Altoona, PA

Census Place

2024 Population

43,196

US Senator

John Fetterman

Democratic Party

US Senator

Dave McCormick

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

40.4

1.51% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

16.6%

12% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$51,250

2.15% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$119,900

Population & Diversity

Altoona, PA is home to a population of 43.2k people, from which 99.4% are citizens.

As of 2024, 1.6% of Altoona, PA residents were born outside of the country (692 people).

In 2024, there were 24.4 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (38k people) in Altoona, PA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.56k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 1.37k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.4%

2024 Citizenship

99.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.4% of Altoona, PA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Altoona, PA was 99.4%, 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)
38k ± 624
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
1.56k ± 332
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
1.37k ± 287

1.58%

Hispanic Population

682 people

1.58% of the people in Altoona, PA are hispanic (682 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Altoona, PA 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 Pennsylvania.

Most Common Origin

Dominican Republic
103,235 ± 7,857 people
India
102,082 ± 7,813 people
China
73,024 ± 6,616 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Pennsylvania was Dominican Republic, the natal country of 103,235 Pennsylvania residents, followed by India with 102,082 and China with 73,024.

Foreign-Born Population

1.6%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

692 people

1.34%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

581 people

As of 2024, 1.6% of Altoona, PA residents (692 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, PA was 1.34%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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
916 ± 186
Gulf War (2001-)
668 ± 180
Gulf War (1990s)
361 ± 130

Altoona, PA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.37 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Altoona, PA employs 19.7k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Altoona, PA were Health Care & Social Assistance (4,354 people), Retail Trade (2,727 people), and Manufacturing (1,776 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($63,750), Public Administration ($61,332), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($52,150).

Employment

Occupations

19.7k

2024 Value

± 1,015

1.43%

1 Year growth

± 7.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Altoona, PA grew at a rate of 1.43%, from 19.4k employees to 19.7k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Altoona, PA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,936 people), Management Occupations (1,707 people), and Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (1,463 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.

Industries

Employment by Industries

19.7k

2024 Value

± 1,015

1.43%

1 Year growth

± 7.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Altoona, PA grew at a rate of 1.43%, from 19.4k employees to 19.7k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Altoona, PA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (4,354 people), Retail Trade (2,727 people), and Manufacturing (1,776 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

$44,190

Median earning men ± $2,416

$34,891

Median earning women ± $1,512

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($67,250), Public Administration ($64,877), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($64,583).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($51,458), Public Administration ($43,056), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($40,159).

Education

The student population of Altoona, PA in 2024 is skewed towards men, with 1,337 male students and 1,324 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Altoona, PA are White (442 and 87%), Two or More Races (18 and 3.54%), Hispanic or Latino (18 and 3.54%), and Black or African American (14 and 2.76%).

The largest universities in Altoona, PA by number of degrees awarded are Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona (307 and 60.2%), Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center (103 and 20.2%), and Altoona Beauty School Inc (100 and 19.6%).

The most popular majors in Altoona, PA are Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research, & Clinical Nursing (59 and 11.6%), Aesthetician & Skin Care Specialist (56 and 11%), and General Business (37 and 7.25%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $15,388 for in-state students and $26,374 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

Measure

In 2024 in Altoona, PA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 98.1%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 10.3%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 2,661 (50.2% men and 49.8% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 2,661 students enrolled in Altoona, PA, 50.2% men and 49.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,888 records, of which 50.7% were women and 49.3% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research, & Clinical Nursing
58 degrees awarded
General Business
35 degrees awarded
Electromechanical Technology
26 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Altoona, PA was Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research, & Clinical Nursing with 58 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Altoona, PA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona
307 degrees awarded
Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center
103 degrees awarded
Altoona Beauty School Inc
100 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona with 307 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 184 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Altoona, PA, which is 0.564 times less than the 326 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 442 degrees mean that there were 24.6 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Two or More Races, with 18 degrees awarded.

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.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 4-year or above ($15,388) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($584) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,840) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Altoona, PA was $119,900 in 2024, which is 0.36 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $113,600 to $119,900, a 5.55% increase. The homeownership rate in Altoona, PA is 63.9%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Altoona, PA have an average commute time of 17.9 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.

Housing

Property

$119,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$4,454

$11,991

Median Property Taxes

±$709

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 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

63.9%

Homeownership

2024

58.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 63.9% of the housing units in Altoona, PA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 64.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Altoona, PA 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.

$51,250

Median Household Income

± $2,186

18.8k

Number of Households

± 964

In 2024, the median household income of the 18.8k households in Altoona, PA grew to $51,250 from the previous year's value of $50,171.

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.

0.463

2024 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania

0.463

2023 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania

In 2024, the income inequality in Pennsylvania was 0.463 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0903% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Pennsylvania was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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 2024

Drove Alone (77%)
Carpooled (10%)
Worked At Home (7.03%)

In 2024, 77% of workers in Altoona, PA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10%) and those who worked at home (7.03%).

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

17.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Altoona, PA have a shorter commute time (17.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.43% 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

16.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Altoona, PA (6.99k out of 42.1k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 35 - 44, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 55 - 64.

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

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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