Altoona, PA

Census Place

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2020 Population

43,669

0.723% 1-year decline

US Senator

Bob Casey Jr.

Democratic Party

US Senator

Pat Toomey

Republican Party

2020 Median Age

39.1

2.09% 1-year increase

2020 Poverty Rate

21.3%

8.74% 1-year decrease

2020 Median Household Income

$42,244

2.03% 1-year growth

2020 Median Property Value

$92,900

4.97% 1-year growth

About

In 2020, Altoona, PA had a population of 43.7k people with a median age of 39.1 and a median household income of $42,244. Between 2019 and 2020 the population of Altoona, PA declined from 43,987 to 43,669, a −0.723% decrease and its median household income grew from $41,403 to $42,244, a 2.03% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Altoona, PA are White (Non-Hispanic) (91.1%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (3.4%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (3.02%), White (Hispanic) (1.61%), and Black or African American (Hispanic) (0.289%).

None of the households in Altoona, PA 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.

99.7% of the residents in Altoona, PA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Altoona, PA are Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center (144 degrees awarded in 2020), Altoona Beauty School Inc (210748) (39 degrees), and YTI Career Institute-Altoona (375939) (20 degrees).

In 2020, the median property value in Altoona, PA was $92,900, and the homeownership rate was 63.2%.

Most people in Altoona, PA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 18.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Altoona, PA was 2 cars per household.

Population & Diversity

Altoona, PA is home to a population of 43.7k people, from which 99.7% are citizens. As of 2020, 0.788% of Altoona, PA residents were born outside of the country (344 people).

In 2020, there were 26.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (39.8k people) in Altoona, PA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.48k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 1.32k Two+ (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Citizenship

99.7%

2020 Citizenship

99.8%

2019 Citizenship

As of 2020, 99.7% of Altoona, PA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2019, the percentage of US citizens in Altoona, PA was 99.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Altoona, PA

White (Non-Hispanic)
39.8k ± 540
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
1.48k ± 251
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
1.32k ± 529

2.09%

Hispanic Population

914 people

2.09% of the people in Altoona, PA are hispanic (914 people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Altoona, PA as a share of the total population.

Foreign-Born Population

0.788%

2020 Foreign-Born Population

344 people

0.914%

2019 Foreign-Born Population

402 people

As of 2020, 0.788% of Altoona, PA residents (344 people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.5%. In 2019, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Altoona, PA was 0.914%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,046 ± 192
Gulf War (2001-)
755 ± 201
Gulf War (1990s)
401 ± 142

Altoona, PA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.39 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Altoona, PA employs 18.8k people. The largest industries in Altoona, PA are Health Care & Social Assistance (3,833 people), Retail Trade (2,688 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (1,775 people), and the highest paying industries are Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($66,719), Utilities ($64,250), and Public Administration ($53,046).

Employment

Occupations

18.8k

2020 Value

± 904

−2.18%

1 Year decline

± 6.55%

From 2019 to 2020, employment in Altoona, PA declined at a rate of −2.18%, from 19.2k employees to 18.8k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Altoona, PA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,847 people), Sales & Related Occupations (1,828 people), and Management Occupations (1,569 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Altoona, PA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Pennsylvania (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

18.8k

2020 Value

± 904

−2.18%

1 Year decline

± 6.55%

From 2019 to 2020, employment in Altoona, PA declined at a rate of −2.18%, from 19.2k employees to 18.8k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Altoona, PA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (3,833 people), Retail Trade (2,688 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (1,775 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Altoona, PA, though some of these residents may live in Altoona, PA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$35,799

Median earning men ± $1,225

$27,487

Median earning women ± $1,523

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2020 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($58,114), Public Administration ($54,405), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($46,705).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2020 are Wholesale Trade ($50,434), Construction ($48,125), and Public Administration ($40,122).

Employment by Industry Sector

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

Y-Axis

8.45%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between May 2020 and May 2021

As of May 2021, there are 145M people employed in Pennsylvania. This represents a 8.45% increase in employment when compared to May 2020.

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

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Domestic Trade

Domestic Production & Consumption

Domestic production and consumption consists of products and services shipped from Pennsylvania to other states, or from other states to Pennsylvania.

Top Domestic Production in Dollars

In 2020, the top outbound Pennsylvania product (by dollars) was Pharmaceuticals with $110B, followed by Mixed freight ($74.2B) and Electronics ($44.2B).

The following chart shows the share of these products in relation to all outbound Pennsylvania products.

Domestic Trade Growth

Showing data for Pennsylvania.

$734B

2020 Value in Pennsylvania

$1.46T

Projected 2050 Value in Pennsylvania

99.3% growth

In 2020, total outbound Pennsylvania trade was $734B. This is expected to increase 99.3% to $1.46T by 2050.

The following chart shows how the domestic outbound Pennsylvania trade is projected to change in comparison to its neighboring states.

Interstate Trade

Interstate trade consists of products and services shipped from Pennsylvania to other states, or from other states to Pennsylvania.

Most Common Trade Partners

New Jersey
$73.5B
New York
$71.1B
Ohio
$36.8B

In 2020, the top outbound Pennsylvania domestic partner for goods and services (by dollars) was New Jersey with $73.5B, followed by New York with $71.1B and Ohio and $36.8B.

The following map shows the amount of trade that Pennsylvania shares with each state (excluding itself).

Civics

Bob Casey Jr. and Pat Toomey are the senators currently representing the state of Pennsylvania. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Pennsylvania is currently represented by 18 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Senators Elections

US Senators from Pennsylvania

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Pennsylvania.

Bob Casey Jr.

Senator from Pennsylvania

Assumed office on January 3, 2007

Pat Toomey

Senator from Pennsylvania

Assumed office on January 3, 2011

Bob Casey Jr. and Pat Toomey are the senators currently representing Pennsylvania.

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 Pennsylvania over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representatives Elections

US Representatives from Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is currently represented by 18 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Pennsylvania have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

In 2020, universities in Altoona, PA awarded 203 degrees. The student population of Altoona, PA in 2020 is skewed towards women, with 59 male students and 183 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Altoona, PA are White (185 and 91.1%), followed by Black or African American (7 and 3.45%), Asian (5 and 2.46%), and Hispanic or Latino (3 and 1.48%).

The largest universities in Altoona, PA by number of degrees awarded are Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center (144 and 70.9%), Altoona Beauty School Inc (210748) (39 and 19.2%), and YTI Career Institute-Altoona (375939) (20 and 9.85%).

The most popular majors in Altoona, PA are Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training (76 and 37.4%), HVAC Maintenance (23 and 11.3%), and Medical Assistant (22 and 10.8%).

Completions

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

Measure

In 2020, 0.658% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.701% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

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

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2020 were High School or Equivalent (3.5M), Bachelors Degree (1.89M), and Some college (1.84M).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Altoona, PA was $92,900 in 2020, which is 0.404 times smaller than the national average of $229,800. Between 2019 and 2020 the median property value increased from $88,500 to $92,900, a 4.97% increase. The homeownership rate in Altoona, PA is 63.2%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 64.4%.

People in Altoona, PA have an average commute time of 18.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Altoona, PA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Altoona, PA is $42,244. In 2020, the place with the highest median household income in Altoona, PA was Census Tract 1002 with a value of $63,504, followed by Census Tract 1004 and Census Tract 1011, with respective values of $60,096 and $59,500.

Property

$92,900

Median Property Value 2020

±$2,874

$11,720

Median Property Taxes

±$681

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, PA the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

Rent vs Own

63.2%

Homeownership

2020

58.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2020

In 2020, 63.2% of the housing units in Altoona, PA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 64%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 1002
Census Tract 1004
Census Tract 1011

In 2020, the place with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Altoona, PA was Census Tract 1002 with a value of $63,504, followed by Census Tract 1004 and Census Tract 1011, with respective values of $60,096 and $59,500.

The following map shows all of the places in Altoona, PA colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

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

$42,244

Median Household Income

± $2,107

18.5k

Number of Households

± 898

In 2020, the median household income of the 18.5k households in Altoona, PA grew to $42,244 from the previous year's value of $41,403.

The following chart displays the households in Altoona, PA 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.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Altoona, PA is from Pennsylvania.

0.466

2020 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania

0.469

2019 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania

In 2020, the income inequality in Pennsylvania was 0.466 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.614% decline from 2019 to 2020, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Pennsylvania was lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Pennsylvania in comparison to the national average.

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

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2020

Drove Alone (81.6%)
Carpooled (8.15%)
Walked (4.27%)

In 2020, 81.6% of workers in Altoona, PA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (8.15%) and those who walked to work (4.27%).

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

18.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Altoona, PA have a shorter commute time (18.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.9 minutes). Additionally, 1.36% of the workforce in Altoona, PA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

21.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Altoona, PA (9.1k out of 42.7k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.8%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Altoona, PA 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
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

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

Health

95.6% of the population of Altoona, PA has health coverage, with 39.3% on employee plans, 27.3% on Medicaid, 11.3% on Medicare, 14.9% on non-group plans, and 2.76% on military or VA plans.

Per capita personal health care spending in Pennsylvania was $9,258 in 2014. This is a 4.29% increase from the previous year ($8,877).

Primary care physicians in Blair County, PA see 1225 patients per year on average, which represents a 3.2% increase from the previous year (1187 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1624 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 399 patients per year.

COVID-19

Daily New Cases by Date

Showing data at the state level for Pennsylvania. Hospitalization data for some states may be delayed or not reported.

Y-Axis

This chart shows the number of COVID-19 daily new cases by date in Pennsylvania, as a 7-day rolling average, compared with the four states with the most similar number of confirmed cases.

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Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the country level. Showing data for Blair County, PA.

1,225 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Blair County, PA

Primary care physicians in Blair County, PA see an average of 1,225 patients per year. This represents a 3.2% increase from the previous year (1,187 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Blair County, PA in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Community Mobility

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

This chart presents movement trends over time in the state of Pennsylvania across different categories of places such as retail and recreation, groceries and pharmacies, parks, transit stations, workplaces, and residential.

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Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2020, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.4% under 18 years, 22.3% between 18 and 34 years, 38.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 15.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.9% were men and 52.1% were women.

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

Uninsured People

4.39%

Uninsured

39.3%

Employer Coverage

27.3%

Medicaid

11.3%

Medicare

14.9%

Non-Group

2.76%

Military or VA

Between 2019 and 2020, the percent of uninsured citizens in Altoona, PA grew by 8.87% from 4.03% to 4.39%.

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