Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Altoona spent less per resident in 2022 than 77% of similar cities
Altoona’s city government spent $44.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,019 per resident.
What stands out about how Altoona is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$867 per resident in 2022: less than 77% of them
Altoona’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($867 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 56 Pennsylvania cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,038, and the middle half spent $890–$1,269. Altoona spent less than 77% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($192,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Pennsylvania cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Altoona itself left out).
About $1,019 per resident a year, or $2.79 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: housing & development, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 19% 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: $867 · 2023: $1,019.
full-time in March 2025, up from 208 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,369 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.14% of the home’s value, vs 1.30% across Pennsylvania.
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 altoonapa.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 204 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (43,525).
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.
Altoona Area School District
Altoona’s K–12 school district, shared with Logan Township, Tyrone Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,760 per pupil, $9,473 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.
Pennsylvania districts overall: 55% local, 37% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Altoona’s votes are counted by county
Pennsylvania reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Altoona alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Blair County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican71.4%46,352 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat27.9%18,127 votesOthers: 0.7% (470 votes).
Most votes in Blair County: Donald J Trump
Pennsylvania: Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.7%
100% of Altoona lies in Blair County. Every 2024 race in Blair County is on the county’s page.
Blair County’s 2024 results →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: altoonapa.gov ↗
- 2Pennsylvania HouseState representatives
- 3Pennsylvania SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Pennsylvania
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Altoona compares with the towns next door
Altoona spent $867 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Allegheny Township | $414 | $1,978 |
| Logan Township | $856 | $1,575 |
| Altoona | $867 | $1,369 |
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 $1,019 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $867 was less than 77% of 56 Pennsylvania cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Altoona?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,369 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.14% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.30% across Pennsylvania. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see altoonapa.gov.
Who runs Altoona’s government?
See altoonapa.gov 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?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Altoona alone. Blair County, where 100% of Altoona lies, voted Trump 71.4%, Harris 27.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Altoona?
213 full-time and 25 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.3M (about $15.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Altoona in the state legislature?
State Senate District 30 (Judy Ward) and State House District 79 (Andrea Verobish). The House district also covers three 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 →