Population
Wilkes-Barre
44,217
Altoona
43,508
Median Income
Wilkes-Barre
$47,970
Altoona
$50,171
Home Value
Wilkes-Barre
$108,000
Altoona
$113,600
Rent
Wilkes-Barre
$939
Altoona
$789
Crime Rate
Wilkes-Barre
2.49
Altoona
3.35
Cost of Living
Wilkes-Barre
84.7
Altoona
80.8
Avg Temp
Wilkes-Barre
N/A
Altoona
N/A
Unemployment
Wilkes-Barre
8.3%
Altoona
6.8%
How Similar Are Wilkes-Barre & Altoona?
Altoona is Wilkes-Barre's #12 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Wilkes-Barre
44,217
Altoona
43,508
Both cities have similar populations — Wilkes-Barre at 44,217 and Altoona at 43,508.
Violent Crime
Wilkes-Barre
2.49
Altoona
3.35
Altoona has a 26% higher violent crime than Wilkes-Barre.
Property Crime
Wilkes-Barre
115.60
Altoona
18.50
Wilkes-Barre's property crime is significantly higher than Altoona's — 84% difference.
Political Leaning
Wilkes-Barre
59.2%
Altoona
71.4%
Both cities lean Republican, but Altoona has a stronger Republican lean (17% difference).
Unemployment
Wilkes-Barre
8.3%
Altoona
6.8%
Wilkes-Barre has a 19% higher unemployment than Altoona.
Median Income
Wilkes-Barre
$47,970
Altoona
$50,171
Both cities have similar median income — just a 4% difference.
Home Values
Wilkes-Barre
$108,000
Altoona
$113,600
Both cities have similar home values — just a 5% difference.
Education
Wilkes-Barre
12.5%
Altoona
13.9%
Both cities have similar education — just a 10% difference.
Demographics
Wilkes-Barre
55.5%
Altoona
89.8%
Altoona has a 38% higher demographics than Wilkes-Barre.
Cost of Living
Wilkes-Barre
84.7
Altoona
80.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 5% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Wilkes-Barre and Altoona share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Wilkes-Barre
0
Altoona
Altoona leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Altoona leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDAltoona scores 75.6 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 88.3 in Wilkes-Barre. Altoona has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,138 vs $1,252 in Wilkes-Barre (10% lower). Altoona has a fair market rent (1br) of $948 vs $1,028 in Wilkes-Barre (8% lower).
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 $2,136 in Wilkes-Barre (59% lower). Altoona has a vacancy rate of 11.8% compared to 16.4% in Wilkes-Barre. Altoona has a owner-occupied of 64.2% compared to 49.0% in Wilkes-Barre.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Altoona leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWilkes-Barre has a work from home of 7.4% compared to 5.8% in Altoona. Altoona has a unemployment rate of 6.8% compared to 8.3% in Wilkes-Barre. Altoona has a per capita income of $30,116 vs $25,581 in Wilkes-Barre (15% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Wilkes-Barre leads
Source: FBI UCRAltoona has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 14.03 compared to 109.38 in Wilkes-Barre. Altoona has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 18.50 compared to 115.60 in Wilkes-Barre. Wilkes-Barre has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.02 in Altoona.
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 — Altoona leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauAltoona has a high school diploma or higher of 48.9% compared to 37.8% in Wilkes-Barre. Altoona has a bachelor's degree or higher of 13.9% compared to 12.5% in Wilkes-Barre.
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 ACSWilkes-Barre has a population of 44,217, about 1x the size of Altoona (43,508). Wilkes-Barre skews younger with a median age of 35.3 vs 39.8.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Wilkes-Barre
Altoona
Healthcare — Altoona leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareAltoona: 4 vs Wilkes-Barre: 3 for with emergency services. Altoona: 3.0 vs Wilkes-Barre: 2.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Wilkes-Barre leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWilkes-Barre has a bicycle of 0.1% compared to 0.0% in Altoona. Wilkes-Barre has a public transit of 2.3% compared to 1.4% in Altoona. Wilkes-Barre has a work from home of 7.4% compared to 5.8% in Altoona.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Wilkes-Barre, PA
Compare Wilkes-Barre 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.