Ames Ranks
- One of the top 25 Best Places to Retire in 2013 (Forbes.com, 2013)
- 2nd on American Institute for Economic Research’s Top 10 College Destinations List (AIER, October 2012)
- 2012 Healthy Iowa Community Award (Wellness Council of Iowa)
- Iowa State University ranked as one of the Best Colleges 2013 (U.S. News)
- Ames-based Renewable Energy Group makes Inc. Magazine's list of 500 fastest growing companies in U.S. (Inc. Magazine, 2012)
- 90th of 100 Best Places to Live (CNN Money Magazine, 2012)
- Most Favorable City in Iowa (Public Policy Polling, July 2012)
- 11th Best City for Aging (Milken Institute, July 2012)
- Ranked 6th among Area Development's Top 20 Midwest Cities (Area Development, 2012)
- 30th among the Top 100 Leading Locations for 2012 (Area Development, 2012)
- 15th 'Prime Workforce Growth' among Top 25 Small Cities (Area Development, 2012)
- 25th Best Place for New College Grads, 2012 (TheAtlanticCities.com, 2012)
- 56th Best Small City for Job Growth (out of 243 U.S. cities) (NewGeography.com, 2012)
- Top 8 Places to Retire in the Midwest (Where to Retire, 2012)
- 13th Geekiest City in the U.S. (Forbes.com, 2011)
- Fifth Fastest Growing Small City in the U.S. (Forbes.com, 2010)
- Seventeenth Best Small Place for Business & Careers (Forbes.com, 2010)
- Ninth Best Place to Live in the United States (CNNMoney.com, 2010)
- Named 100 Best Communities (America's Promise Alliance, 2010)
- Fourth Best College Town Under 250,000 Residents (American Institute for Economic Research, 2010)
- Ranked 15th Brainiest Metro (American Social & Economic Theorist Richard Florida, 2010)
- Most Affordable Cities for Data Security for Banks (The Boyd Co., 2010)
- Best Places to Launch a Business (CNNMoney.com, 2009)
- Best Places to Raise Your Kids (Business Week, 2009)
- Top 15 Cities for Commuters (US News, 2009)
- Top 5 Places to Live a Stress-Free and Simpler Life (AARP, 2009)
Iowa Ranks
- 9th Healthiest State in the Nation (Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index via Business Record)
- 3rd Best State to Be Young in America (Business Insider, 2012)
- Iowa ranks 9th for Best State for Business (CNBC, 2011)
- Story County is number four on America's Best Affordable Places list (Business Week, 2011)
- Story County ranked the third in the state of Iowa for overall health (University of Madison Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2011)
- Ranked the nation's second most livable state based on 43 factors ranging from median household income to crime rate and from sunny days to infant mortality rate (CQ Press, 2010)
- Named the sixth best state to raise a child (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2010)
- Ninth in the nation for number of state parks, recreational areas and natural areas (CQ Press, 2010)
- Ranks in safest neighborhoods in the U.S (CQ Press, 2010)
- Has the third highest public high school graduation rate in the U.S. (CQ Press, 2010)
- First in corn production and first in soybean production, respectively (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2009)
- First in soybean and feed grain exports (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2009)
- First in hog production (U.S. Department of Agriculture)
- Nine metros in Iowa are ranked among the best places in America to start a business or career (Forbes, 2009)
- Iowans enjoy the eighth lowest housing costs (U.S. Census Bureau, 2009)
- Iowans enjoy the seventh shortest average commute time (18.5 minutes) among the 50 states (U.S. Census Bureau, 2009)
- Iowa's capital city, Des Moines, was listed as one of the best cities to live, work, and play (Kiplinger, 2008)
- Listed as the seventh best state for lawsuit climate (Institute for Legal Reform, 2008)
- Ranks as the 14th best state to find a job (CareerBuilder.com, 2008)
- Second most favorable state for the cost of doing business (Milken Institute, 2007)
- Eighth in safest neighborhoods in the U.S. (Morgan Quinto, 2007)
- Has the third highest graduation rate in the U.S. (Morgan Quinto, 2007)
