Altoona is a medium-sized city located in the state of Iowa. With a population of 21,698 people and four associated neighborhoods, Altoona is the 27th largest community in Iowa. Altoona has seen a significant amount of newer housing growth in recent years. Quite often, new home construction is the result of new residents moving in who are middle class or wealthier, attracted by jobs, a healthy local economy, or other amenities as they leave nearby or far away areas for greener pastures. This seems to be the case in Altoona, where the median household income is $89,100.00.

Altoona real estate is some of the most expensive in Iowa, although Altoona house values don't compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.

Also of interest is that Altoona has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 10.46% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

The education level of Altoona citizens is substantially higher than the typical US community, as 32.57% of adults in Altoona have at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in Altoona in 2022 was $41,206, which is wealthy relative to Iowa, and upper middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $164,824 for a family of four. However, Altoona contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Altoona is a somewhat ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Altoona home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Altoona residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Altoona include German, English, Irish, Dutch, and European.

The most common language spoken in Altoona is English. Other important languages spoken here include Italian and Spanish.