Alton, IA

Census Place

2024 Population

1,459

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

38.1

16.5% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

2.6%

12.1% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$98,036

13.8% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$218,900

Population & Diversity

Alton, IA is home to a population of 1.46k people, from which 98.6% are citizens.

As of 2024, 2.33% of Alton, IA residents were born outside of the country (34 people).

In 2024, there were 15.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.27k people) in Alton, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 83 White (Hispanic) and 38 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.6%

2024 Citizenship

97.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.6% of Alton, IA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Alton, IA was 97.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Alton, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Alton, IA

White (Non-Hispanic)
1.27k ± 237
White (Hispanic)
83 ± 86
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
38 ± 37

5.96%

Hispanic Population

87 people

5.96% of the people in Alton, IA are hispanic (87 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Alton, IA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Iowa.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
44,333 ± 5,134 people
India
11,889 ± 2,672 people
Guatemala
8,189 ± 2,219 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Iowa was Mexico, the natal country of 44,333 Iowa residents, followed by India with 11,889 and Guatemala with 8,189.

Foreign-Born Population

2.33%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

34 people

3.48%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

47 people

As of 2024, 2.33% of Alton, IA residents (34 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Alton, IA was 3.48%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Alton, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
11 ± 16
Gulf War (1990s)
8 ± 15
Korea
5 ± 12

Alton, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.38 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Alton, IA.

Economy

The economy of Alton, IA employs 927 people. In 2024, the largest industries in Alton, IA were Manufacturing (190 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (152 people), and Retail Trade (102 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance ($108,838), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($108,838), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($85,313).

Employment

Occupations

927

2024 Value

± 165

10.4%

1 Year growth

± 23.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Alton, IA grew at a rate of 10.4%, from 840 employees to 927 employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Alton, IA, are Management Occupations (129 people), Business & Financial Operations Occupations (110 people), and Health Technologists & Technicians (100 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Alton, IA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Iowa (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

927

2024 Value

± 165

10.4%

1 Year growth

± 23.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Alton, IA grew at a rate of 10.4%, from 840 employees to 927 employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Alton, IA, are Manufacturing (190 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (152 people), and Retail Trade (102 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Alton, IA, though some of these residents may live in Alton, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$68,750

Median earning men ± $14,627

$38,036

Median earning women ± $5,186

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($108,715), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($86,250), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($83,750).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($70,781), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($50,417), and Manufacturing ($44,519).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Alton, IA was $218,900 in 2024, which is 0.658 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $204,600 to $218,900, a 6.99% increase. The homeownership rate in Alton, IA is 87.8%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Alton, IA have an average commute time of 14.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Alton, IA is higher than the national average, with an average of 3 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$218,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$17,814

$520

Median Property Taxes

±$96

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Alton, IA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Alton, IA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

87.8%

Homeownership

2024

67.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 87.8% of the housing units in Alton, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 84.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Alton, IA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$98,036

Median Household Income

± $14,555

592

Number of Households

± 110

In 2024, the median household income of the 592 households in Alton, IA grew to $98,036 from the previous year's value of $86,136.

The following chart displays the households in Alton, IA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Alton, IA is from Iowa.

0.435

2024 Wage GINI in Iowa

0.441

2023 Wage GINI in Iowa

In 2024, the income inequality in Iowa was 0.435 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1.29% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Iowa was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Iowa in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Iowa across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (90.3%)
Worked At Home (4.34%)
Carpooled (3.47%)

In 2024, 90.3% of workers in Alton, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (4.34%) and those who carpooled to work (3.47%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

14.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Alton, IA have a shorter commute time (14.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.59% of the workforce in Alton, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Alton, IA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

3 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Alton, IA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Alton, IA have 3 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

2.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Alton, IA (38 out of 1.46k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 75+, followed by Females 6 - 11 and then Females 65 - 74.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Alton, IA is White, followed by Black and Native American.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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