2026 Compare Cities Economy:
Blaine, MN vs Ames, IA

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Highlights
- Household income in Ames, is 40% less than it is in Blaine and is 27% below the National Average.
- Blaine unemployment rate is 4.2%.
- Ames unemployment rate is 2.7%.
 Blaine, MNAmes, IAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock2.7%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock2.3%1.6%
 Future Job Growth37.7%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes7.1%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock7.4%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$40,620  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$54,339$69,021
 Family Median Income$105,036  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Blaine, MNAmes, IAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock16.1%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K1.6%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock8.4%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K5.5%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock8.8%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K6.9%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock10.6%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K16.1%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock14.2%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K10.5%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock5.1%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Blaine, MNAmes, IAUnited States
 Management, business, finance18.1%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock12.7%6.5%
 Community, social services1.8%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.3%1.2%
 Education, library6.4%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock1.8%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology4.5%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock3.7%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement1.1%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock8.4%5.4%
 Building maintenance2.7%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.6%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support22.4%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock1.3%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair6.6%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock8.8%13.1%
Reviews for Blaine    4 Reviews

I've lived in Blaine since 2016 and this city is growing rapidly and has become Anoka County's most populous city currently at 65K. It has tons of eat outs, shops, bike  More

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Over 13 years ago

a peaceful place to live and very lots of friendly people.   More

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I was born and raised in Blaine, MN, and having been all over the country now and living in Alaska currently, I have found that my high school education was much better  More

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Reviews for Ames    12 Reviews

Over 14 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 14 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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