Hot-summer humid continental
Altoona, Iowa
Polk County, Iowa · Population 21k · 945 ft elevation
Living in Altoona
Altoona has a hot-summer humid continental climate: hot summers (July highs around 86°F) and cold winters (January lows around 12°F).
Precipitation is wet at about 37″ a year, and it gets light snow (25″ a season).
Skies are sunny (62% of possible sunshine). Summers get sticky, with about 35 muggy days a year.
Air quality is moderate: a median AQI of 44, with about 2 unhealthy-air days in the latest year.
Altoona at a glance
- Population
- 21k
- Elevation
- 945 ft
- Average daily high
- 60°F18th percentile
- Average daily low
- 39°F15th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 37″30th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 25″64th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 2,800 hrs49th percentile
- Median AQI
- 4462th percentile
- Median home value
- $257k49th percentile
- Median rent
- $1,203/mo51th percentile
- Median household income
- $87k63th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 1.68%80th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 3.8%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 6.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.7%
- Homes with broadband
- 94%69th percentile
- Walkability index
- 11.173th percentile
- Average commute
- 23 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 83%95th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 78%
- Violent crime rate
- 184 per 100k52th percentile
- Property crime rate
- 1,399 per 100k
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 9254th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 2019th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 1%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 3%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 262 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30°F | 12°F | 1.0″ | 6.2″ | 162 hrs |
| Feb | 34°F | 16°F | 1.0″ | 8.0″ | 184 hrs |
| Mar | 48°F | 28°F | 2.0″ | 3.7″ | 208 hrs |
| Apr | 61°F | 38°F | 4.0″ | 0.7″ | 225 hrs |
| May | 72°F | 50°F | 5.3″ | — | 268 hrs |
| Jun | 82°F | 61°F | 5.4″ | — | 306 hrs |
| Jul | 86°F | 65°F | 4.2″ | — | 338 hrs |
| Aug | 84°F | 62°F | 4.7″ | — | 306 hrs |
| Sep | 77°F | 53°F | 3.6″ | — | 266 hrs |
| Oct | 64°F | 41°F | 2.7″ | 0.6″ | 209 hrs |
| Nov | 48°F | 29°F | 1.9″ | 1.0″ | 175 hrs |
| Dec | 35°F | 18°F | 1.4″ | 4.5″ | 153 hrs |
Near Altoona
- Bondurant, IA · 8.1k
- Pleasant Hill, IA · 11k
- Mitchellville, IA · 2.6k
- Saylorville, IA · 3.6k
- Ankeny, IA · 71k
- Des Moines, IA · 212k
- Carlisle, IA · 4.2k
- Windsor Heights, IA · 5.2k
Largest places in Iowa
- Cedar Rapids, IA · 137k
- Davenport, IA · 101k
- Sioux City, IA · 86k
- Iowa City, IA · 75k
- West Des Moines, IA · 70k
- Waterloo, IA · 67k
- Ames, IA · 66k
- Council Bluffs, IA · 63k
Sources: NOAA climate normals, NASA POWER, EPA air quality, U.S. Census Bureau, FEMA, FBI, EPA walkability and EDFacts. Methodology