AltaIowaPopPlot, 2021
Alta’s story
155 years in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2004.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1871Alta is settled
AltaIA
A town of 1,958, settled in 1871. A typical home costs 3 years of the Storm Lake area’s $72K median household income.
Population
1,958
2025 Census estimate · −6.3% since 2020
Typical home
$213K
+0.8% in a year
Household income
$66K
median
Median age
38.8
years
Jobs based here
367
A commuter town
Is Alta a good place to live?
The best of Alta’s subject grades is an A+ for cost of living; the weakest is a C− for incomes. On walkability, just 25 of Iowa’s 276 towns do worse. On the outdoors, just 17 of Iowa’s 276 towns do worse. Danish Lutheran Church is on the National Register of Historic Places. Alta has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Alta stand out
Where Alta beats most towns.
A growing town
Alta has grown 4% since 2010
1,883 counted in 2010 and 2,087 in 2020; an estimated 1,958 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Alta grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Alta is from typical.
Cost of livingA+Open →Jobs & income$66K median household income; 367 jobs based hereC−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 28% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.2 of 20; 0.9% of households have no car; 1.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →HealthHealthier than 65% of U.S. towns; Buena Vista Regional Medical Center 4.6 miles awayBOpen →SchoolsBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsC−Open →History1 place on the National Register; 3 notable people born hereB−Open →Civic life4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsBOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateCold winters, 83° summer afternoons, 38″ of snow–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 38.8; 21% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Alta: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Alta, and how to reach them.
PowerCity of AltaEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterAlta Municipal Water PlantNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Alta’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Iowa you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereBuena Vista County AuditorBuena Vista County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2019
ZIP code5100251002 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Alta.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
About half of Alta’s working residents commute to Storm Lake
Most working residents leave Alta for work: only 8% work in town. Alta’s average trip to work is 14 minutes, against 19 minutes in Iowa’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. The top destinations are Storm Lake (47%), Sioux City (3%) and Cherokee (3%).
8%work in town
| Alta | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.8% | 31% | 8% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Alta8%
Storm Lake47%
Sioux City3%
Cherokee3%
Aurelia2%
7 mi
median commute distance
367
jobs based in Alta
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 30% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsB
Alta’s schools rank ahead of 63% of Iowa districts
Its public schools are run by the Alta-Aurelia Community School District. Its two schools are below.
63%of IA districts it outscoresBSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alta Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 256 | B− |
| Alta-Aurelia High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 221 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Alta faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 72% of U.S. communities.
28risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesHail
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Alta
Alta has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Alta’s July high is 83°F, where Iowa’s towns sit at 84°F and U.S. towns at 85°F.
38″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter12–29°
Spring36–57°
Summer60–81°
Fall38–60°
Oct 13
typical first frost
Apr 25
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB
A smaller share of adults in Alta have been diagnosed with depression than in the typical Iowa or U.S. town
19% of Alta adults have been diagnosed with depression. Alta beats the Iowa average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 33% of Alta adults have high blood pressure.
65%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Alta | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 32% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Iowa
0 better31 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Alta | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 9.9% | 7.3% |
Buena Vista Regional Medical Center
4.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade A+
Alta’s typical home value is about $213K
The typical Alta home is worth about $213,000, up 0.8% in a year, 10% below the Iowa typical home. 78% of households own their home in Alta.
$213KZillow home value
| Alta | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 78% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $894 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Alta$213K
Iowa$237K
+0.8%
value change, 1 year
3
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 682 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Alta City Park | — | 11 |
| 2. South Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Alta
18pages on Alta
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Alta
About 3 of every 100 Alta residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
A commuter town
92% of working residents leave Alta for work
Where Alta’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
367jobs based in Alta
8%of working residents work in town
7 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Famous people from Alta
3 notable people were born in Alta.
About Alta
City in Iowa, USA
Alta is a city in Buena Vista County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,087 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1872
- Area
- 1.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,490 ft
- ZIP code
- 51002
- Area code
- 712
Questions about Alta
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Alta, IA expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.
What is Alta, IA known for?
3 notable people were born here, including George Alfred Carlson and Mildred Hope Fisher Wood.