What kinds of homes are in Altoona, IA?

Name: Types of homes in Altoona, IA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

Altoona, IA has 8,773 (±448) homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is about 659 homes per square mile of land.

60.6% are detached single-family houses.

3.7% are in buildings of two to four units.

21.6% are in buildings of five or more units.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Housing units: 8,773 (±448)
Detached houses: 60.6%
2–4 unit buildings: 3.7%
5+ unit buildings: 21.6%

Homes in Altoona by building size

Housing units by units in structure, 2020–2024
Building type	Altoona	Polk County	Iowa	United States
Single-family, detached	60.6% (±4.3 points)	62.7%	72.2%	61.3%
Single-family, attached (townhouse, rowhouse)	10.7% (±2.7 points)	7.6%	4.5%	6.2%
2 units	0.9% (±0.6 points)	1.7%	2.1%	3.4%
3 or 4 units	2.8% (±1.3 points)	2.2%	3.5%	4.3%
5 to 9 units	3.2% (±1.8 points)	3.8%	3.6%	4.5%
10 to 19 units	5.3% (±2.4 points)	5.1%	4.0%	4.3%
20 or more units	13.1% (±4.1 points)	14.9%	6.9%	10.3%
Mobile home	3.5% (±1.5 points)	2.0%	3.2%	5.6%
Boat, RV, van, etc.	0.0% (±0.3 points)	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%

In Altoona, the share of homes in buildings of five or more units is not measurably different from Polk County (23.8%).

It is also higher than in Iowa (14.5%).

It is not measurably different from the national figure (19.1%).

Homes in buildings of 5 or more units in places near Altoona

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Altoona
Place	Distance	Homes in buildings of 5 or more units	Compared with this place
Altoona	—	21.6% (±5.1 points)	—
Bondurant	3.5 mi	3.5% (±2.7 points)	Lower
Pleasant Hill	3.8 mi	18.7% (±5.0 points)	Not measurably different
Mitchellville	6.0 mi	8.2% (±6.5 points)	Lower
Saylorville	7.9 mi	3.9% (±5.3 points)	Lower
Ankeny	8.3 mi	21.7% (±2.2 points)	Not measurably different
Des Moines	8.6 mi	26.4% (±1.4 points)	Not measurably different
Carlisle	9.5 mi	8.5% (±4.6 points)	Lower
Valeria	9.7 mi	0.0% (±124.9 points)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Bondurant, IA (3.5%), Mitchellville, IA (8.2%), Saylorville, IA (3.9%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Homes in buildings of 5 or more units across Polk County, place by place

Rank	Place	Homes in buildings of 5 or more units
1	West Des Moines	39.2% (±2.8 points)
2	Johnston	28.0% (±4.0 points)
3	Des Moines	26.4% (±1.4 points)
4	Clive	23.2% (±4.8 points)
5	Ankeny	21.7% (±2.2 points)
6	Altoona	21.6% (±5.1 points)
7	Grimes	20.4% (±7.1 points)
8	Pleasant Hill	18.7% (±5.0 points)
9	Urbandale	17.1% (±2.2 points)
10	Windsor Heights	10.6% (±6.7 points)
11	Mitchellville	8.2% (±6.5 points)
12	Elkhart	4.0% (±7.9 points)

Showing 12 of 17 places in Polk County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates).

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

What you can do on Seayora in Altoona

One account for renting, owning, managing and fixing homes, with these figures beside you.

Own or manage a rental?

List it, sign the lease and collect rent online, with the figures for Altoona beside you.

Create a landlord account · See what landlords get

Looking for a place to rent?

Browse homes for rent near Altoona, save the ones you like and apply online.

Browse rentals · Create a renter account

Do repairs, renovations or maintenance?

Get found by owners and renters near Altoona, and send estimates and invoices from your phone.

Join as a pro · Find a pro

Questions about Altoona

How many homes are in Altoona?

Altoona, IA has an estimated 8,773 (±448) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Are most homes in Altoona houses or apartments?

60.6% are detached houses and 10.7% attached houses, while 25.3% are in buildings of two or more units.

How many two-family and small multifamily homes are in Altoona?

3.7% of homes in Altoona are in buildings of two to four units, the small rental buildings that are often owner-occupied.

Sources

Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Altoona city, Iowa

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Altoona city, Iowa (place:01630, in state:19).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0007PE, DP04_0007PM, DP04_0008PE, DP04_0008PM, DP04_0009PE, DP04_0009PM, DP04_0010PE, DP04_0010PM, DP04_0011PE, DP04_0011PM, DP04_0012PE, DP04_0012PM, DP04_0013PE, DP04_0013PM, DP04_0014PE, DP04_0014PM, DP04_0015PE, DP04_0015PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.