2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Ames, IA vs Boulder, CO

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Highlights
- Household income in Boulder, is 38% more than it is in Ames and is 8% above the National Average.
- Ames unemployment rate is 2.7%.
- Boulder unemployment rate is 5.1%.
 Ames, IABoulder, COUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock5.1%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock2.7%1.6%
 Future Job Growth34.0%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes7.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock4.6%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$29,347  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$74,902$69,021
 Family Median Income$96,791  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Ames, IABoulder, COUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock13.1%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K5.6%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock8.0%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K7.8%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock6.0%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K8.0%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock7.8%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K10.1%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock13.8%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K5.3%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock17.0%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Ames, IABoulder, COUnited States
 Management, business, finance11.4%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock16.9%6.5%
 Community, social services1.3%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.8%1.2%
 Education, library16.4%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock4.4%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology4.1%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock2.4%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement1.2%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock8.4%5.4%
 Building maintenance3.0%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.8%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support17.7%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.4%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair4.3%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock6.0%13.1%
Reviews for Ames    12 Reviews

Over 13 years ago

Hello, I am in San Jose Ca, but am seriously thinking of moving somewhere much slower for a better quality of living. I've just turned 59, so I'm kinda preparing for  More

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Over 13 years ago

Like every other city Ames has both good and bad points. The good points are: low cost of living, very friendly people, lots of outdoor activities and quite a few events  More

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Ames enjoys a high quality of life at a very affordable cost, substantially lower than many other communities. The presence of Iowa State University, a large (28,000  More

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Reviews for Boulder    55 Reviews

Outside of the university, Boulder had a very distinctive "wealthy hippy" feel. A lot of alternative medicine and a matching ethos. This is changing some among my  More

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We moved here from Texas about 4 years ago and love it here! The amazing sense of community and high regard for the environment are two of the main reasons we love  More

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Over 5 years ago

Most people do much worse than Boulder. I'm the most critical person I've ever met who is never happy or satisfied -- so that's a pretty huge compliment.   More

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