City profile · Wisconsin · Census ACS 2023

Altoona, WI

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Altoona — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

8,750
Residents
$80,126
Median income
$220,900
Median home
$1,097
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Altoona, WI

Altoona is a city in Wisconsin with a population of 8,750 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $80,126 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 7.3%. Typical homes in Altoona are valued around $220,900, and the median resident age is 36.4 years. About 41.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 66.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 79 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 30% from five years earlier. FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 1839.4 incidents per 1,000 residents, above the national average, indicating elevated public-safety concerns.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Wisconsin registers 94.1 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,097 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $225 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 59.1 out of 100 (Moderate).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

8,750 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Wisconsin

Median Household Income

$80,126 /yr

Poverty 7.3%

Cost of Living Index

94.1 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Altoona compare to other US cities?

Where Altoona sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 62% higher than other cities
Home value 49% pricier than other cities
Median rent 29% pricier than other cities
Safety 36% safer than other cities

Percentiles compare Altoona against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Altoona, WI Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Altoona, WI. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Altoona, WI — median $80,126/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Altoona, WI — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 41.7%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 7.3%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 66.3%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
8,750
Median Income
$80,126
Median Home Value
$220,900
Median Age
36.4
Poverty Rate
7.3%
Labor force participation
66.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
41.7%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
1839.4
per 1,000 residents
Violent Crime
31.2
per 1,000 residents
Property Crime
1808.2
per 1,000 residents

Schools

Total Schools
4
Public schools in this city

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) — annual residential permits authorized

📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
79
housing units authorized
Single-Family
13
detached homes
Multifamily
66
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
9
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 113
2020 256
2021 214
2022 90
2023 166
2024 79

Permit volume decreased 30% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
77.9%
Carpool
6.9%
Public Transit
0.7%
Walk
1.0%
Work from Home
12.8%
Other
0.7%

Based on 4,546 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Wisconsin — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$100
avg/month
Natural Gas
$80
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$45
avg/month
Total Utilities
$225
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Wisconsin state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Wisconsin state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
94.1
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,097/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
59.1 / 100
Moderate
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Altoona, WI Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Altoona, WI — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Altoona compares to nearby Wisconsin cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Altoona) plus the nearest peer cities in Wisconsin, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

WI

Altoona

80.13% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$80,126
Brackets
9
Selected

WI

Monona

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$860
Brackets
9
Selected

WI

Plymouth

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$890
Brackets
9
Selected

WI

Delavan

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$850
Brackets
9
Census ACS 5-year FIPS WI FBI UCR NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Altoona, WI?

What is the population of Altoona, WI? +

Altoona, WI has a population of 8,750 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Altoona, WI? +

The median household income in Altoona is $80,126 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Altoona? +

Altoona has a cost of living index of 94.1 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

Is Altoona, WI safe? +

Altoona has a total crime rate of 1839.4 per 1,000 residents, which is above the national average. Source: FBI UCR data.

What is the median home value in Altoona, WI? +

The median home value in Altoona is $220,900, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

Verify with HUD →

Verify with FBI →

Verify with NOAA →

Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →

Verify with EPA →

Verify with FEMA →

Verify with BEA →

Verify with EIA →

Verify with NCES →