City safety & data profile

AltonIL

Alton, IL is a 27K-resident city in Madison County with a median household income of $54,568.

Madison County, Illinois. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Alton, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Alton has a population larger than 59% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, a median home value of $103,700, and 3 hospitals serving the surrounding area.

Data updated 2026-07-20

27K
Population
Top 41%
By size
$54,568
Median income
$103,700
Median home
21%
Poverty rate

The read on Alton

Alton posts a median household income higher than 14% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks, where 1 recent safety alert is on record and 3 hospitals serve the Alton area.

Top 86%
by median income, US cities
1
safety alert on record
3
hospitals in & near Alton

Where Alton income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$54,568 Bottom 14% higher than 14% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). This entry sits in this band. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Above this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. IL $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Alton, IL beyond the headline numbers

Alton sits inside Madison County, Illinois, at roughly 38.89°N, -90.18°W. Population 27,003, $54,568 median household income. Median home value $103,700, median rent $1,015. Poverty rate 21%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Alton's highest-prevalence health measure is obesity at 44.3%, then high blood pressure at 40.6%. 3 hospitals in/around Alton, 4/5 avg rating, 1 with an ER.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Alton from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
27,003
Alton
Median Income
$54,568
-20% vs avg
Median Home Value
$103,700
-54% vs avg
Median Age
38
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Madison County) - Alton's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
264K-2%
Median Income
$75,793+41%
Median Home Value
$173,000+39%
Poverty Rate
11.1%-21%
Unemployment
4.6%-50%

Economics

Economics indicators for Alton, IL
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$1,015/mo
Poverty Rate
21% +48% vs avg
Unemployment 5.4%
Bachelor's Degree+ 21.5%
Work From Home 9.7%
Public Transit 1.5%

Population

White 69.9%
African American 19.5%
Asian 1.4%
Two or More Ethnicities 6.2%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Obesity
44.3%
High Blood Pressure
40.6%
Short Sleep Duration
40.1%
Physical Inactivity
28.5%
Frequent Mental Distress
19.6%
Current Smoking
17.8%
Frequent Physical Distress
16.3%
Binge Drinking
16.2%
Diabetes
14.7%
Current Asthma
11.8%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 55.3%
Annual Checkup 78.7%

Other Measures

Lack of Health Insurance
9.5%
Coronary Heart Disease
7.6%
Stroke
4.5%

Hospitals 3 total

Rating Distribution
★★★★★
0
★★★★
2
★★★
0
★★
0
★
0
Average Rating
4/5
Total Hospitals
3
With ER
1
ALTON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
ALTON · Acute Care Hospitals · ER
★★★★☆
OSF SAINT ANTHONY'S HEALTH CENTER
ALTON · Acute Care Hospitals
★★★★☆

Alerts & News - Alton Area 1

Flood Warnings

Flood Alert Issued for Groundwater Flooding in Alton Area, Hampshire

Environment Agency ·

Frequently Asked Questions 6

What is the population of Alton, IL? ▼
Alton, IL has a population of 27,003 people, located in Madison County, Illinois.
What is the median household income in Alton? ▼
The median household income in Alton, IL is $54,568 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 21%.
What is the median home value in Alton? ▼
The median home value in Alton, IL is $103,700. Median rent is $1,015/month.
What are the top health concerns in Alton? ▼
The top health indicators in Alton include Obesity (44.3%), High Blood Pressure (40.6%), Short Sleep Duration (40.1%). Data from CDC PLACES.
How many hospitals are in Alton? ▼
Alton has 3 hospitals with an average rating of 4/5 stars. 1 have emergency departments.
What is the median age in Alton? ▼
The median age in Alton, IL is 38 years. 21.5% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Alton, IL is located in Madison County, Illinois. With a population of 27K and a $54,568 median household income, the community faces health challenges including obesity and high blood pressure. Residents have access to 3 hospitals with an average rating of 4/5 stars. Safety alerts for the Alton area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - Illinois

Real-time AQI for every monitored Illinois location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Upper Alton, IL 29K Godfrey, IL 18K Wood River, IL 10K Spanish Lake, MO 20K Old Jamestown, MO 19K Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO 11K Florissant, MO 52K Jennings, MO 15K
All cities in Illinois → Compare Alton vs Upper Alton → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Alton's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Alton area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Alton against Illinois peers on any ranking lens. Explore Illinois

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Madison County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.