Real Estate in Altoona, Pennsylvania – Homes for Sale 2026

Quick market snapshot (what 2025 → 2026 looked like)

Altoona’s housing market is a lower-cost market compared with Pennsylvania as a whole. Recent platform indices show median listing prices per square foot in the city area around the high-$70s to low-$100s per ft², with commonly reported median home values in the low six-figure range (roughly $130k–$140k across major home-value indexes). :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

Key takeaways

1. Altoona remains an affordable market relative to state and national medians (state & national medians are substantially higher). :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
2. Price-per-square-foot in the region typically sits between about $85–$105/ft² depending on neighborhood and whether you look at city vs. county statistics. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
3. Year-over-year changes from 2018→2025 show modest appreciation with short periods of faster growth; county-level series report single-digit percent moves typically, but local micro-markets vary. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

Pricing converted: from per square foot to per square meter

Many U.S. market feeds report price per square foot (ft²). For websites that display metric values, here are commonly referenced conversions for Altoona area metrics:

Conversion used: 1 ft² = 0.092903 m², so multiply $/ft² by 10.7639104167 to get $/m² (values above rounded to two decimals).

Demand and 10-year trend (2016–2025)

Looking at published county and metro series, the last decade for Altoona and Blair County shows a generally steady but modest increase in median values, punctuated by years of flat or minor declines during broader market corrections. County-level data series from federal and regional sources show that listing prices and per-ft² metrics rose in several years after 2020 and then moderated; the aggregate picture is rising but far from the boom conditions of hot coastal markets. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}

For buyers this implies:

• Opportunities to buy lower-cost single-family homes compared with Pennsylvania big-city markets.
• Potential steady, low-volatility appreciation rather than rapid short-term gains.
• Neighborhood selection (schools, proximity to UPMC and transport) has strong local effects on price—some pockets command much higher premiums. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}

Neighborhoods — where to look (city overview)

Altoona is composed of many small neighborhoods and wards — from Center City and Downtown stretches to higher-end pockets like Mansion Park. Nearly two dozen named neighborhoods are commonly used by locals and listing services (examples: Mansion Park, Highland Park, Logantown, Center City, Juniata Gap, Llyswen, Hileman Heights). :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}

Where the cheapest and most expensive housing is found

Generally:

• Most affordable: central neighborhoods such as Center City and some blocks near Downtown where smaller row homes and older resale homes often list at the lowest medians (examples of median single-family medians published as low as the $70k range in some subareas). :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}
• Most expensive: Mansion Park and select parts of Highland Park and Llyswen tend to command the higher median single-family prices (Mansion Park listed higher median values in local summaries). :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}

Safety & infrastructure — where to be careful and where to feel comfortable

Crime indicators for Altoona vary by data source, but most statistical trackers and local analyses indicate that safety differs significantly block-by-block. Several aggregated services find overall rates higher than some suburban benchmarks but show safer pockets in the northwest and near more suburban neighborhoods. Locals often point to northwest Altoona areas as relatively safer, while central neighborhoods show higher incident rates in some datasets. :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12}

Infrastructure highlights:

• Healthcare: UPMC Altoona (in the Logantown / Fairview area) is a major employer and a key infrastructure anchor for property demand in nearby neighborhoods. :contentReference[oaicite:13]{index=13}
• Transport: Altoona is a regional hub with highway access and rail history — commuting patterns are local and many residents work in the county or nearby towns.
• Schools & services: Public and private school quality and proximity to shopping pockets materially influence pricing within small miles of difference.

Four neighborhoods we’ll profile (short intros — each will get a full page)

Neighborhood snapshot table (price & safety guide)

Table below gives a quick comparative snapshot for the four highlighted districts — use it to decide where to dig deeper.

How buyers should use this page

If you are a buyer:

• Decide which tradeoffs matter: lot size and quiet (Mansion Park) versus affordability (Center City).
• Use price per m² in the table above to compare apples-to-apples across different house sizes.
• Check crime and school metrics at the block level before making an offer; Altoona’s city-wide statistics hide neighborhood variation. :contentReference[oaicite:20]{index=20}

If you are an investor:

• Look for turnover and days-on-market: more affordable neighborhoods often produce shorter holding periods for quick flips or conversions into rentals.
• Consider proximity to UPMC and other institutional employers (Logantown / Fairview) for stable rental demand. :contentReference[oaicite:21]{index=21}

Data sources & methodology (short)

This page synthesizes public listing and valuation indices plus county & federal series to present a balanced, local-focused snapshot for 2026 planning:

• Aggregated listing metrics and per-ft² figures from major listing platforms. :contentReference[oaicite:22]{index=22}
• Home-value indices from Zillow / Redfin for median home values and short-term trends. :contentReference[oaicite:23]{index=23}
• Neighborhood lists and local guides to map names and community anchors. :contentReference[oaicite:24]{index=24}
• Local crime indices and safety summaries to flag relative safety pockets. :contentReference[oaicite:25]{index=25}
• Federal / county time series (FRED) to track the last 10 years of median listing price movement for the metro/CBSA. :contentReference[oaicite:26]{index=26}

Note: numbers shown are indicative, rounded, and intended for comparative planning. Real-time approved valuations for individual properties require current MLS searches and local appraisals.

Next steps — pages we will create for each highlighted district

We’ll build dedicated pages for: Mansion Park, Highland Park, Logantown / Fairview, and Center City. Each district page will include:

• Current active listings snapshot (live MLS feed)
• Block-level safety & school maps
• Typical renovation costs and expected rental yields (where applicable)