Alton, IL

Census Place

2024 Population

25,279

US Senator

Dick Durbin

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tammy Duckworth

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

1.04% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

21%

14.1% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$54,568

2.95% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$103,700

Population & Diversity

Alton, IL is home to a population of 25.3k people, from which 99% are citizens.

As of 2024, 2.61% of Alton, IL residents were born outside of the country (661 people).

In 2024, there were 3.59 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (17.4k people) in Alton, IL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 4.84k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 1.63k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99%

2024 Citizenship

99%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99% of Alton, IL residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Alton, IL was 99%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Alton, IL

White (Non-Hispanic)
17.4k ± 874
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
4.84k ± 748
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
1.63k ± 409

3.01%

Hispanic Population

760 people

3.01% of the people in Alton, IL are hispanic (760 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Alton, IL 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 Illinois.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
637,284 ± 19,101 people
India
166,788 ± 9,961 people
Poland
117,148 ± 8,364 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Illinois was Mexico, the natal country of 637,284 Illinois residents, followed by India with 166,788 and Poland with 117,148.

Foreign-Born Population

2.61%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

661 people

2.34%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

595 people

As of 2024, 2.61% of Alton, IL residents (661 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, IL was 2.34%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
497 ± 126
Gulf War (2001-)
308 ± 116
Gulf War (1990s)
300 ± 112

Alton, IL has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.61 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Alton, IL employs 11.6k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Alton, IL were Health Care & Social Assistance (2,159 people), Retail Trade (1,774 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (1,036 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($91,750), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($74,333), and Manufacturing ($62,311).

Employment

Occupations

11.6k

2024 Value

± 784

−0.0689%

1 Year decline

± 9.61%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Alton, IL declined at a rate of −0.0689%, from 11.6k employees to 11.6k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Alton, IL, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,179 people), Sales & Related Occupations (1,076 people), and Management Occupations (1,025 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Alton, IL.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Illinois (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

11.6k

2024 Value

± 784

−0.0689%

1 Year decline

± 9.61%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Alton, IL declined at a rate of −0.0689%, from 11.6k employees to 11.6k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Alton, IL, are Health Care & Social Assistance (2,159 people), Retail Trade (1,774 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (1,036 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Alton, IL, though some of these residents may live in Alton, IL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$42,789

Median earning men ± $4,129

$35,909

Median earning women ± $2,521

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($97,898), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($81,181), and Public Administration ($70,985).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($63,239), Public Administration ($57,583), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($52,639).

Education

The student population of Alton, IL in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 10 male students and 73 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Alton, IL are Black or African American (25 and 62.5%) and White (15 and 37.5%).

The largest universities in Alton, IL by number of degrees awarded are CALC Institute of Technology (40 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Alton, IL are Medical Assistant (21 and 52.5%), Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training (10 and 25%), and Computer Systems Networking & Telecommunications (4 and 10%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 83 students enrolled in Alton, IL, 12% men and 88% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Black or African American with 51 records, of which 92.2% were women and 7.84% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Medical Assistant
21 degrees awarded
Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training
10 degrees awarded
Computer Systems Networking & Telecommunications
4 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate recipients in Alton, IL was Medical Assistant with 21 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate from schools in Alton, IL according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

CALC Institute of Technology

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

40 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was CALC Institute of Technology with 40 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 3 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Alton, IL, which is 0.0811 times less than the 37 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Black or African American students. These 25 degrees mean that there were 1.67 times more degrees awarded to Black or African American students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 15 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Alton, IL was $103,700 in 2024, which is 0.312 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $99,500 to $103,700, a 4.22% increase. The homeownership rate in Alton, IL is 59.9%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Alton, IL have an average commute time of 22.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Alton, IL is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$103,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$4,876

$6,419

Median Property Taxes

±$539

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, IL the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

59.9%

Homeownership

2024

62.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 59.9% of the housing units in Alton, IL were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 57.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Alton, IL 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.

$54,568

Median Household Income

± $4,656

10.7k

Number of Households

± 689

In 2024, the median household income of the 10.7k households in Alton, IL grew to $54,568 from the previous year's value of $53,005.

The following chart displays the households in Alton, IL 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, IL is from Illinois.

0.471

2024 Wage GINI in Illinois

0.474

2023 Wage GINI in Illinois

In 2024, the income inequality in Illinois was 0.471 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.55% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Illinois was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Illinois in comparison to the national average.

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

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (73.8%)
Carpooled (10.2%)
Worked At Home (9.7%)

In 2024, 73.8% of workers in Alton, IL drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.2%) and those who worked at home (9.7%).

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

22.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Alton, IL have a shorter commute time (22.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.01% of the workforce in Alton, IL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Alton, IL distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Alton, IL have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

21% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Alton, IL (5.2k out of 24.7k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 6 - 11, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Males 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Alton, IL is White, followed by Black and Two Or More.

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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