Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 300, settled in 1875.
Alto Pass’ median rent is $769 a month, against $1,129 a month in Illinois’ towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. Rendleman Orchards is on the National Register of Historic Places. Alto Pass has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 166 in 1880, a peak of 551 in 1910, 342 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2003 and 3 maps from 1924 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Alto Pass, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Alto Pass.
The typical Alto Pass home is worth about $158,000, up 0.6% in a year, 47% below the Illinois typical home. 88% of households own their home in Alto Pass, above both Illinois’ towns (75%) and U.S. towns (73%).
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 83% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Alto Pass for work: only 2% work in town. Alto Pass’ median household income is $56,000. Since 2013, Alto Pass has lost 115 jobs, to 33 in 2023.
| Alto Pass | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $56,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.6% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 35 to 64 are 48% of residents (39% statewide); children under 18 are 14% of residents (22% statewide). The median age in Alto Pass is 46.7 years. Alto Pass has lost 4.2% of its people since 2020, down to 300 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Alto Pass | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 46.7 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 19% | 18% |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±8.1 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Alto Pass | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 4.1% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.9% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.9% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.1% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 18.7% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.9% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.6% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.2% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.6% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.3% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 4.9% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 11.6% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17.5% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 300, single groups can be off by several points
Alto Pass has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 25° and about 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Alto Pass beats the Illinois average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 40% of Alto Pass adults have obesity.
| Alto Pass | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 7.9% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Alto Pass | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 66.2% | 60.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.1% | 6.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Alto Pass Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
| 2. Cliff View Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Alto Pass
About 6 of every 100 Alto Pass residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
Where Alto Pass’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Village in Illinois, United States
Alto Pass is a village in Union County, Illinois, United States. The population was 342 at the 2020 census, a decrease from 391 in 2010. The Bald Knob Cross and Bald Knob Wilderness are nearby. Alto Pass lies northwest of Cobden, Illinois, and Illinois Route 127 runs just west of the village.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Alto Pass has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.