Photo: Corey Coyle · CC BY 3.0Altoona spent more per resident in 2022 than 96% of similar cities
Altoona’s city government spent $35.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,651 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4.3 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Altoona is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$2,173 per resident in 2022: more than 96% of them
Altoona’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,173 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 23 Iowa cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,462, and the middle half spent $1,179–$1,778. Altoona spent more than 96% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($4.7 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Iowa cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Altoona itself left out).
About $1,651 per resident a year, or $4.52 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 19%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 16% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Altoona reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $2,173 · 2023: $1,920 · 2024: $1,651. Per resident it went from $2,173 to $1,651 (down 24%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 19,503 to 21,503.
full-time in March 2025, up from 120 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $4,392 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.60% of the home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Altoona’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Altoona’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Altoona →
Who’s in charge in Altoona
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Altoona’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on altoona-iowa.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 176 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (21,503).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Southeast Polk Community School District
Altoona’s K–12 school district, shared with Runnells, Mitchellville, Pleasant Hill. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,373 per pupil, $8,163 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Iowa districts overall: 43% local, 49% state, 8% federal.
Bondurant-Farrar Community School District · $11,685 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Altoona voted in 2024
Official results for Altoona’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican52.7%6,194 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat46.0%5,404 votesOthers: 1.3% (155 votes).
Most votes in Altoona: Donald J Trump
Polk County: Harris 54.8%, Trump 43.9% · Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
of Altoona’s 15,593 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Iowa: 70%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in the district: Zach Nunn
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Altoona, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altoona | 52.7% | 46.0% | 1.3% | 11,753 |
| Polk County | 43.9% | 54.8% | 1.3% | 255,563 |
| Iowa | 55.7% | 42.5% | 1.8% | 1,663,506 |
Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Altoona.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: altoona-iowa.com ↗
- 2Iowa HouseState representatives
- 3Iowa SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Iowa
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Altoona compares with the towns next door
Altoona spent $2,173 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $917 to $1,992. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Bondurant | $917 | $5,089 |
| Pleasant Hill | $1,992 | $4,807 |
| Altoona | $2,173 | $4,392 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Altoona’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Altoona’s government
How much does Altoona spend per resident?
About $1,651 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,173 was more than 96% of 23 Iowa cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Altoona?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,392 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.60% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see altoona-iowa.com.
Who runs Altoona’s government?
See altoona-iowa.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Altoona yet.
How did Altoona vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 52.7%, Kamala D Harris 46.0% (11,753 votes, official results). Polk County: Harris 54.8%, Trump 43.9%. Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%.
How many people work for Altoona?
122 full-time and 37 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.1M (about $13.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Altoona in the state legislature?
State Senate District 20 (Mike Pike) and State House District 40 (Bill Gustoff). The House district also covers parts of two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Altoona’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →