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Place dossier plate
SheetIL-EAST-ALTON-IL · East Alton, IL 5,729 pop · income 15th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around East Alton
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest East Alton on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Deep Run · lowest
46,913
Deep Run · lowest
46,913 median HH income
22.8% of the leader · rank #1
Teviston · near
46,914
Teviston · near
46,914 median HH income
22.8% of the leader · rank #2
East Alton · this city
46,926
East Alton · this city
46,926 median HH income
22.8% of the leader · rank #3
Big Rock · near
46,929
Big Rock · near
46,929 median HH income
22.8% of the leader · rank #4
Dow City · near
46,932
Dow City · near
46,932 median HH income
22.8% of the leader · rank #5
Lake Secession · near
46,933
Lake Secession · near
46,933 median HH income
22.8% of the leader · rank #6
Lake Bluff · highest
205,735
Lake Bluff · highest
205,735 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for East Alton on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 5,729.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
East Alton - the verdict
East Alton ranks in the 15th percentile for household income and the 31st percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
15th
percentile, household income
9th
percentile, home value
18th
percentile, median rent
31st
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: East Alton, IL
5,729 people live in East Alton, Illinois - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. East Alton households earn a median of $46,926 annually, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 8.6%. Home values in East Alton run a median of $99,600, and the median resident age is 45.2 years. 15.9% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 60.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 1 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Stable), up 0% from five years earlier. Crime here tracks close to the national norm: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 2055.0 incidents per 100,000 residents, near the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Illinois tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Illinois scores 100.0 (Near Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,063 monthly. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Illinois's average monthly utility costs around $240 (state average). Natural-hazard exposure scores 54.5 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of East Alton's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from comparison shortlist to schools and households to housing and income to work and mobility to reported crime to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For East Alton, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits, annual population history, matched public-school count.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
Which cities make useful reference points for East Alton?
Within Illinois, the closest population matches are Hillsboro (5,693 residents, $48,158 income); Genoa (5,685 residents, $79,343 income); Northfield (5,683 residents, $180,492 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are International Falls, MN (5,728 residents); Newmarket, NH (5,730 residents); Livingston, TX (5,728 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
What does the education layer cover for East Alton?
The NCES join finds 3 public schools within the city match. 15.9% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
How far does income reach against housing in East Alton?
The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 2.1 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 8.6%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.
What does the journey to work look like in East Alton?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 75.2%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in East Alton?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 2055.0 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, near the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 10% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
1608.3
Violent rate
446.7
Total reported rate
2055.0
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Is East Alton growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -148 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -2.6% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 1 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
-2.6%
2025 estimate
5,621
2020 estimate
5,769
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Illinois average
F
City profile score · East Alton, IL
28/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Poverty rate D
8.6%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Cost of living D
100.0 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Bachelor's+ share F
15.9%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime F
447 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Household income F
$46,926
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
East Alton profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Poverty rate: 45/100 (D) · 8.6%
Cost of living: 40/100 (D) · 100.0 index
Bachelor's+ share: 23/100 (F) · 15.9%
Violent crime: 19/100 (F) · 447 /100k
Household income: 16/100 (F) · $46,926
Where East Alton sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
East Alton's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - East Alton highlighted among 8 peers.Read the chart values
East Alton, IL (this city): home $99,600, crime 2,055/100k
International Falls, MN : home $115,000, crime 1,570/100k
Newmarket, NH : home $364,800, crime 432/100k
Livingston, TX : home $158,100, crime 3,772/100k
Hillsboro, IL : home $95,800, crime 783/100k
Northfield, IL : home $807,700, crime 785/100k
Du Quoin, IL : home $78,000, crime 513/100k
Lake Bluff, IL : home $739,400, crime 871/100k
How does East Alton compare to other US cities?
Where East Alton sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income15% higher than other cities
Home value9% pricier than other cities
Median rent18% pricier than other cities
Safety31% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Illinois, East Alton ranks #367 of 455 Illinois cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares East Alton against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Illinois only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Illinois-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places East Alton near the bottom of Illinois's cities
Among the 1,336 Illinois cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, East Alton ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares East Alton only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#1,158 of 1,311
12th percentile in Illinois
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,336
0th percentile in Illinois
Median Home Value
#826 of 1,315
37th percentile in Illinois
Poverty Rate
#552 of 1,335
58th percentile in Illinois
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#778 of 1,336
42nd percentile in Illinois
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Illinois only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
15th percentile nationally for median household income · 31st percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
East Alton's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
East Alton's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How East Alton's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$99,600Among the most affordablemore affordable than 91% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
East Alton's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.1×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#2,099 of 15,516
More affordable than 86% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,985 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 2.1×, East Alton sits in the affordable band:
national rank #2,099 of 15,516 and #1,985 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$46,926East Alton, IL median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context East Alton, IL median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for East Alton, IL.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)15.9%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)8.6%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)60.0%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
5,729
Median Income
$46,926
Median Home Value
$99,600
Median Age
45.2
Poverty Rate
8.6%
Labor force participation
60.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
15.9%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
2055.0
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
446.7
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1608.3
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
3
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
East Alton's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
5,769 residents
2021
5,729 residents
2022
5,683 residents
2023
5,660 residents
2024
5,642 residents
2025
5,621 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Stable
Total Permits (2024)
1
housing units authorized
Single-Family
1
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.2
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
1
1
0
$0.4M
2020
0
0
0
-
2021
0
0
0
-
2022
4
4
0
$0.7M
2023
0
0
0
-
2024
1
1
0
$0.2M
Permit volume increased 0% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
75.2%
Carpool
11.1%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
2.7%
Work from Home
10.1%
Other
0.9%
Based on 2,935 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Illinois statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $240
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Illinois at $240 (electricity about $100 , water and sewer about $50 ).
These are Illinois statewide averages, not a meter reading for East Alton. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Illinois's BEA cost-of-living index is 100.0 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around East Alton is $1,063/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Illinois statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 54.5 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Illinois statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county East Alton sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How East Alton compares to similar-size Illinois cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.