Home Insurance in Ames, Iowa
With a median home value of $277,400, Ames is 7% higher than the Story County median.
The typical home in Ames was built around 1992. Aging wiring, roofing and plumbing in older homes can push up the cost to insure or rebuild them. About 19% of homes were built before 1960, about 4 points below Story County's 23%.
Mobile and manufactured homes typically need a manufactured-home (HO-7) policy rather than a standard homeowners policy. The housing stock in Ames is 45% single-family homes, 44% apartments in buildings with 5+ units and 3% mobile or manufactured homes.
57% of owner-occupied homes in Ames carry a mortgage, and mortgage lenders require hazard insurance for as long as the loan is active.
About 42% of occupied homes in Ames are owner-occupied. The vacancy rate is 8%; vacant or unoccupied homes typically need a different coverage form than an owner-occupied policy.
Most homes in Ames - 63% - are primarily heated with natural gas.
Story County's top FEMA-rated hazard is tornado (Relatively High), per FEMA's National Risk Index. Story County had 149 active NFIP flood policies as of September 2026. See the full Story County home insurance overview for all FEMA hazard ratings and flood coverage details.
In Iowa, the statewide average premium for a standard HO-3 homeowners policy is $1,342 per year (NAIC, 2023 data).
Key figures
| Median home value | $277,400 |
|---|---|
| Median year built | 1992 |
| Owner-occupied share | 42% |
| Share of owner-occupied homes with a mortgage | 57% |
| Top county hazard | Tornado (Relatively High) |
| Active NFIP policies in Story County | 149 |
| Home insurance premium | $1,342 - statewide average (NAIC, 2023 data) |
Nearby towns
Sources
Data last updated: 2026-09-29
- U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer Files (2024)
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates (2024)
- FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025)
- FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Policies v3 (2026)
- NAIC Dwelling Fire, Homeowners Owner-Occupied, and Homeowners Tenant and Condominium/Cooperative Unit Owners Insurance: Data for 2023 (published 2026) (2023)