† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupAltoonaPennsylvaniaUnited States
German33.6%21.6%12.5%
Irish16.4%14.8%9.4%
Italian9.3%10.6%4.8%
English8.8%8.3%9.5%
American5.8%4.4%5.3%
Polish4.0%5.4%2.2%
Scottish1.5%1.1%1.3%
French1.2%—1.6%
African American†3.2%8.7%9.9%
Puerto Rican0.4%3.7%1.8%
Mexican0.2%1.4%11.3%
Spanish0.2%——
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Altoona
Pennsylvania
United States
Median age
40.4
41.2
39.1
Age 18–24
8.2%
8.9%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
17.9%
19.5%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Altoona
Pennsylvania
United States
Median household income
$51,250
$77,971
$84,427
Poverty rate
16.6%
11.7%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
20.5%
35.2%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Altoona
Pennsylvania
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
2.6%
12.4%
22.3%
Religious landscape
Measure
Altoona
Pennsylvania
United States
Catholic
—
21.9%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
9.3%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
53.1%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Altoona, Pennsylvania
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−14.1%
2008
−5.0%
2012
−12.2%
2016
−29.7%
2020
−26.8%
2024
−26.8%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
R
36.2%Harris7,228
63.0%Trump12,582
0.9%
R+26.8
±0.0
R+25.3
19,986
R
36.0%Biden7,180
62.7%Trump12,522
1.3%
R+26.8
D+2.9
R+31.2
19,957
R
33.2%Clinton5,739
62.8%Trump10,878
4.0%
R+29.7
R+17.4
R+31.8
17,309
R
43.1%Obama6,330
55.4%Romney8,128
1.5%
R+12.2
R+7.3
R+16.1
14,682
R
46.5%Obama8,299
51.5%McCain9,186
2.0%
R+5.0
D+9.2
R+12.2
17,836
R
42.9%Kerry7,511
57.0%Bush9,984
0.1%
R+14.1
—
R+11.7
17,507
Altoona's post-industrial identity — built around railroad manufacturing that peaked a century ago — has made it a reliable bellwether for Blair County, where Republican margins have grown steadily as manufacturing employment declined.
Across the recorded series it reached a Republican high of 29.7 points in 2016. The 2024 margin was 26.8 points.
A population of 43,196, a 89% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $51,250 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Quincy and East Peoria.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Altoona, Pennsylvania voted Republican by 26.8 points (R+26.8), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 19,986 votes cast, 7,228 went Democratic and 12,582 went Republican.
How many people live in Altoona, Pennsylvania?
Altoona, Pennsylvania has a population of 43,196 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Altoona, Pennsylvania?
Median household income in Altoona, Pennsylvania is $51,250 — below the national median of $80,734. The Pennsylvania state median is $77,971.
What is the political history of Altoona, Pennsylvania?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Altoona, Pennsylvania from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 0 went Democratic and 6 went Republican.
