Population

Altoona

43,508

Brainerd

14,474

Median Income

Altoona

$50,171

Brainerd

$53,705

Home Value

Altoona

$113,600

Brainerd

$178,600

Rent

Altoona

$789

Brainerd

$848

Crime Rate

Altoona

3.35

Brainerd

4.31

Cost of Living

Altoona

80.8

Brainerd

89.3

Avg Temp

Altoona

N/A

Brainerd

N/A

Unemployment

Altoona

6.8%

Brainerd

8.1%

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How Similar Are Altoona & Brainerd?

Brainerd is Altoona's #21 most similar city

6/10

6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Altoona

43,508

vs

Brainerd

14,474

Different · 67% difference

Altoona (43,508) is about 3.0x larger than Brainerd (14,474).

Violent Crime

Altoona

3.35

vs

Brainerd

4.31

Different · 22% difference
🚨

Brainerd has a 22% higher violent crime than Altoona.

Property Crime

🔒

Altoona

18.50

vs

Brainerd

17.79

Match · 4% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 4% difference.

Political Leaning

Altoona

71.4%

vs

Brainerd

65.0%

Match · 9% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 9% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Altoona

6.8%

vs

Brainerd

8.1%

Different · 16% difference

Brainerd has a 16% higher unemployment than Altoona.

Median Income

Altoona

$50,171

vs

Brainerd

$53,705

Match · 7% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 7% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Altoona

$113,600

vs

Brainerd

$178,600

Different · 36% difference

Brainerd has a 36% higher home values than Altoona.

Education

Altoona

13.9%

vs

Brainerd

13.3%

Match · 4% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 4% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Altoona

89.8%

vs

Brainerd

91.1%

Match · 1% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 1% difference.

Cost of Living

Altoona

80.8

vs

Brainerd

89.3

Match · 10% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 10% difference.

6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Altoona and Brainerd share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Altoona

vsof 8

0

Brainerd

Altoona leads in 6 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Altoona leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Altoona scores 75.6 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 92.8 in Brainerd. Brainerd has a fair market rent (1br) of $854 vs $948 in Altoona (11% lower). Altoona scores 80.8 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 89.3 in Brainerd.

Overall Cost Index

Altoona80.8
Brainerd89.3

Housing Index

Altoona75.6
Brainerd92.8

Food Index

Altoona88.3
Brainerd91.0

Transportation Index

Altoona78.2
Brainerd81.5

Healthcare Index

Altoona90.7
Brainerd92.8

Utilities Index

Altoona88.1
Brainerd93.2

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Altoona$35,563
Brainerd$39,284

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Altoona$84,058
Brainerd$92,853

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Altoona$948
Brainerd$854

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Altoona$1,138
Brainerd$1,120

Housing Market — Altoona leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Brainerd has a vacancy rate of 5.5% compared to 11.8% in Altoona. Brainerd has a median home value of $178,600 vs $113,600 in Altoona (36% higher). Altoona has a median property tax of $1,346 vs $1,865 in Brainerd (28% lower).

Median Home Value

Altoona$113,600
Brainerd$178,600

Median Rent

Altoona$789
Brainerd$848

Median Property Tax

Altoona$1,346
Brainerd$1,865

Owner-Occupied

Altoona64.2%
Brainerd57.0%

Vacancy Rate

Altoona11.8%
Brainerd5.5%

Single-Family Homes

Altoona75.6%
Brainerd63.9%

Jobs & Economy — Altoona leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Altoona: 20,842 vs Brainerd: 7,434 for labor force. Altoona has a work from home of 5.8% compared to 4.5% in Brainerd. Altoona has a unemployment rate of 6.8% compared to 8.1% in Brainerd.

Median Household Income

Altoona$50,171
Brainerd$53,705

Per Capita Income

Altoona$30,116
Brainerd$29,935

Poverty Rate

Altoona18.8%
Brainerd16.7%

Unemployment Rate

Altoona6.8%
Brainerd8.1%

Labor Force

Altoona20,842
Brainerd7,434

Mean Commute

Altoona18 min
Brainerd18 min

Work from Home

Altoona5.8%
Brainerd4.5%

Private Sector

Altoona88.2%
Brainerd89.7%

Government Sector

Altoona40.7%
Brainerd42.2%

Crime & Safety — Altoona leads

Source: FBI UCR

Brainerd has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.85 compared to 3.32 in Altoona. Brainerd has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.41 compared to 0.73 in Altoona. Altoona has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.84 compared to 3.22 in Brainerd.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Altoona3.35
Brainerd4.31

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Altoona18.50
Brainerd17.79

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Altoona0.02
Brainerd0.00

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Altoona0.73
Brainerd0.41

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Altoona1.84
Brainerd3.22

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Altoona3.32
Brainerd1.85

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Altoona14.03
Brainerd15.46

Violent Crime Clearance

Altoona61.3%
Brainerd57.1%

Property Crime Clearance

Altoona27.0%
Brainerd24.6%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

AltoonaN/A
BrainerdN/A

Avg Annual High

AltoonaN/A
BrainerdN/A

Avg Annual Low

AltoonaN/A
BrainerdN/A

Sunny Days per Year

AltoonaN/A
BrainerdN/A

Annual Rainfall

AltoonaN/A
BrainerdN/A

Annual Snowfall

AltoonaN/A
BrainerdN/A

Avg Humidity

AltoonaN/A
BrainerdN/A

Schools & Education — Altoona leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Altoona has a high school diploma or higher of 48.9% compared to 36.8% in Brainerd. Altoona has a bachelor's degree or higher of 13.9% compared to 13.3% in Brainerd.

Public Schools

Altoona0
Brainerd0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

AltoonaN/A
BrainerdN/A

Colleges & Universities

Altoona0
Brainerd0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Altoona13.9%
Brainerd13.3%

High School Diploma or Higher

Altoona48.9%
Brainerd36.8%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Altoona has a population of 43,508, about 3x the size of Brainerd (14,474). Brainerd skews younger with a median age of 36.1 vs 39.8.

Population

Altoona43,508
Brainerd14,474

Median Age

Altoona40
Brainerd36

Avg Household Size

Altoona2.3
Brainerd2.2

Married Population

Altoona34.3%
Brainerd33.3%

Foreign Born

Altoona1.3%
Brainerd1.1%

White

Altoona89.8%
Brainerd91.1%

Black

Altoona3.3%
Brainerd1.6%

Hispanic

Altoona1.8%
Brainerd2.7%

Asian

Altoona0.5%
Brainerd0.5%

Altoona

Brainerd

Healthcare — Brainerd leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Brainerd: 5.0 vs Altoona: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Altoona5
Brainerd5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Altoona3.0
Brainerd5.0

With Emergency Services

Altoona4
Brainerd4

Transportation & Commute — Altoona leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Brainerd has a bicycle of 0.9% compared to 0.0% in Altoona. Altoona has a work from home of 5.8% compared to 4.5% in Brainerd. Altoona has a public transit of 1.4% compared to 1.3% in Brainerd.

Mean Commute Time

Altoona18 min
Brainerd18 min

Drive Alone

Altoona79.0%
Brainerd79.0%

Public Transit

Altoona1.4%
Brainerd1.3%

Bicycle

Altoona0.0%
Brainerd0.9%

Work from Home

Altoona5.8%
Brainerd4.5%

Airports

Altoona0
Brainerd0

Cities Similar to Altoona, PA

Compare Altoona against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

🧬

City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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