Is Altoona, KS a Good Place to Live?
Altoona is a small town of 367 in Kansas, with a median household income of $40,500 and a 1.6% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 84 (US average = 100), which is 16% below the national average.
Strengths: Altoona stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, solid school ratings (B), short average commutes.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Altoona is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Altoona city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 83.5Altoona's overall cost of living index is 83.5, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Altoona costs roughly 16% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Altoona, KS | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $55,000 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $700 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 81.6% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $40,500 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Crime data for Altoona is not currently available from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program. Not all local agencies report to the UCR each year.
Schools & Education
Altoona is served primarily by Altoona-Midway. The student-to-teacher ratio is 8.1:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Altoona, KS | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | Altoona-Midway | — |
| Elementary Schools | 1 | — |
| Middle Schools | N/A | — |
| High Schools | 1 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 8.1:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 9.3% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 83.9% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Altoona sees average highs of 42.8°F in January and 90.3°F in July, with 43.3 inches of annual precipitation and 6.5 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Altoona, KS |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 42.8°F |
| Average High — July | 90.3°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 43.3" |
| Annual Snowfall | 6.5" |
Demographics
| Metric | Altoona, KS | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 367 | — |
| Median Age | 45.6 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 1.6% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 22.9 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 90.5% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 0.0% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 0.0% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 24.5% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 28.6% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in Altoona
Altoona, KS is covered by 1 ZIP code: