Story County GIS Maps
Story County, Iowa, has 98,537 residents across 41,993 parcels and covers 572.7 square miles. The population grew 10% between the 2010 and 2020 census. More residents moved in than left over that decade. The FIPS code for Story County is 19169.
Ames is the county's largest population center. Story County also includes 15 zip codes, 9 public school districts and 33 municipalities. Those boundaries help explain why population, schools, and housing can look different from one part of the county to another. The map below shows how those county lines, zip codes, and school districts fit together, and the sections that follow use that same geography to show parcel data, population, demographics, school enrollment and housing patterns in more detail.
Maps, GIS layers, Parcels and sample data. Paid packages add full layers, analytics and database files.
Story County Trends
- Population
- 98,537▴
- Median Home Value
- $243,600▴
- K-12 Enrollment
- 12,911▾
County analytics dashboards with historical trends & projections included in package downloads.
Free starter access previews county maps, lightweight GIS, and sample data. Paid packages unlock full GIS layers, analytics, and database files.
Story County Maps
The maps below show a few of the county map styles included in our downloads. County packages include map exports in JPEG, PNG, SVG, PDF and GeoTIFF formats plus more than 20 GIS layers for mapping, research and analysis. Available layers include zip codes, area codes, subdivisions, school districts, political boundaries, roads, water features, points of interest and more.
County packages also include historical county demographics, business intelligence, analytical dashboards, AI-ready prompts, markdown files and related reference data. Everything is organized to save hours of manual work collecting current data, cleaning it and joining it together. That makes it easier to move faster on analytics, due diligence, business planning and location research. Paid packages are built for commercial use, but some package contents include source-specific attribution or notice guidance. Review Licensing & Data Source Notices.
Story County Parcels
Story County has 41,993 mapped parcels covering 378,260 acres. The median assessed value is $209,900. The median lot size is 0.31 acres. 9,210 parcels are 10 acres or larger. The records carry 26,314 distinct owner names. Owner names are on nearly every parcel. Site addresses reach 77.4%. Assessed values reach 95.5%. Browse the interactive Story County Parcel viewer here.
Story County Parcel Data Coverage
| Field | Parcels | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Parcel ID | 41,993 | 100% |
| Owner name | 41,870 | 99.7% |
| Owner mailing address | 0 | 0% |
| Site address | 32,502 | 77.4% |
| Land use code | 0 | 0% |
| Land use description | 0 | 0% |
| Assessed value | 40,116 | 95.5% |
| Land value | 0 | 0% |
| Improvement value | 0 | 0% |
| Acreage | 39,725 | 94.6% |
| Parcel boundary | 41,993 | 100% |
| Download all Story County parcels. | ||
Field coverage measured across all Story County parcel records.
Story County Population
Story County had 98,537 residents in 2020. That was 10% higher than in 2010. Story County added 18,556 people between 2000 and 2020, which points to steady long-term growth. The county is fairly spread out, with about 172 people per square mile. Some of the county's most populated postal areas include Ames, Ames and Nevada.
Population Trend in Story County IA
Story County Population per 2000, 2010 and 2020 census counts with a baseline 2030 projection.
Story County Zip Codes
Story County has 15 zip codes. Some of the county's most populated zip codes include Ames (50010), Ames (50014) and Nevada (50201). Ames is the largest zip by population, with about 32,552 residents or 33% of the county total. Together, the three largest zips account for about 74% of all county residents based on 2020 population estimates.
Most Populated Zip Codes in Story County IA
| ZIP | Area | Population | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50010 | Ames | 32,552 | ▴ 10.9% |
| 50014 | Ames | 31,587 | ▴ 12.4% |
| 50201 | Nevada | 8,427 | ▴ 2.8% |
| 50124 | Huxley | 4,697 | ▴ 25.3% |
| 50248 | Story City | 4,439 | ▴ 0.4% |
| Download all zip code data | |||
Story County Zip Code populations and trends per most recent census data.
Story County Demographics
Story County has a median age of 27, which makes the county a little younger than Iowa overall. About 16.4% of residents are under 18, while 13% are 65 or older. That gives the county a fairly even mix of younger families and older adults. The largest age group is 18 to 24 at about 30.3% of the population, which suggests a younger adult population than many counties. About 53.3% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, above the statewide figure of 30.9%. The county is mostly White by population, though Hispanic, Asian, Black and multiracial residents are also part of the local mix.
Key Demographics for Story County IA
Median Age
27
Under 18
16.4%
Age 65+
13%
Bachelor's+
53.3%
Story County School Districts
Story County is served by 9 public school districts with 12,911 students enrolled in 2024. The largest districts on the county map are Ames Community, Ballard Community and Gilbert Community. Those three districts account for about 64% of public school enrollment in the map area. Total enrollment has stayed fairly steady in recent years, based on district totals from 2017 to 2024.
Largest School Districts by Enrollment in Story County IA
| District | Enrollment | Share | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ames Community School District | 4,688 | 36.3% | ▾ -0.3% |
| Ballard Community School District | 1,872 | 14.5% | ▴ 1.2% |
| Gilbert Community School District | 1,682 | 13% | ▾ -0.9% |
| Nevada Community School District | 1,572 | 12.2% | ▴ 0.1% |
| Roland-Story Community School District | 1,094 | 8.5% | ▾ -1.3% |
| Download all school district data | |||
Story County school district enrollment and trends per most recent NCES reporting data.
Story County Housing & Real Estate
Story County has a median home value of $243,600 and a median gross rent of $1,019. About 56% of occupied homes in the county are owner-occupied, so the local housing market leans heavily toward ownership. Home values run above the Iowa median, while rents come in above the state average. In March 2026, the median listing price was $374,950 and homes spent about 55 days on the market.
Story County Housing Mix
Story County housing mix: owner, renter and vacant units.
Story County Housing Trends
Story County median home value and rent trend (last 5 years).
Businesses in Story County, IA
Story County has 3,940 business listings across 626 categories. The largest categories in Story County business listings are College University (98, 2.5%), Churches & Religious Organizations (92, 2.3%), and Parks & Recreation (74, 1.9%). The full Story County business listings dataset includes names, categories, addresses and contact details where available. Story County packages also include U.S. Census County Business Patterns data with establishment counts, employment and payroll by industry sector.
Top Business Categories in Story County, IA
| Category | Businesses | Share |
|---|---|---|
| College University | 98 | 2.5% |
| Churches & Religious Organizations | 92 | 2.3% |
| Parks & Recreation | 74 | 1.9% |
| Community & Nonprofits | 71 | 1.8% |
| Real Estate Agents | 62 | 1.6% |
| Landmark And Historical Building | 53 | 1.3% |
| Campus Building | 52 | 1.3% |
| Auto Repair | 49 | 1.2% |
| Gyms & Fitness | 47 | 1.2% |
| Social Service Organizations | 45 | 1.1% |
Story County Business Listings
| Business | Category | City |
|---|---|---|
| New Journey Addiction Counseling | Abuse And Addiction Treatment | Ames |
| Prairie West Apartments | Accommodation | Ames |
| GDG Services LLC | Accountant | Ames |
| Iowa Games | Active Life | Ames |
| Ames Acupuncture | Acupuncture | Ames |
| Addiction Rehab Ames | Addiction Rehabilitation Center | Ames |
| Romantix | Adult Entertainment | Ames |
| Liberty Tree Advertising | Advertising Agency | Nevada |
| Iowa Farm Business Association | Agricultural Cooperatives | Ames |
| Ag Leader Technology | Agricultural Service | Ames |
| Download Story County business listings | ||
Story County business listings sourced from Overture Maps. Includes locations with a high level of confidence.
Story County Basemaps
Story County map and data packages include a set of useful basemaps to help you get started quickly. These include a custom light grey canvas, USGS topo, imagery and other reference layers that make it easier to build clear, meaningful county maps using the included GIS layers, your own data or both. Pre-rendered map tiles for the light grey basemap are included so you can use them offline or host them on your own CDN.
Get the Full Story County Data Package
This page shows a preview of what's included in the Story County data package. The full package gives you a ready-to-use county data system with GIS layers, historical data, maps, database files and planning tools that save hours of manual data gathering, cleanup and joins. Everything is organized to help you skip data wrangling and start analysis faster.
- 20+ GIS layers for parcels, zip codes, school districts, roads, water, boundaries and more
- Historical county demographics, housing, income and trend data
- ZIP code population files and school district enrollment history
- Database files, markdowns, AI-ready prompts and documentation
- Map exports in PNG, JPEG, PDF, SVG and GeoTIFF formats
- Offline-ready data explorer, map and analytics tools
Paid packages support commercial use, client work, and derived outputs. Some package contents may include source-specific attribution or provider notices. See Licensing & Data Source Notices.
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Preview a Live Package Demo
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Nearby Counties
Browse county data pages for the counties that border Story County. These nearby pages include the same mix of county maps, demographic summaries, school district context, housing trends and package links.