Altoona, IA

Census Place

2024 Population

21,495

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

36.1

1.69% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

8.31%

15.7% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$86,114

1.16% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$274,600

Population & Diversity

Altoona, IA is home to a population of 21.5k people, from which 98.1% are citizens.

As of 2024, 5.02% of Altoona, IA residents were born outside of the country (1.08k people).

In 2024, there were 15.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (17.6k people) in Altoona, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.11k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 832 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.1%

2024 Citizenship

97.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.1% of Altoona, IA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Altoona, IA was 97.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Altoona, IA

White (Non-Hispanic)
17.6k ± 932
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
1.11k ± 778
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
832 ± 392

6.49%

Hispanic Population

1.4k people

6.49% of the people in Altoona, IA are hispanic (1.4k people).

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

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Iowa.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
44,333 ± 5,134 people
India
11,889 ± 2,672 people
Guatemala
8,189 ± 2,219 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Iowa was Mexico, the natal country of 44,333 Iowa residents, followed by India with 11,889 and Guatemala with 8,189.

Foreign-Born Population

5.02%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.08k people

5.24%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.08k people

As of 2024, 5.02% of Altoona, IA residents (1.08k 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 Altoona, IA was 5.24%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (1990s)
629 ± 271
Vietnam
340 ± 114
Gulf War (2001-)
331 ± 165

Altoona, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (1990s), 1.85 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Altoona, IA employs 10.7k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Altoona, IA were Retail Trade (1,850 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,583 people), and Finance & Insurance (1,201 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance ($90,450), Public Administration ($86,899), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($78,529).

Employment

Occupations

10.7k

2024 Value

± 902

1.32%

1 Year growth

± 11.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Altoona, IA grew at a rate of 1.32%, from 10.6k employees to 10.7k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Altoona, IA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,402 people), Sales & Related Occupations (1,111 people), and Management Occupations (1,013 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Altoona, IA.

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.

Industries

Employment by Industries

10.7k

2024 Value

± 902

1.32%

1 Year growth

± 11.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Altoona, IA grew at a rate of 1.32%, from 10.6k employees to 10.7k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Altoona, IA, are Retail Trade (1,850 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,583 people), and Finance & Insurance (1,201 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Altoona, IA, though some of these residents may live in Altoona, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$62,083

Median earning men ± $6,976

$50,658

Median earning women ± $5,687

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($97,950), Wholesale Trade ($90,750), and Public Administration ($90,360).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($102,569), Public Administration ($78,750), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($73,636).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Altoona, IA was $274,600 in 2024, which is 0.825 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $257,300 to $274,600, a 6.72% increase. The homeownership rate in Altoona, IA is 68.7%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Altoona, IA have an average commute time of 22.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Altoona, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$274,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$10,844

$5,830

Median Property Taxes

±$547

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 Altoona, IA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

68.7%

Homeownership

2024

60.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 68.7% of the housing units in Altoona, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 68.3%.

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

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$86,114

Median Household Income

± $12,409

8.49k

Number of Households

± 768

In 2024, the median household income of the 8.49k households in Altoona, IA declined from $86,114 from the previous year's value of $87,123.

The following chart displays the households in Altoona, 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 $100k - $125k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Altoona, IA is from Iowa.

0.435

2024 Wage GINI in Iowa

0.441

2023 Wage GINI in Iowa

In 2024, the income inequality in Iowa was 0.435 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1.29% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Iowa was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (81%)
Worked At Home (13%)
Carpooled (3.7%)

In 2024, 81% of workers in Altoona, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (13%) and those who carpooled to work (3.7%).

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.

Commute Time

22.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Altoona, IA have a shorter commute time (22.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.39% of the workforce in Altoona, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

8.31% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Altoona, IA (1.76k out of 21.2k 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 Females < 5 and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Altoona, IA is White, followed by Two Or More and Black.

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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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