2025 Compare Cities Education:
Merced, CA vs Ames, IA

Change Cities
Highlights
- Ames spends 18.5% more per student than Merced.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 33.8% lower in Ames than in Merced. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Ames had 30.7% more residents who had graduated High School compared to Merced
 Merced, CAAmes, IAUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$16,979$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$12,556  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$7,158$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio22.2  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock6004573
 Students per Counselor512  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock0.7%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.11.7%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock97.0%88.9%
 Some College Educ.23.7%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock7.7%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.16.7%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock17.2%9.3%
 Professional Degree0.9%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock9.7%1.5%
Reviews for Merced    44 Reviews

Merced is totally slept on - you want a little bit of everything CA has to offer, at a fraction of the price of other CA cities? Merced is the place to go. The town  More

   |    Reply

Over 5 years ago

Good place to live. More affordable than most of california. The city is growing and there is alot of business and growth here. Moved from the Bay area years ago and  More

   |    Reply

Great place to live. Lots of progress and changes coming to the city. Great place to raise a family. UC Merced is expanding and businesses are investing. Downtown is  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Merced

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.