| | Decatur, IL | Ames, IA | United States |
| Expend. per Student | $14,460 | $16,979 | $15,905 |
| Educ. Expend. per Student | $12,532 | $11,178 | $13,142 |
| Instr. Expend. per Student | $6,704 | $7,158 | $7,999 |
| Pupil/Teacher Ratio | 15.82 | 14.7 | 16.23 |
| Students per Librarian | 3721 | 600 | 4573 |
| Students per Counselor | 771 | 346 | 530 |
| Grade School Educ. | 2.6% | 0.7% | 4.8% |
| Some High School Educ. | 7.4% | 2.3% | 6.3% |
| High School Educ. | 90.0% | 97.0% | 88.9% |
| Some College Educ. | 23.9% | 15.9% | 20.0% |
| 2 yr College Grad. | 7.6% | 7.7% | 8.7% |
| 4 yr College Grad. | 21.1% | 61.4% | 33.7% |
| Masters Grad. | 5.9% | 17.2% | 9.3% |
| Professional Degree | 0.9% | 2.4% | 2.2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 0.8% | 9.7% | 1.5% |