Home values, rents and more in the Ames metro area
September 2026 figures from Zillow and the U.S. Census Bureau · updated 2026-11-07
Open Ames metro in ProMap- Under $160k
- $160k–$190k
- $190k–$230k
- $230k–$280k
- $280k+
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How the Ames metro compares
The typical home in the Ames metro area is worth about $277,000, according to the Zillow Home Value Index for September 2026. Home values in the Ames metro are 17% above the typical value in Iowa ($237,000) and 24% below the U.S. typical value ($366,000).
Over the past year, home values in the Ames metro rose 2.6%, compared with +3.3% in Iowa and +1.2% nationally.
Typical rent is $1,162 a month (Zillow Observed Rent Index), 4% below Iowa ($1,208) and 40% below the U.S. ($1,932). Rents rose 2.2% over the past year.
The median household income is $73,127, against $75,059 in Iowa and $80,734 in the U.S. (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24).
About 128,090 people live in the Ames metro (Census Bureau estimate for July 2025).
The Ames metro has the 396th-highest typical home value of the 923 metro areas in the United States and the 5th-highest of 23 in Iowa with Zillow figures.
Part of: Iowa
More for the Ames metro in ProMap Plus
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- 5- and 10-year price changes
- Days on market and months of supply
- Price cuts and sale-to-list ratio
- Price-to-income and monthly cost to buy
- Zillow 12-month price forecast
- School test scores
- Flood, wildfire and natural hazard risk
- Property-tax rate
- Unemployment and job growth
- Building permits
- Mortgage delinquency
- 2024 presidential vote
- Age, education and household make-up
- Amenities and transit nearby
Nearby metro areas
Counties in the Ames metro
Cities in the Ames metro
- Ames, IA $302,000
- Boone, IA $212,000
- Nevada, IA $247,000
- Huxley, IA $345,000
- Story City, IA $283,000
- Madrid, IA $283,000
- Ogden, IA $237,000
- Roland, IA $262,000
- Slater, IA $292,000
- Gilbert, IA $338,000
- Maxwell, IA $331,000
- Cambridge, IA $338,000
- Colo, IA $263,000
- Zearing, IA $254,000
- Collins, IA $271,000
- Kelley, IA $344,000
- Sheldahl, IA $225,000
- McCallsburg, IA $245,000
Sources
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), all homes, middle tier, smoothed and seasonally adjusted, September 2026. Rents: Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), seasonally adjusted. Population: Census population estimates (July 2025) for states, metros and counties; ACS 2020–24 for cities and ZIP codes. Income: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–24 5-year estimates. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files. Compiled by Home Economics.
"Typical" is Zillow's middle-tier value (homes between the 35th and 65th percentiles), not a median sale price. Changes are over the 12 months to September 2026.