What is the population of Altoona city?

Altoona city has 20,592 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #27 of 1,026 in Iowa.

What is the median household income in Altoona city?

Median household income in Altoona city is $87,123 a year, 10.9% above the national figure of $78,538.

How much does it cost to rent or buy in Altoona city?

Median gross rent is $1,203 a month and the median home value is $257,300, so rent absorbs about 16.6% of median household income.

Is Altoona city affordable compared with the rest of the US?

Homes cost about 3× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Altoona city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 16.6% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.

Aerial view of a dense city center, illustrating the US cities ZIP code directory

Iowa · Census place 01630

Altoona, IA population, income and ZIP codes

Quick answer

The population of the city of Altoona, Iowa (Altoona, IA — Census place “Altoona city”) is 20,592 residents, ranking #27 of 1026 places in Iowa. Median household income is $87,123, the median home is worth $257,300 and median gross rent runs $1,203 a month. Looking for the Altoona Iowa ZIP code list? 1 ZIP codes serve Altoona, IA: 50009.

Population: 20,592Altoona city residents
Median household income: $87,123Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
Median home value: $257,300Owner-occupied units
Median gross rent: $1,203Rent plus utilities, monthly
Median age: 35.5 yrsAll residents
Homeownership rate: 68.3%Owner-occupied households

Altoona ZIP codes (Iowa)

Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Altoona.

The Altoona IA ZIP code list below covers 1 ZIP code. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.

50009

What the numbers mean in Altoona city

Housing cost measured against local earnings.

A household earning the Altoona city median would spend about 16.6% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 3.0× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 7.2% of residents and 68.3% of households own their home.

Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year

Altoona city, IA in context

How this area compares with national benchmarks.

Altoona city is a mid-size town in Iowa, with 20,592 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #27 of 1,026 ranked by population — larger than 97% of them. The median age here is 35.5 years against 39.1 nationally, a slightly younger profile than the country as a whole. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.

Households in Altoona city earn a median of $87,123 a year, 10.9% above the national figure of $78,538 and 29% above the $67,791 median for the 290 Iowa cities we cover. Median household income counts every pre-tax dollar arriving at an address — wages, self-employment, Social Security, pensions, interest and public assistance — for everyone living there, so multi-earner households pull the figure up even where individual pay is modest. Poverty reaches 7.2% of residents here, below the 12.4% national rate.

The typical owner-occupied home in Altoona city is valued at $257,300, 15.2% below the national figure and 65% above the $156,300 peer median, while median gross rent runs $1,203 a month, 14.4% below the national figure, or roughly $14,436 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 16.6% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is cheap relative to what people here earn. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 3×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is easier here than in the average US market. 68.3% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, so the market leans toward owners. The rent line includes utilities paid by the tenant, a definition worth remembering when comparing it against a landlord's quoted rate.

All values below were released by the Census for this exact geography, with no gap-filling on our side. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.

Compare with nearby places

Places of similar size in Iowa.

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about this area.

What is the population of Altoona city?: Altoona city has 20,592 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #27 of 1,026 in Iowa.
What is the median household income in Altoona city?: Median household income in Altoona city is $87,123 a year, 10.9% above the national figure of $78,538.
How much does it cost to rent or buy in Altoona city?: Median gross rent is $1,203 a month and the median home value is $257,300, so rent absorbs about 16.6% of median household income.
Is Altoona city affordable compared with the rest of the US?: Homes cost about 3× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Altoona city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 16.6% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
How current is this Altoona city data?: All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.