Population
Altoona
43,508
Charleston
17,212
Median Income
Altoona
$50,171
Charleston
$49,057
Home Value
Altoona
$113,600
Charleston
$133,700
Rent
Altoona
$789
Charleston
$819
Crime Rate
Altoona
3.35
Charleston
3.60
Cost of Living
Altoona
80.8
Charleston
83.8
Avg Temp
Altoona
N/A
Charleston
N/A
Unemployment
Altoona
6.8%
Charleston
5.9%
How Similar Are Altoona & Charleston?
Charleston is Altoona's #13 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Altoona
43,508
Charleston
17,212
Altoona (43,508) is about 2.5x larger than Charleston (17,212).
Violent Crime
Altoona
3.35
Charleston
3.60
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 7% difference.
Property Crime
Altoona
18.50
Charleston
17.93
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 3% difference.
Political Leaning
Altoona
71.4%
Charleston
63.4%
Both cities lean Republican, but Altoona has a stronger Republican lean (11% difference).
Unemployment
Altoona
6.8%
Charleston
5.9%
Altoona has a 13% higher unemployment than Charleston.
Median Income
Altoona
$50,171
Charleston
$49,057
Both cities have similar median income — just a 2% difference.
Home Values
Altoona
$113,600
Charleston
$133,700
Charleston has a 15% higher home values than Altoona.
Education
Altoona
13.9%
Charleston
18.9%
Charleston has a 26% higher education than Altoona.
Demographics
Altoona
89.8%
Charleston
86.1%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 4% difference.
Cost of Living
Altoona
80.8
Charleston
83.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Altoona and Charleston share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Altoona
0
Charleston
Altoona leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability
Source: City Stats Index / HUDCharleston has a fair market rent (1br) of $759 vs $948 in Altoona (25% lower). Charleston has a fair market rent (2br) of $965 vs $1,138 in Altoona (18% lower). Charleston scores 67.0 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 78.2 in Altoona.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Altoona leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAltoona has a median property tax of $1,346 vs $2,978 in Charleston (55% lower). Altoona has a owner-occupied of 64.2% compared to 46.6% in Charleston. Altoona has a single-family homes of 75.6% compared to 55.8% in Charleston.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Altoona leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAltoona: 20,842 vs Charleston: 10,020 for labor force. Charleston has a work from home of 9.1% compared to 5.8% in Altoona. Charleston: 14 min vs Altoona: 18 min for mean commute.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Altoona leads
Source: FBI UCRCharleston has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.06 compared to 0.73 in Altoona. Altoona has a violent crime clearance of 61.3% compared to 19.7% in Charleston. Altoona has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 3.32 compared to 6.07 in Charleston.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauAltoona has a high school diploma or higher of 48.9% compared to 33.7% in Charleston. Charleston has a bachelor's degree or higher of 18.9% compared to 13.9% in Altoona.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAltoona has a population of 43,508, about 2.5x the size of Charleston (17,212). Charleston skews younger with a median age of 28.8 vs 39.8.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Altoona
Charleston
Healthcare — Charleston leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareCharleston: 5 vs Altoona: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Charleston leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCharleston has a bicycle of 1.3% compared to 0.0% in Altoona. Charleston has a work from home of 9.1% compared to 5.8% in Altoona. Charleston: 14 min vs Altoona: 18 min for mean commute time.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
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.