2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Ann Arbor, MI vs Ames, IA

Change Cities
Highlights
- Household income in Ames, is 26% less than it is in Ann Arbor and is 27% below the National Average.
- Ann Arbor unemployment rate is 3.5%.
- Ames unemployment rate is 2.7%.
 Ann Arbor, MIAmes, IAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock2.7%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock2.3%1.6%
 Future Job Growth38.1%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes6.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock7.4%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$47,883  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$54,339$69,021
 Family Median Income$123,351  Unlock$85,028
 space
 Est. Households By Income
 Ann Arbor, MIAmes, IAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock16.1%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K3.2%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock8.4%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K6.2%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock8.8%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K6.8%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock10.6%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K11.2%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock14.2%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K8.6%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock5.1%9.5%
 space1
 Population By Occupation
 Ann Arbor, MIAmes, IAUnited States
 Management, business, finance14.3%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock12.7%6.5%
 Community, social services2.7%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.3%1.2%
 Education, library19.6%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock1.8%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology9.1%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock3.7%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement0.6%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock8.4%5.4%
 Building maintenance1.6%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.6%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support14.3%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock1.3%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair1.8%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock8.8%13.1%
Reviews for Ann Arbor    49 Reviews

Over 8 years ago

Highly educated city. traffic and parking is bad. university culture is nice, not sure about elsewhere. no good pizza! if you're looking for food, I recommend "a taste  More

   |    Reply

Uh, compared to my other favorite college towns this one lacks flavor. Safer and kinda pretty, but not the greenest place, it's fine. Good restaurants, music, art,  More

   |    Reply

Over 10 years ago

Ann Arbor bus service (AATA) is quite good. The Detroit Metro Airport is only a 20 min. drive away and is also quite good. The traffic in Ann Arbor is usually mild  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Ann Arbor

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

   |    Reply

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

   |    Reply

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

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Ames


Premium Subscription
Includes Cost of Living compares for child care, utilities, transportation, health, taxes, housing for home owners vs renters, weather, insurance premiums and so much more.


The premier source for comprehensive city data for over 30 years.

© Best Places. All rights reserved.