Photo: Illinois2011 · CC BY 3.0How is Alton run?
Alton’s city government spent $45.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to March 31, 2024, about $1,812 per resident.
What stands out about how Alton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
East Alton-Wood River Community High School District 14
Alton’s high school district, shared with Alton Township, Chouteau Township, East Alton, Edwardsville, Granite City and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $19,317 per pupil, $9,477 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.
Illinois districts overall: 52% local, 38% state, 10% federal.
Alton Community Unit School District 11 · $18,464 per pupil
Bethalto Consolidated Unit School District 8 · $16,148 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $1,812 per resident a year, or $4.96 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 36%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison for Alton yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample). Alton’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars), so it has no like-for-like peer figure. It reported 2024; the next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →Day-to-day spending is down 21% since 2023
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: 2023: $2,285 · 2024: $1,812.
full-time in March 2025, up from 192 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,900 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.83% of the home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois.
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.
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 cityofaltonil.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 129 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (25,217).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Alton’s votes are counted by county
Illinois 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 Madison County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican55.1%73,925 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat42.0%56,341 votesOthers: 2.8% (3,790 votes).
Most votes in Madison County: Donald J Trump
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Alton lies in Madison County. Every 2024 race in Madison County is on the county’s page.
Madison 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: cityofaltonil.gov ↗
- 2Illinois HouseAlton is split between 2 districts
- 3Illinois SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Illinois
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Alton compares with the towns next door
Alton’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $46 to $1,075 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Alton Township | $46 | $1,900 |
| Wood River Township | $87 | $2,143 |
| Foster Township | $163 | $5,237 |
| Godfrey | $441 | $3,675 |
| East Alton | $1,075 | $2,323 |
| Alton | estimate | $1,900 |
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 $1,812 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to March 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Alton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,900 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.83% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofaltonil.gov.
Who runs Alton’s government?
See cityofaltonil.gov 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?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Alton alone. Madison County, where 100% of Alton lies, voted Trump 55.1%, Harris 42.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Alton?
196 full-time and 9 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.4M (about $16.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Alton in the state legislature?
Alton is split among 2 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Illinois Legislature’s lookup finds yours. 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 →