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Altoona

This map uses census data to show where people work in Altoona who earn between $15,000 and $40,000/year. Large clusters of these jobs tend to be located where there are many retail, food service, and service industry jobs, such as shopping centers or office parks.

Where are the jobs?

Affordability



Housing cost burden

Among households earning under $50,000 in Altoona, an estimated 822 households are paying more than they can afford for a home they rent, and 482 households are paying more than they can afford for a home they own.

Cost burden refers to a household paying more than 30% of income on housing.

Severe cost burden refers to a household paying more than 50% of income on housing.

Housing cost burdens can break apart family budgets. High housing costs take up money otherwise needed for transportation, education, and other basic necessities.

Wages needed to afford housing

The National Low Income Housing Coalition releases an annual estimate of the hourly wage a person would need to earn to afford a typical two bedroom apartment. Here's local data:

Zip Code
Housing Wage
50009
$18.08

Wages paid by essential jobs

The National Housing Conference's Paycheck to Paycheck report highlights the wages commonly paid by important occupations in our region:

Childcare worker

$13.86/hour

Retail salesperson

$12.56/hour

Home health/personal care aide

$13.86/hour

Restaurant cook

$14.39/hour

Income Profile



Median household income

$79,482

Number of people in poverty

1,327

That's 7% of the population.

ALICE threshold by United Way

ALICE was developed by United Way to provide a more complete picture of who is struggling in our communities. Incomes for ALICE households are higher than the poverty level but too low to afford a basic survival budget.

Households in poverty

480

Households above poverty but below the ALICE threshold

1,208

Households above ALICE threshold

1,327

ALICE data is drawn from the 2021 5-Year American Community Survey.

Number of households earning under $50k/year

1,946

Housing Stock

Number of housing units 

7,198

Percentage that are occupied

95%

Median value, owner occupied home

$199,600

Median rent

$1,027

Percentage of all housing units that are...

Owner occupied

69%

Renter occupied

31%

Get involved

We're continuing to improve this section over time.

Comprehensive plan

The comprehensive plan sets the tone for a city's priorities, including on the subject of housing.

In 2022, Altoona adopted an amendment to its 2014 strategic plan.

Zoning map

A city's zoning map provides a picture of what type of housing may be built in which areas.

Find contact information for the city's elected leaders.

About the data

You are viewing Community Profiles v 2.1 last updated in May, 2023.  CORRECTION: Community Profiles version 2.0 incorrectly identified individuals living in poverty as households in poverty.

 

Community data is drawn from the 2016-2020 American Community Survey with analysis by the Polk County Housing Trust Fund.  Job map data is from the US Census Bureau, Center for Economic Studies, LEHD via On the Map. Other data sources are noted where shown.

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