Alton, Illinois Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Alton, IL Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below average
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D
Income Well below average
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Alton | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 24,061 | 12,692,444 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1419.5 | 219.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.14% | -0.16% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 36.2 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 10,165 | 5,035,584 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Alton declined by 13.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 24,061 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Alton is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 22.6% of residents. That is 0.8 points above Illinois as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 4,683 19.5% -1.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 5,446 22.6% +0.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,691 19.5% -0.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,971 16.5% -0.4 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Illinois, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 52.8% of the people living in Alton and men 47.2%.
- Women 52.8% Illinois 50.6%
- Men 47.2% Illinois 49.4%
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Economy
Alton has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Alton | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $56,750 | $84,042 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.06% | 4.46% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.7% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Alton is about 32% lower than in Illinois.
Housing
| Metric | Alton | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $128,419 | $149,936 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,025 | $1,274 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 62.5% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Alton is about 10.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,025 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Alton spend about 36 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 152 hours, about 6.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Alton | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.2 | 23.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 36.5 | 47.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 152 | 197 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,713 | $6,104 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.8% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,807 | 7,977 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,348 | 1,547 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Alton is 18 minutes, shorter than the 24 minutes in Illinois.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Alton has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Alton | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 19.2% | 34.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.32 | 2.46 | 2.53 |
Health
Alton has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Alton | Illinois Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 73.4 | 77.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.4% | 15.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.2% | 19.2% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Alton, Illinois.
How many people live in Alton, Illinois?
About 24,061 people live in Alton, Illinois, in 10,165 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 36.2, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Alton, Illinois mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Alton, Illinois has 1,420 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 16 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Alton, Illinois an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.3 times the median household income ($128,419 against $56,750), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,025 a month takes about 22% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Alton, Illinois?
19.2% of adults in Alton, Illinois hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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