Iowa · Census place 1901495

Alta, Iowa

Alta is a city in Buena Vista County, Iowa with an estimated 2,039 residents on July 1, 2024. It is the 161st largest of 273 incorporated places of 1,000+ people in the state.

Population 2024: 2,039; #161 of 273 in Iowa
Change since 2020: -2.5%; -52 people
Land area: 1.1 sq mi
Density: 1,888 / sq mi; State median 1,363

Orange pin: Alta. Shaded: its county. Dark pin: Des Moines.

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Tools and pages that start from Alta

Alta population, 2020 to 2024

Alta lost 52 residents from July 2020 to July 2024, a change of -2.5%. In the latest year it moved by +10.

July 1 estimates. The April 2020 estimates base was 2,094. The axis starts above zero so yearly changes are visible.

Alta covers 1.08 square miles of land, for 1,888 people per square mile of land. The median Iowa place of 5,000+ has 1,363, so Alta is denser than the typical town.

What county Alta is in

All of Alta's residents live in Buena Vista County, which had 20,816 residents in 2024. Alta holds 9.8% of the county's population. The shaded shape is on the map above; dots mark the eight nearest places.

ZIP codes in Alta

1 ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) overlaps Alta by at least 10% of the ZCTA's or the city's land: 51002. ZCTAs are Census approximations of USPS ZIP code delivery areas. The list comes from the 2020 ZCTA to place relationship file, so a city that annexed land after 2020 may reach into ZIP codes not listed here.

Where Alta is

The Census internal point of Alta is at 42.671700, -95.304500. Des Moines, the capital, is 114.7 miles SE in a straight line. The nearest larger place is Storm Lake, IA (11,627 people), 5.8 miles away. The nearest city of 100,000 or more is Sioux Falls, SD, 93.8 miles away.

Internal point

Decimal: 42.671700, -95.304500
DMS: 42°40'18.12"N 95°18'16.20"W
UTM: 15N 311162.8E 4726933.4N
Geohash: 9zs4z21ks
Plus code: 86J6MMCW+M5

Daylight in Alta

At 42.67° N, Alta gets about 15 h 19 min of daylight around the June solstice and 9 h 02 min around the December solstice, a swing of 6 h 17 min. Figures are sunrise to sunset from the SunCalc model for June 21 and December 21, 2026.

Places near Alta

The eight nearest incorporated places of 1,000+ in Iowa, measured between internal points. The closest is Storm Lake, 5.8 miles away, with 11,627 people.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Alta, IA?

2,039 on July 1, 2024, in the Census Vintage 2024 estimates. That is down 52 (2.5%) from 2,091 in July 2020.

What county is Alta in?

Buena Vista County. All of its residents live in that county.

What ZIP codes cover Alta?

1 ZIP Code Tabulation Area overlaps it by at least 10% of either area: 51002.

How far is Alta from Des Moines?

114.7 miles (184.7 km) in a straight line, heading SE from Alta.

What is the nearest larger city to Alta?

Storm Lake, IA, with 11,627 residents, 5.8 miles away between internal points.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates (July 1, 2024), 2024 Gazetteer places, 2020 ZCTA to place relationship file.

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.