Story County, Iowa, a core county of the Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA market, holds $3.1B in deposits across 21 insured institutions and 37 branches. First National Bank, Ames, Iowa is the largest deposit holder at 20.6% share. The top three banks hold 43% of deposits, which places the county in the Fragmented band. Deposits have grown 8.2% since 2020. It produces $6.1B of output, ranking #518 of the 1,523 ranked counties by economic output.
Ranks show where the county stands among the 1,523 ranked counties (those within a Combined or Metropolitan Statistical Area that have a branch). They describe relative position, not a rating of market quality or suitability.
Deposit trend
Branches: 37 in 2020 to 37 in 2025. Institutions: 19 to 21. Top-three share: 45% to 43%.
Institutions by deposits
| Institution | Deposits | Share | 5‑yr deposits |
|---|---|---|---|
| First National Bank, Ames, Iowa | $635M | 20.6% | +5% |
| U.S. Bank | $349M | 11.3% | -4% |
| South Story Bank & Trust | $340M | 11.0% | +50% |
| VisionBank of Iowa | $301M | 9.7% | +54% |
| Availa Bank | $296M | 9.6% | +60% |
| Wells Fargo Bank | $261M | 8.4% | -15% |
| State Bank & Trust Co. | $172M | 5.6% | +7% |
| Bankers Trust Company | $147M | 4.8% | -34% |
| First Interstate Bank | $138M | 4.4% | -43% |
| Reliance State Bank | $104M | 3.4% | +18% |
| Central State Bank | $77M | 2.5% | +109% |
| Exchange State Bank | $65M | 2.1% | +24% |
| GNB Bank | $36M | 1.2% | +20% |
| Northwest Bank | $34M | 1.1% | no 2020 presence |
| Security State Bank | $32M | 1.0% | +33% |
| BMO Bank | $30M | 1.0% | -26% |
| Fidelity Bank | $26M | 0.8% | no 2020 presence |
| Maxwell State Bank | $24M | 0.8% | -5% |
| Midwest Heritage Bank, FSB | $20M | 0.6% | +30% |
| TS Bank | $5M | 0.2% | no 2020 presence |
| Great Southern Bank | $0M | 0.0% | no 2020 presence |
The 21 insured institutions with a branch presence in this county, per the FDIC Summary of Deposits, June 30, 2025. Five-year change compares the same institution’s county deposits in 2020 and 2025. Institutions are tracked by FDIC certificate number, and where an institution acquired another bank, the acquired bank’s prior deposits are folded into the baseline so the change reflects the combined, continuing franchise rather than reading as new. “No 2020 presence” means neither the institution nor a bank it later absorbed reported deposits in this county that year. Deposit figures are nominal and are not adjusted for inflation.
Part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames market
Story County is one of 10 counties that make up the Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA market, a Combined Statistical Area (ranked #53 of 293 U.S. markets by economic output). It produces 8.4% of the market’s output and holds 7.6% of its deposits.
| Measure | Story County | Share of parent market |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 GDP | $6.1B | 8.4% |
| Deposits | $3.1B | 7.6% |
| Population | 101,291 | 10.7% |
View the full Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames market profile →
Recruiting in Story County
Deposits are spread across a competitive field of institutions, so the bankers worth recruiting are dispersed across more of them. Who holds the deposits, and how contested the market is, shapes both the runway for growth and the competition you would be recruiting against. We recruit commercial relationship managers, banking teams, and market leaders for banks building in markets like Story County.
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