Town · Cherokee County, Texas

Alto, Texas

Alto is a town in Cherokee County, Texas, part of the Jacksonville, TX metro area. It has 1,222 residents. Alto, Texas has a quality-of-life score of 8 out of 100 (very low), ranking #14,443 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Texas it ranks #806 of 1,016 cities and towns. It ranks best on time spent in the emergency room (low), home price to income ratio (low) and child care cost burden (low). It ranks worst on arts, entertainment and recreation (low), uninsured residents (under 65) (high) and restaurants and bars (low).

8Very low

Quality-of-life score: #14,443 of 15,651 cities and towns
Texas: #806 of 1,016 in TX
Population: 1,222 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 716.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 4802188

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 71 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety45#8,620/15,637
Economy15#13,327/15,631
Housing47#7,937/14,977
Health25#11,695/15,609
Healthcare6#14,783/15,650
Environment24#11,754/15,453
Education23#11,973/15,649
Infrastructure21#12,363/15,650
Community11#13,924/15,651
Leisure & amenities3#15,225/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Alto, Texas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Cherokee County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Time spent in the emergency room · low93 min
98/100Texas 149 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesCherokee County value
Home price to income ratio · low1.5×
94/100Texas 3.6×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077High uncertainty
Child care cost burden · low23.0%
84/100Texas 24.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCherokee County value
Drug overdose deaths · low9.4 /100k
84/100Texas 13.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataCherokee County value
Comfortable days · high30.4%
80/100Texas 30.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationCherokee County value
Property crime rate · low644 /100k
80/100Texas 1,786 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureCherokee County value

Weaknesses

Arts, entertainment and recreation · low1.1 /10k
3/100Texas 3.4 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCherokee County value
Uninsured residents (under 65) · high25.2%
4/100Texas 19.1%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Restaurants and bars · low3.9 /10k
5/100Texas 7.8 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCherokee County value
Dental care shortage · high18.0
6/100Texas 5.8United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationCherokee County value
Food environment index · low6.4
7/100Texas 5.7United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCherokee County value
Distance to an airport · high113 mi
7/100Texas 33 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauCherokee County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
67.5% (2015-2019) → 94.6% (2020-2024)
+27 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$30,357 (2015-2019) → $61,688 (2020-2024)
+103%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Average commute timeWorsening
15.6 min (2015-2019) → 27.7 min (2020-2024)
+78%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Rent as share of incomeImproving
33.1% (2015-2019) → 21.8% (2020-2024)
−11 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
55.8% (2015-2019) → 44.6% (2020-2024)
−11 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Poverty rateImproving
39.3% (2015-2019) → 28.4% (2020-2024)
−11 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Alto, Texas improved on 1 of 8 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 7 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Broadband+27 points67.5% → 94.6%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 8 measures

Change of every measure of Alto, Texas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Broadband subscriptions	67.5%2015-2019	94.6%2020-2024	+27 points	Improved	97%
Child poverty rate	53.3%2015-2019	46.7%2020-2024	−6.6 points	Within the margin of error	74%
High school diploma or higher	76.0%2015-2019	79.7%2020-2024	+3.7 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4602015-2019	0.5012020-2024	+0.041	Within the margin of error	20%
Median household income	$30,3572015-2019	$61,6882020-2024	+103%	Within the margin of error	99%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent-burdened households	55.8%2015-2019	44.6%2020-2024	−11 points	Within the margin of error	84%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	20.5%2015-2019	25.2%2020-2024	+4.7 points	Within the margin of error	11%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Alto, Texas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Alto, Texas in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Alto, Texas itself moved +23.1 points in standing on average over the same 5 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,222 residents (±515)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under 10 women (+6.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,222 residents (±515)

Alto, Texas
Texas share

White56%†686
Black13%†160
Hispanic or Latino25%†

Education

690 residents (±242)

Alto, Texas
Texas share

No high school diploma20%†140
High school or GED36%†248
Some college20%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

409 households (±136)

Alto, Texas
Texas share

Under $25k19%†77
$25k–50k26%†106
$50k–75k11%†43
$75k–100k13%†53
$100k–150k12%†49
$150k–200k9.0%†37
$200k or more11%†44

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−25.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

409 households (±136)

Alto, Texas
Texas share

Own55%†224
Rent45%†185

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

185 households (±89)

Alto, Texas
Texas share

Under $75061%†112
$750–1,0006.5%†12
$1,000–1,50019%†35

Home values

224 homes (±101)

Alto, Texas
Texas share

Under $150k61%†137
$150k–250k12%†26
$250k–400k18%†40

Age of homes

538 homes (±160)

Alto, Texas
Texas share

2010 or later2.4%†13
2000–20094.3%†23
1980–199936%†195

Size of homes

538 homes (±160)

Alto, Texas
Texas share

Studio1.3%†7
1 bedroom17%†94
2 bedrooms32%†172

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

480 workers (±247)

Alto, Texas
Texas share

Drive alone72%†345
Carpool15%†70
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike1.3%†6
Work from home12%†59
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+12.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

421 workers (±233)

Alto, Texas
Texas share

Under 15 min16%†68
15–29 min27%†113
30–44 min33%†139

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Jacksonville, TX

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Cherokee County, the county holding most of Alto's residents.

Cherokee County has 840 employer establishments, 160 for every 10,000 residents (0.64× the US rate of 248; 0.73× Texas's), with 11,002 paid employees at an average annual pay of $44,655. The Census Bureau also counts 4,097 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 840; 4,097 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 160; US 248 · Texas 218
Paid employees: 11,002
Average annual pay: $44,655; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Cherokee County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	61	11.6	0.63×Fewer than typical	1,027	$18,320	34
Ambulatory health care services	48	9.1	0.44×Fewer than typical	489	$63,196	135
Religious organizations	48	9.1	1.64×More than typical	251	$19,574	—
Specialty trade contractors	46	8.7	0.56×Fewer than typical	329	$52,635	461
Lessors of real estate	31	5.9	0.48×Fewer than typical	57	$43,737	215
Limited-service restaurants	28	5.3	0.66×Fewer than typical	712	$17,907	9
Management, scientific and technical consulting	26	4.9	0.74×Fewer than typical	35	$47,686	89
Full-service restaurants	24	4.6	0.59×Fewer than typical	272	$20,085	17
Gasoline stations	24	4.6	1.41×More than typical	155	$20,929	—
Building equipment contractors	20	3.8	0.63×Fewer than typical	177	$55,514	80
Offices of physicians	20	3.8	0.59×Fewer than typical	331	$70,837	22
Services to buildings and dwellings	20	3.8	0.56×Fewer than typical	52	$58,250	436

Rank places for an industry Open Cherokee County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 52,631 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Alto is mostly in Cherokee County.

See federal money in Cherokee County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Alto, Texas is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Jake EllzeyR-TX-6 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 1.5%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Cherokee County11100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Jacksonville, TX6

Other cities and towns in Cherokee County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/4802188