Photo: Denise Krebs · CC BY 2.0Alton spent more per resident in 2022 than 98% of similar cities
Alton’s city government spent $1.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,074 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Alton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$2,890 per resident in 2022: more than 98% of them
Alton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,890 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 802 Iowa cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $900, and the middle half spent $632–$1,186. Alton spent more than 98% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($277,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Iowa cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Alton itself left out).
About $1,074 per resident a year, or $2.94 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 63% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Alton reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $2,890 · 2024: $1,074.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,722 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.24% of the home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Alton’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Alton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Alton →
Who’s in charge in Alton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Alton’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on altoniowa.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 206 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (1,236).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
MOC-Floyd Valley Community School District
Alton’s K–12 school district, shared with Granville, Hospers, Maurice, Orange City. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,988 per pupil, $8,238 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Iowa districts overall: 43% local, 49% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Alton’s votes are counted by county
Iowa reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Alton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Sioux County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican85.0%16,053 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat13.9%2,626 votesOthers: 1.1% (202 votes).
Most votes in Sioux County: Donald J Trump
Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Alton lies in Sioux County. Every 2024 race in Sioux County is on the county’s page.
Sioux County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Alton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: altoniowa.us ↗
- 2Iowa HouseState representatives
- 3Iowa SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Iowa
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Alton compares with the towns next door
Alton spent $2,890 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,135. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Orange City | $1,135 | $3,387 |
| Alton | $2,890 | $2,722 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Alton’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Alton’s government
How much does Alton spend per resident?
About $1,074 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,890 was more than 98% of 802 Iowa cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Alton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,722 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.24% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see altoniowa.us.
Who runs Alton’s government?
See altoniowa.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Alton yet.
How did Alton vote in 2024?
Iowa counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Alton alone. Sioux County, where 100% of Alton lies, voted Trump 85.0%, Harris 13.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Alton?
6 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $40,766 (about $489,192 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Alton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 2 (Jeff Taylor) and State House District 3 (Tom Jeneary). The House district also covers 13 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Alton’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →