Dr. Charles M. Wright House · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainUnemployment in Altamont (0.3%) is lower than in 98% of U.S. towns
6% of workers have no commute at all, against 16% across Illinois. For jobs and income Altamont is better than 52% of U.S. towns (B−); for walkability it is more walkable than 72% of U.S. towns (B+). About one in seven work in Altamont itself; outside it, Effingham draws the most (28%, 11 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Altamont
Commutes from Altamont are quick
The average trip to work takes 23 minutes, against 28 across Illinois. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical Illinois worker. Time on the road ↓
28% of Altamont works in Effingham
294 working residents, 28%, have their main job in Effingham, 11 miles away. That’s more than work in Altamont itself. The commute map ↓
Many jobs in Altamont pay little
26% of the jobs based in Altamont pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in Altamont
Unemployment holds Altamont’s grade up; the poverty rate pulls it down (15.1%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Altamont could be anywhere from C+ to B+.
Getting to work from Altamont takes about 23 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Altamont workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 951 commuters (the 6% who work from home are left out). Across Illinois: 78% drive alone, 7% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Commuting out of Altamont: the destinations
Where Altamont clocks in
28% of workers
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
What the 815 jobs in Altamont are
815 jobs are based in Altamont.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Altamont, 2013 → 2023: 839 → 815. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Altamont’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Altamont on a workday afternoon
On a workday 897 residents head out to work, 156 work right here, and 659 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,900 people are in Altamont on a workday afternoon, 11% fewer than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.77 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where in the region Altamont works
About 29% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Driving is how Altamont gets around
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,015 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 5.2% of Altamont households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Altamont’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Altamont is 2,245th among 5,641 U.S. towns of 1,500 to 3,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 32 | Prestbury IL | 2,045 | $165K | 1.9% | 0.0% | 0% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 34 | Port Barrington IL | 1,584 | $150K | 2.7% | 2.9% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,243 | Elk Rapids MI | 1,610 | $71K | 3.7% | 1.3% | 16% | B− |
| 2,244 | Little Cypress TX | 1,963 | $91K | 13.4% | 0.7% | 1% | B− |
| 2,245 | Altamont IL | 2,186 | $76K | 15.1% | 0.3% | 15% | B− |
| 2,246 | Mount Haley Township MI | 1,600 | $77K | 8.0% | 8.0% | <1% | B− |
| 2,247 | Spring Brook Township PA | 2,817 | $70K | 6.0% | 5.3% | 3% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 5,641 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Altamont, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Altamont: questions
What is the median household income in Altamont?
$75,510 (±$13,343) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Altamont?
15.1%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Altamont?
23 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Altamont work?
15% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Effingham (28%, 11 mi), Springfield (4%, 70 mi), Mound Township (3%, 1 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Altamont walkable?
Altamont is more walkable than 72% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 8.5 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Altamont without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Altamont, from the people who make the trip.
More of Altamont
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.