AltonTX
A town of 24,138, founded in 1910.
Is Alton a good place to live?
Alton grades D− overall, 637th among Texas's 640 graded towns, mostly because of health and safety. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 92% of the country. Its police reported 223 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 86% of U.S. towns. 28% of residents live below the poverty line in Alton, against 12% in Texas’ towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Alton's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 100% of U.S. towns. Among 488 Texas towns, just 4 have a higher violent crime rate than Alton.
Alton has grown 95% since 2010
12,341 counted in 2010 and 18,198 in 2020; an estimated 24,138 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 32.5% since 2020, after 47.5% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Alton grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Alton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Alton: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Alton, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Alton.
Alton has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Texas rate and has poverty well above the Texas rate.
For health, Alton earns a D
36% of Alton adults say their health is fair or poor. Alton beats the Texas average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 40% of Alton adults get no exercise outside work.
| Alton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 24% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 30% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 20% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 18% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Alton | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 3.5% | 6.1% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 18.6% | 21.6% |
| More uninsured adults | 41.5% | 19.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Public schools in Alton fall behind 72% of Texas districts
Its public schools are run by Mission CISD. Two of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alton Memorial J HLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 819 | D |
| Mission Collegiate H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 399 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
For safety, Alton earns a D
Violent crime runs at 9.2 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Texas rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D.
Alton reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 86% report less. Alton’s property crime rate is 6.7 per 1,000 residents.
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Property crime per 1,000 residents
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Homes in Alton are worth about $188K, by Zillow’s estimate
Home values rose 29% in five years, to about $188K, against 10% across Texas.
The typical Alton home is worth about $188,000, down 2.9% in a year, 37% below the Texas typical home. 55% of households own their home in Alton.
| Alton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,038 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents commute out of Alton
Alton has 1,210 jobs for its 5,841 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here grew from 781 in 2013 to 1,210.
Most working residents leave Alton for work: only 2% work in town. Since 2013, Alton has added 429 jobs, to 1,210 in 2023. The median household income in Alton is $53,000.
| Alton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $53,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.9% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Alton faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by hurricanes
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 75% of U.S. communities. Since 2018, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Alton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Mild winters and hot summers in Alton
The Mcallen weather station, 8 miles away, records that about 170 days a year reach 90°, more than in 99% of U.S. towns. January nights average 49.6°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 97.7°.
Alton has warm winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Alton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 50°F | 37°F | 22°F |
| July high | 98°F | 95°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Alton has set aside 1.1% of its land for conservation
1.4 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Alton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.1% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Silvia Vela Park | 0.5 mi | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Bert Ogden Arena and 5 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Alton. Close and well known come first.
9 mi Stadium & arenaBert Ogden Arena11 mi Stadium & arenaRobert and Janet Vackar Stadium
12 mi Stadium & arenaPayne Arena9 mi MuseumMuseum of South Texas History
5 mi TheatreBorder Theater
7 mi GardenMcAllen Botanical GardensPhoto credits
Bert Ogden Arena: Wikidude10000, CC0 · Payne Arena: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · Border Theater: Andres Gonzalez, CC BY-SA 4.0 · McAllen Botanical Gardens: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, United States, CC BY 3.0 us
Everything we know about Alton
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Alton
About 4 of every 100 Alton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
98% of working residents leave Alton for work
Where Alton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Alton
City in Texas
Alton is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 18,198 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1978
- Area
- 7.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 161 ft
- Area code
- 956
Alton’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Alton.
| Town | TX rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alton | #637 | D− | C | D | C | D |
| West Sharyland | — | — | A | — | C | D |
| McAllen | #412 | C− | D | C+ | B+ | C |
West Sharyland has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. West Sharyland reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Alton with a neighbor →
Questions about Alton
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Alton, TX a good place to live?
Alton grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #637 of 640 in Texas. It grades D for health, D for safety and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Alton, TX expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.