Ames migration, mapped
In 2022–23, 5,461 people moved into the Ames metro and 5,980 moved out, a net of −519. Yellow arcs are people arriving, blue arcs are people leaving. Hover a dot to see the corridor, or click through to compare.
The map couldn’t load. The numbers below still tell the story.
† IRS methodology change in this year’s files (see methodology)
What the flows say
- Biggest published corridors: Des Moines, IA leads both directions, with 1,556 people in and 1,802 out in 2022–23. The listed corridors cover about 46–48% of all flows; the totals count everyone.
- Trend: net outflow has eased over the last three years, from −731 in 2020–21 to −519 in 2022–23†.
Population · 2025
128,090
▼ 0.0% year over year · shrinking
Peak population · 2024
128,145
0.0% below the 2024 peak
Why the population is changing
- Growth driver: domestic outflow led the population decline in 2025: −645, against births minus deaths (+95) and international migration (+493).
- Peak population: the high-water mark was 128,145 in 2024. The 2025 estimate of 128,090 sits just below it.
Net income flow · 2022–23
−$54M
▼ $185M arrived · $239M left
Avg household income · movers
$51k in · $59k out
leavers out-earn arrivals by 16%
Ames wealth migration
- Money moved: households moving into the Ames metro in 2022–23 reported $185M in income (AGI). Households leaving took $239M with them, a net loss of $54M.
- Income gap: the average household moving in reported $51k of income, vs $59k for leavers. Leavers out-earn arrivals by 16%.
About the data
Corridors are IRS county-to-county migration flows added up into metro areas (2023 Census metro definitions; exemptions ≈ people). "Rest of" entries cover a state's counties outside any featured metro. The IRS hides corridors with fewer than 20 returns, so the lists here cover about 46% of inbound and 48% of outbound movers in 2022–23. The in, out, and net totals count everyone. Income figures are the total income (AGI) movers reported, from the complete county totals. Dollars are not adjusted for inflation, and household averages divide by the number of returns. Population figures are Census Bureau estimates; the peak covers records since 2000. Years marked † had a change in how the IRS built the files. Full details on the methodology page.
Download this data (CSV), free to use with attribution.
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