Altoona leans slightly Democratic by roughly 14 points: about 57% of voters vote Democratic and 43% Republican.
About 96% of adults in Altoona typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Altoona, ~55% vote Democratic, ~41% Republican, and ~4% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Altoona compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Altoona leans more Democratic than 34 of 35 neighbors.
Altoona runs about 15 points more Democratic than Wisconsin as a whole. Wisconsin is roughly evenly split, and Altoona sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Altoona. The west side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+19) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+8), a spread of about 11 points.
Why Altoona leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Altoona, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 73% of residents in Altoona live in densely developed areas, about 36 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Altoona sits in the top quarter (about 41%, above 88% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 35% of adults in Altoona have never been married, above 88% of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Altoona, WI sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Altoona looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Altoona is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 70%, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Altoona have completed high school, above 89% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Eau Claire, WI D+16
- Lake Hallie, WI R+16
- Fall Creek, WI R+23
- Hallie, WI R+19
- Lake Wissota, WI R+20
- Ludington, WI R+29
- Chippewa Falls, WI R+14
- Eleva, WI R+23
- Tilden, WI R+31
- Elk Mound, WI R+29
Cities with Similar Populations
- Madison, GA R+26
- Barnwell, SC R+19
- Bunnell, FL R+38
- Shiprock, NM D+31
- West Terre Haute, IN R+40
- Belding, MI R+28
- Polson, MT R+20
- Catlettsburg, KY R+53
- McCook, NE R+52
- Cresskill, NJ Even
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Wisconsin Elections Commission, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.