City · Hidalgo County, Texas

Alton, Texas

Alton is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, part of the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX metro area. It has 20,214 residents. Alton, Texas has a quality-of-life score of 12 out of 100 (very low), ranking #13,796 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Texas it ranks #683 of 1,016 cities and towns. It ranks best on injury deaths (low), drug overdose deaths (low) and suicide rate (low). It ranks worst on uninsured residents (under 65) (high), hot days (high) and food environment index (low).

12Very low

Quality-of-life score: #13,796 of 15,651 cities and towns
Texas: #683 of 1,016 in TX
Population: 20,214 (2020-2024)
Land area: 8 mi²
Density: 2,660.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 4802212

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 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.

Safety59#6,353/15,637
Economy4#14,952/15,631
Housing79#3,149/14,977
Health52#7,451/15,609
Healthcare12#13,794/15,650
Environment3#15,028/15,453
Education15#13,289/15,649
Infrastructure25#11,752/15,650
Community0#15,587/15,651
Leisure & amenities5#14,849/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Alton, Texas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Hidalgo 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

Injury deaths · low35 /100k
100/100Texas 69 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHidalgo County value
Drug overdose deaths · low4.1 /100k
96/100Texas 13.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataHidalgo County value
Suicide rate · low6.9 /100k
96/100Texas 14.4 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataHidalgo County value
Distance to an airport · low9 mi
92/100Texas 33 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauHidalgo County value
New homes permitted · high11.9 /1k
91/100Texas 6.3 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Firearm deaths · low5.7 /100k
86/100Texas 13.7 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataHidalgo County value

Weaknesses

Uninsured residents (under 65) · high35.2%
0/100Texas 19.1%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Hot days · high182 days
0/100Texas 111 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationHidalgo County value
Food environment index · low4.5
1/100Texas 5.7United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHidalgo County value
Poor or fair health · high37.7%
1/100Texas 23.2%United States 19.9%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Food insecurity · high41.1%
2/100Texas 19.4%United States 15.6%2022Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Physical inactivity · high41.4%
2/100Texas 29.6%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Trends

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

PopulationRising
16,976 (2015-2019) → 20,214 (2020-2024)
+19%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
63.4% (2015-2019) → 32.6% (2020-2024)
−31 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
60.8% (2015-2019) → 91.0% (2020-2024)
+30 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
39.8% (2015-2019) → 24.9% (2020-2024)
−15 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Median household incomeImproving
$32,495 (2015-2019) → $52,715 (2020-2024)
+62%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
High school diploma or higherImproving
57.0% (2015-2019) → 67.2% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

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, Alton, Texas improved on 7 of 14 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.

Improved7

Broadband+30 points60.8% → 91.0%
Rent / income−15 points39.8% → 24.9%
Rent burden−31 points63.4% → 32.6%
High school++10 points57.0% → 67.2%
Uninsured−9.5 points44.7% → 35.2%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Alton, Texas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	24.6 min2015-2019	24.4 min2020-2024	−0.3 min	Within the margin of error	51%
Bachelor's degree or higher	10.8%2015-2019	14.2%2020-2024	+3.4 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Broadband subscriptions	60.8%2015-2019	91.0%2020-2024	+30 points	Improved	98%
Child poverty rate	41.6%2015-2019	33.8%2020-2024	−7.8 points	Within the margin of error	77%
Effective property tax rate	2.06%2015-2019	1.62%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	88%
High school diploma or higher	57.0%2015-2019	67.2%2020-2024	+10 points	Improved	95%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	3.0×2020-2024	+0.7×	Within the margin of error	36%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4582015-2019	0.4332020-2024	−0.025	Within the margin of error	71%
Median household income	$32,4952015-2019	$52,7152020-2024	+62%	Improved	92%
Poverty rate	32.0%2015-2019	27.5%2020-2024	−4.5 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Rent as share of income	39.8%2015-2019	24.9%2020-2024	−15 points	Improved	97%
Rent-burdened households	63.4%2015-2019	32.6%2020-2024	−31 points	Improved	98%
Unemployment rate	13.0%2015-2019	8.3%2020-2024	−4.7 points	Improved	95%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	44.7%2015-2019	35.2%2020-2024	−9.5 points	Improved	96%

“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 Alton, Texas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Alton, 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, Alton, Texas itself moved +22.1 points in standing on average over the same 10 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

20,214 residents (±42)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

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

Household income

5,349 households (±327)

Alton, Texas
Texas share

Under $25k24%1,297
$25k–50k23%1,223
$50k–75k20%1,063

Homes

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

Owners and renters

5,349 households (±327)

Alton, Texas
Texas share

Own55%2,943
Rent45%2,406

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−14.8 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

7,642 workers (±755)

Alton, Texas
Texas share

Drive alone76%5,786
Carpool9.6%†730
Public transit0.0%0

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 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, 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 Hidalgo County, the county holding most of Alton's residents.

Hidalgo County has 13,393 employer establishments, 149 for every 10,000 residents (0.60× the US rate of 248; 0.68× Texas's), with 227,682 paid employees at an average annual pay of $36,895. The Census Bureau also counts 107,444 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 13,393; 107,444 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 149; US 248 · Texas 218
Paid employees: 227,682
Average annual pay: $36,895; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	1,724	19.1	0.92×About typical	33,045	$39,352	3,995
Restaurants and other eating places	1,131	12.6	0.68×Fewer than typical	25,547	$19,380	1,095
Offices of physicians	687	7.6	1.18×About typical	7,740	$79,343	592
Limited-service restaurants	522	5.8	0.72×Fewer than typical	14,061	$17,456	253
Lessors of real estate	498	5.5	0.45×Fewer than typical	2,093	$77,275	4,718
Full-service restaurants	455	5	0.66×Fewer than typical	9,662	$22,198	463
Specialty trade contractors	437	4.8	0.31×Fewer than typical	3,539	$48,686	11,157
Truck transportation	377	4.2	0.83×About typical	4,505	$47,601	7,577
Insurance agencies and brokerages	363	4	0.92×About typical	1,716	$48,142	1,544
Legal services	357	4	0.74×Fewer than typical	1,799	$56,669	574
Clothing and accessories stores	354	3.9	1.08×About typical	6,020	$19,371	1,498
Offices of other health practitioners	350	3.9	0.64×Fewer than typical	2,421	$39,921	1,561

Rank places for an industry Open Hidalgo County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 901,096 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

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Alton, Texas: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0; −100% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

2.5KFY2017
2.3KFY2018
0FY2020
-25.3KFY2021
-2KFY2022
-78.8FY2023
7.4KFY2025

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Alton, Texas, so they do not add up across cities.

Alton, Texas's figures are part of those of Hidalgo County, TX ($1.1B in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Hidalgo 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.

Alton, Texas is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

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

Hidalgo County17100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX11

Other cities and towns in Hidalgo 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
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
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/4802212

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends