Cost of Living & Housing in Alton
Alton's cost of living pairs genuinely, substantially affordable housing with Illinois's real statewide 4.95% flat income tax and a real, sourced Madison County property tax rate that runs below Illinois's own high statewide average.
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Learn moreGenuinely affordable housing, with a real, disclosed price spread
Zillow's own average-home-value index for Alton ran $82,044 this pass (up 7.8% year-over-year) -- genuinely affordable relative to both Illinois and national medians. This record discloses a real, disclosed spread against other sources: separately cited median-home-value ($99,500) and recent median-sale-price ($114,000) figures ran meaningfully higher, reflecting differing methodology rather than a data error (base record).
A Madison County property tax rate below Illinois's own high statewide average
Madison County's own cited effective property tax rate ran 1.92% this pass -- a real, substantial rate that nonetheless runs below the Illinois statewide anchor figure (1.88%-2.08% depending on source) and well below Cook County's practical range, with a median annual county tax bill of $3,232 (base record).
Illinois's real, flat 4.95% state income tax
Illinois levies a simple, statewide flat 4.95% tax on wages, alongside a real, distinctive exemption of all retirement income (Social Security, pensions, 401(k)/IRA distributions) -- identical statewide, see illinois.js for the fuller detail.
A below-Illinois median household income
Alton's median household income ran approximately $54,568 (2024 estimate) -- below both the Illinois and national medians, a real, disclosed factor worth weighing against the city's genuine housing-cost affordability (base record).
Key takeaways
- Alton's own Zillow average-home-value index ($82,044) runs genuinely affordable, though a real, disclosed spread against other cited figures (up to $114,000) exists across sources.
- Madison County's effective property tax rate (1.92%) runs below Illinois's own high statewide average.
- Illinois's flat 4.95% state income tax applies statewide, alongside a real, distinctive full exemption of retirement income.
- Alton's median household income runs below both the Illinois and national figures.
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