Alta, IA

Census Place

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2024 Population
2,250
US Senator
Chuck Grassley
Republican Party
US Senator
Joni Ernst
Republican Party
2024 Median Age
38.8
3.19% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
10.2%
37% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$65,833
0.431% 1-year decline
2024 Median Property Value
$146,600
16.5% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
995
6.22% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Alta, IA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

79.3% of the residents in Alta, IA are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Alta, IA was $146,600, and the homeownership rate was 78.3%.

Most people in Alta, IA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 13.9 minutes. The average car ownership in Alta, IA was 2 cars per household.

United StatesIowaBuena Vista County, IAStorm Lake, IANorthwest Central Iowa--Storm Lake, Denison & Cherokee Region PUMA, IA

Population & Diversity

Alta, IA is home to a population of 2.25k people, from which 79.3% are citizens. As of 2024, 24.6% of Alta, IA residents were born outside of the country (554 people).

In 2024, there were 4.19 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.26k people) in Alta, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 301 Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 194 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

79.3%
2024 Citizenship
81.8%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 79.3% of Alta, IA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Alta, IA was 81.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Alta, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Alta, IA
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    1.26k ± 231
  2. Asian (Non-Hispanic)
    301 ± 127
  3. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    194 ± 192
16.4%
Hispanic Population
369 people

In 2024, there were 4.19 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.26k people) in Alta, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 301 Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 194 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

16.4% of the people in Alta, IA are hispanic (369 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Alta, IA as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Iowa.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    42,808 ± 5,046 people
  2. India
    12,283 ± 2,716 people
  3. China
    7,889 ± 2,178 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Iowa was Mexico, the natal country of 42,808 Iowa residents, followed by India with 12,283 and China with 7,889.

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Foreign-Born Population

24.6%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
554 people
22%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
516 people

As of 2024, 24.6% of Alta, IA residents (554 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Alta, IA was 22%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Alta, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (2001-)
    20 ± 27
  2. Vietnam
    17 ± 19
  3. Korea
    12 ± 16

Alta, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.18 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Alta, IA.

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Economy

The economy of Alta, IA employs 995 people. In 2024, the largest industries in Alta, IA were Manufacturing (312 people), Retail Trade (125 people), and Educational Services (97 people), and the highest paying industries were Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting ($75,000), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($75,000), and Information ($72,500).

Employment

Occupations

995
2024 Value
± 155
−6.22%
1 Year decline
± 23.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Alta, IA declined at a rate of −6.22%, from 1.06k employees to 995 employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Alta, IA, are Production Occupations (179 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (141 people), and Management Occupations (127 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Alta, IA.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Iowa (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

995
2024 Value
± 155
−6.22%
1 Year decline
± 23.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Alta, IA declined at a rate of −6.22%, from 1.06k employees to 995 employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Alta, IA, are Manufacturing (312 people), Retail Trade (125 people), and Educational Services (97 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Alta, IA, though some of these residents may live in Alta, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$52,850
Median earning men ± $6,226
$33,654
Median earning women ± $6,882

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($108,125), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($88,359), and Information ($72,500).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($52,188), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($39,911), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($37,188).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.
Y-Axis
1.48%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.57M people employed in Iowa. This represents a 1.48% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Iowa.

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Iowa went to Donald J. Trump with 55.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.789%).

Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are the senators currently representing the state of Iowa. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Iowa is currently represented by 4 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for Alta, IA. Showing the available data for Iowa.
2024 Election Results
  1. Donald J. Trump (55.7%)
    Republican Party
  2. Kamala Harris (42.5%)
    Democratic Party
  3. Robert Kennedy (0.789%)
    Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Iowa went to Donald J. Trump with 55.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.789%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Iowa for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Iowa

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.
Chuck Grassley
Senator from Iowa3
Assumed office on January 3, 1981
Joni Ernst
Senator from Iowa2
Assumed office on January 3, 2015

Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are the senators currently representing Iowa.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Iowa over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Alta, IA was $146,600 in 2024, which is 0.441 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $125,800 to $146,600, a 16.5% increase. The homeownership rate in Alta, IA is 78.3%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Alta, IA have an average commute time of 13.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Alta, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$146,600
Median Property Value 2024
±$28,805
$622
Median Property Taxes
±$119

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Alta, IA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Alta, IA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

78.3%
Homeownership
2024
62.7%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 78.3% of the housing units in Alta, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 79.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Alta, IA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$65,833
Median Household Income
± $10,636
794
Number of Households
± 136

In 2024, the median household income of the 794 households in Alta, IA declined from $65,833 from the previous year's value of $66,118.

The following chart displays the households in Alta, IA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Alta, IA is from Iowa.
0.441
2023 Wage GINI in Iowa
0.442
2022 Wage GINI in Iowa

In 2023, the income inequality in Iowa was 0.441 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.304% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Iowa was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Iowa in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Iowa across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (77.1%)
  2. Carpooled (15.5%)
  3. Worked At Home (5.84%)

In 2024, 77.1% of workers in Alta, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (15.5%) and those who worked at home (5.84%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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Commute Time

13.9 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Alta, IA have a shorter commute time (13.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.428% of the workforce in Alta, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Alta, IA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Alta, IA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Alta, IA have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

10.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Alta, IA (226 out of 2.22k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Males < 5 and then Females 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Alta, IA is White, followed by Black and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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Health

92.6% of the population of Alta, IA has health coverage, with 43.1% on employee plans, 24.6% on Medicaid, 13.7% on Medicare, 9.91% on non-group plans, and 1.29% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Iowa see 1,385 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,385 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1411 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 466 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 53.9% were men and 46.1% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 30.7% under 18 years, 14.3% between 18 and 34 years, 42.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 12.1% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 53.9% were men and 46.1% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

7.37%
Uninsured
43.1%
Employer Coverage
24.6%
Medicaid
13.7%
Medicare
9.91%
Non-Group
1.29%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Alta, IA grew by 16.2% from 6.34% to 7.37%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Alta, IA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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