HomeIowaPolk CountyAltoona
Altoona, Iowa: commercial real estate data.
Altoona is a Census city of 21,495 people across 13.31 square miles of land, in Polk County. Median household income is $86,114, 68.7 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 20 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $11.6 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Altoona
What Altoona is
- Census place typecity
- Land area13.31 sq mi
- Water area0.02 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land1,615
- County holding the largest share of its areaPolk County, 100.0 percent
US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Altoona
How many people live in Altoona
- Population21,495
- Median age36.1
- Population under 185,496
- Share under 1825.6 percent
- Population 65 and over3,684
- Share 65 and over17.1 percent
- Households8,489
- Family households5,288
- Share of households that are families62.3 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Altoona
Income and work in Altoona
- Median household income$86,114
- Per capita income$42,593
- Civilian labor force11,581
- Employed10,716
- Unemployed865 plus or minus 495
- Unemployment rate7.5 percent plus or minus 4.3
- Adults 25 and over14,336
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher96.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher33.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree10.4 percent plus or minus 2.2
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Altoona
Housing in Altoona
- Housing units8,773
- Occupied units8,489
- Vacant units284 plus or minus 204
- Vacancy rate3.2 percent plus or minus 2.3
- Owner occupied5,830
- Renter occupied2,659
- Ownership rate68.7 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$274,600
- Median gross rent, monthly$1,235
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.2 percent
- Single family units6,253
- Share single family71.3 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more2,210 plus or minus 453
- Share in buildings of two or more25.2 percent
- Mobile homes310 plus or minus 133
- Median year structure built1998
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Altoona
How Altoona gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute9,133
- Commuting under 15 minutes2,447
- Share commuting under 15 minutes26.8 percent
- Commuting 30 minutes or more2,391
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more26.2 percent
- Drove alone81.0 percent
- Carpooled3.7 percent plus or minus 1.3
- Public transport0.1 percent plus or minus 0.3
- Walked0.2 percent plus or minus 0.3
- Worked from home13.0 percent plus or minus 2.6
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Altoona
SBA loans in Altoona (7(a))
- Approvals20
- Gross approval$11,585,700
- Average approval$579,285
- Median approval$171,000
- Ninetieth percentile approval$1,606,920
- Largest approval$3,200,000
- Jobs supported154
- Jobs per approval7.7
- Loans with a final outcome5
- Paid in full5
- Charged off0
- Median term120 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more20.0 percent
- Share to franchises25.0 percent
- Distinct lenders16
- Distinct industries by NAICS15
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Altoona, in any county, FY2020 to FY2026. Only 5 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Altoona
SBA loans in Altoona (504)
- Approvals4
- Gross approval$2,831,000
- Average approval$707,750
- Median approval$406,000
- Largest approval$1,872,000
- Jobs supported21
- Loans with a final outcome1
- Charged off0
- Median term270 months
- Distinct CDCs3
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Altoona, in any county, FY2010 to FY2026. Only 1 loan has reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Altoona
Flood risk in Altoona
- NFIP communityCity of Altoona
- NFIP community number190546
- Participating in the NFIPYes
- Community Rating System classNone
- Currently effective map date02/01/19
The City of Altoona participates in the National Flood Insurance Program as community 190546 and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies to it.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Polk County, not Altoona
Polk County context, not Altoona figures
- Establishments in Polk County13,890
- Covered employment, Polk County317,845
- Average annual pay, Polk County$72,557
- Housing units permitted, Polk County2,949
Every figure in this section is published for Polk County as a whole and is not a measurement of Altoona.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages. US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Parcel detail, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Common questions
Altoona questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Altoona, Iowa?
21,495, in 8,489 households. Altoona city covers 13.31 square miles of land, which is 1,615 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is Altoona in?
Polk County, which holds 100.0 percent of the place by area. Source: US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage.
What is the median household income in Altoona?
$86,114. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $274,600. Median gross rent is $1,235 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to Altoona businesses?
20 7(a) approvals totaling $11.6 m since FY2020, across 16 lenders, median approval $171,000, plus 4 504 approvals worth $2.8 m since FY2010. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in Altoona, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to Altoona borrowers get paid back?
No rate is published for Altoona. Only 5 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published. The counts are shown instead.
Is Altoona in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. Altoona appears in the FEMA Community Status Book as Altoona, city of, community 190546, with no Community Rating System class, so no CRS discount applies. Whether a specific parcel sits in a mapped special flood hazard area is an address level question the platform answers.
Are the county figures on this page Altoona figures?
No, and they are labeled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Polk County as a whole and there is no place level equivalent. They appear in one clearly marked section as context and are never presented as measurements of Altoona.
Is zoning published for Altoona?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.