

Employer-heavy short list in Ames

Citywide ZBP: 1,574 establishments, 27,384 employees , annual payroll $1,540,656k (~25 establishments per 1,000 residents) across 3 of 4 ZIPs. Peak business ZIP 50010 (1,158 units) ; leading NAICS Accommodation and food services (221) · also Retail trade · Health care and social assistance .

View your shortlist →

ZIP Codes in Ames, IA

These ZIP codes sit in Story County, which covers 18 ZIP codes in all; 4 of them fall in Ames. See the Story County roll-up →

Every one of the 12 cities sharing Story County reports a higher average ZIP median income than Ames, Nevada, Story City and Huxley among them. That gap is the county's income spread, not a measure of the housing or commute picture below. Gilbert marks the far end of that range at $130,083, 106% above Ames.

Side-by-side: Compare 50010 vs 50014 →

ZIP Code Population Median income Establishments Density
50010 29,359 $65,398 1,158 190
50014 28,094 $60,731 394 194
50012 4,062 n/a n/a 2,061
50011 1,390 n/a 22 11,112
How we build city roll-ups · Guide: reading ZIP code data · BLS wages

Ames roll-ups here are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial or relocation advice. ACS and Census ZBP figures are estimates; confirm the current table against Census before a money or move decision involving Ames, .