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Texas›Hidalgo County
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Monte AltoTX

A town of 2,350.

Population
2,350
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$89K
Census ACS
Household income
$30K
median
Median age
24.0
years
Jobs based here
284
A commuter town

Is Monte Alto a good place to live?

Monte Alto’s weakest subject grade is a D for health. 67% of residents live below the poverty line in Monte Alto, where Texas’ towns sit at 12% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Only 87 of Texas’ 998 towns score lower on health. The median household income is $30K, and 67% of residents live below the poverty line. Monte Alto has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.

WeakestDHealthDJobs & incomeC−Hazard riskCSchools
A commuter town

97% of working residents leave Monte Alto for work

Where Monte Alto’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

10% → McAllen McAllen 10% 10% → Edinburg Edinburg 10% 8% → Weslaco Weslaco 8% 5% → La Villa La Villa 5% 5% → Elsa Elsa 5% 4% → Houston Houston 4% Monte Alto · 3% stay
284jobs based in Monte Alto
3%of working residents work in town
18 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

How Monte Alto grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Monte Alto is from typical.

How grading works

HealthDriscoll Children's Hospital Rio Grande Valley 14.6 miles awayDOpen →Jobs & incomeDOpen →Hazard riskcold waves tops the listC−Open →SchoolsCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.5 of 20; 4% of households have no car; 1.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $89K, 1.6 years of the McAllen metro’s $54K median household incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksCOpen →History1 notable person born hereC−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 98° summer afternoons–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 24.0; 11% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →

How TownRatings grades towns →

Getting set up

Moving to Monte Alto: who provides what

Monte Alto is unincorporated, so Hidalgo County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerOncorEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterNorth Alamo WSC2 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesHidalgo CountyHidalgo County provides services here
SchoolsMonte Alto Independent School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteIn personTexas has no online registration; you can register in person until 30 days before Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereHidalgo County Early Voting ClerkHidalgo County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code7853878538 100%Census 2020

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 Monte Alto.

HealthD

Health in Monte Alto trails 94% of U.S. towns

Monte Alto beats the Texas average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 18. 39% of Monte Alto adults say their health is fair or poor, above both Texas’ towns (24%) and U.S. towns (19%). 20% of adults have diabetes in Monte Alto.

6%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
Monte AltoTexas townsU.S. towns
Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES)39%24%19%
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)20%13%12%
Get no exercise (CDC PLACES)43%30%25%
Food insecurity (CDC PLACES)35%20%14%
31 measures vs. Texas
1 better12 too close to call18 worse
What stands outMonte AltoTX
Fewer adults who have had cancer4.2%6.1%
More uninsured adults42.8%19.1%
Driscoll Children's Hospital Rio Grande Valley
14.6 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
Full pageMonte Alto’s health reportOpen the page
Everyday habitsMore adults who get no exerciseHospitals & doctors nearby14.6 miles to an ER · Driscoll Children's Hospital Rio Grande ValleyHow adults are doingMore adults in fair or poor healthEvery CDC estimateBetter than TX on 1 of 31

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

SchoolsC

Monte Alto’s public schools trail 74% of Texas districts

Its public schools are run by Monte Alto ISD. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.

26%of TX districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
SchoolLevelStudentsLetter
Roberto Garate ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5Grades PK–5386C
Monte Alto H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12Grades 9–12255D−
Full pageMonte Alto’s schools pageOpen the page
The districtsMONTE ALTO ISDEvery school3 schools · Roberto Garate ElQuestions“Are Monte Alto’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation

Work & commuteJobs & income grade D

Monte Alto has 0.6 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out

Most working residents leave Monte Alto for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2013, Monte Alto has lost 115 jobs, to 284 in 2023. Monte Alto’s average trip to work is 22 minutes.

3%work in town
Monte AltoTexas townsU.S. towns
Average trip to work22 minutes25 minutes25 minutes
Working residents who work in town3.2%8.3%8%

Where working residents work

In Monte Alto3%
McAllen10%
Edinburg10%
Weslaco8%
La Villa5%
18 mi
median commute distance
284
jobs based in Monte Alto
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 53% of U.S. towns
Full pageMonte Alto’s work & commute pageOpen the page
The jobs here284 jobs based here · A commuter townWhere people work3% work in Monte AltoCommute times22 minutes · The average commuteHow far they goHalf commute less than 18 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−

Monte Alto faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by cold waves

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 71% of U.S. communities.

71risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
71High riskLowerHigher
Cold wavesHurricanesInland flooding
8
federal disasters paid out here
Full pageMonte Alto’s hazards pageOpen the page
What it facesHigh riskFlood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on recordPast disasters8 federal disasters · Paid out in Monte AltoGet ready3 events a year, on average · Ready for cold waves

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

Mild winters and hot summers in Monte Alto

Monte Alto has warm winters and hot summers. The July high in Monte Alto is 97°F.

98°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter52–73°
Spring65–86°
Summer76–97°
Fall65–87°
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
98°
typical summer high
Full pageMonte Alto’s climate pageOpen the page
A year of weatherJuly highs 97°, January lows 50°Rain & snow24″ of rain a year · Snow is almost unheard ofHeating & coolingMostly a cooling billThen and now+1.2° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

HousingCost of living grade B−

Homes in Monte Alto sell for about $300K

79% of Monte Alto households own their home.

$300Kmedian sale price
Monte AltoTexas townsU.S. towns
Households that own their home79%69%73%
Median rent$927 a month$1,208 a month$1,185 a month
1
homes sold in March
Full pageMonte Alto’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page
Prices over the yearsPrices over the yearsYears of income to buyA typical home costs 9.8 years of incomeRents$927 a month · Median rent

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Nearby attractions

Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium and 6 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Monte Alto. Close and well known come first.

All 11 attractions →
12 mi Stadium & arenaRobert and Janet Vackar Stadium15 mi Stadium & arenaBert Ogden Arena24 mi Stadium & arenaPayne Arena38 mi National Historical ParkPalo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park169K visitors a year13 mi MuseumMuseum of South Texas History20 mi GardenMcAllen Botanical Gardens
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Bert Ogden Arena: Wikidude10000, CC0 · Payne Arena: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park: Schmorleitz, CC BY-SA 3.0 · McAllen Botanical Gardens: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, United States, CC BY 3.0 us

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Monte Alto

16pages on Monte Alto
The big questions
SchoolsCBehind 74% of TX districts · 3 schoolsHealthDBetter than TX on 1 of 31 CDC measuresCost of livingB−Work & commuteD$30K median household income · 284 jobs hereNatural hazardsC−FEMA risk higher than 71% of U.S. communities · cold waves
Out and about
PlacesAttractions11 nearby · Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium 12 miLibraryElsa Public LibraryCollegesThe University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is 13.3 mi away
The story
Famous people1 born in Monte AltoClimate98° summer highs
Day to day
NewsWeatherHandbookTown SquareNeighbors
After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Monte Alto

The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyUniversity or college · Public · Edinburg13.3 mi$9,987 in-state tuition

About 1 of every 100 Monte Alto residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

About Monte Alto

Census-designated place in Texas

Monte Alto is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,930 at the 2020 census. It is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission Metropolitan Statistical Area.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
2.2 sq mi
Elevation
52 ft
Area code
956

Questions about Monte Alto

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Monte Alto, TX expensive?

The typical home is worth about $89,000, 70% below the Texas typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.