2026 Compare Cities Economy:
Detroit, MI vs Ames, IA

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Highlights
- Household income in Ames, is 56% more than it is in Detroit and is 27% below the National Average.
- Detroit unemployment rate is 9.6%.
- Ames unemployment rate is 2.7%.
 Detroit, MIAmes, IAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock2.7%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock2.3%1.6%
 Future Job Growth29.3%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes6.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock7.4%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$20,780  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$54,339$69,021
 Family Median Income$42,160  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Detroit, MIAmes, IAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock16.1%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K7.0%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock8.4%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K12.6%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock8.8%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K7.5%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock10.6%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K8.5%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock14.2%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K2.2%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock5.1%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Detroit, MIAmes, IAUnited States
 Management, business, finance9.7%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock12.7%6.5%
 Community, social services2.3%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.3%1.2%
 Education, library4.2%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock1.8%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology4.4%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock3.7%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement2.7%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock8.4%5.4%
 Building maintenance5.9%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.6%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support20.1%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock1.3%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair5.8%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock8.8%13.1%
Reviews for Detroit    116 Reviews

Over 3 years ago

Have lived in the area for over a year (suburb of Grosse Pointe), but I work in downtown Detroit. I'm amazed at how cool this city is. So much to do and see, tat we  More

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Spent some time in the city but lived in multiple suburban areas in the metro area. I lived in Farmington Hills, Novi, Birmingham, and Rochester. Really, all were great.  More

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Cold, unfriendly, envious people within the city limits. The unfriendliness can turn into aggression and sometimes even bullying. Crabs in a barrel reside here and the  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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