BestOnlineCollege.org is an advertising-supported website. Many of the school and program listings that appear on this site are from partners who compensate us, and this compensation may affect how, where, and in what order listings appear (such as featured placements). This compensation does not influence our editorial content, evaluations, or rankings, which are determined independently using publicly available data. We do not review or feature every school or program available in the marketplace. Our goal is to provide accurate, unbiased information so you can make informed decisions. Read our full Advertiser Disclosure.
Best Fashion Schools Near Ames, IA (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Ames, Iowa is home to about 66,112 residents. Median household income is $60,102 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 63.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Ames, IA metro area, the top-earning fashion-related role is Marketing Managers at a median $132,050 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Fashion Schools to Ames
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer fashion programs near Ames, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Ames city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
No school data available.
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Iowa schools on the Iowa fashion page.
Fashion Wages Near Ames
Ames is part of the Ames, IA metro area (BLS area code 11180). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Iowa statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Fashion Designers
N/A
IA statewide
–
Marketing Managers
$132,050
Ames, IA
$148,705
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products
$68,680
Ames, IA
$77,342
Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers
$36,720
Ames, IA
$41,351
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
$61,100
Ames, IA
$68,806
Graphic Designers
$57,060
Ames, IA
$64,257
Commercial and Industrial Designers
$70,420
IA statewide
$79,302
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
What are the highest-paying fashion roles near Ames?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying fashion-related roles near Ames are: Marketing Managers ($132,050), Commercial and Industrial Designers ($70,420), Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products ($68,680). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Iowa statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Ankeny instead of Ames?
Ankeny, IA is 20.6 miles from Ames and has its own set of local fashion programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Ames an affordable place to study fashion?
Ames’s median household income of $60,102 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Ames while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Iowa public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Data verified: September 5, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.