Housing data for Alto, CA
Alto, CA has an estimated 1,024 residents and 463 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Marin County.
53.0% of households rent.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 1,024 (±346)
- Housing units
- 463 (±149)
- Households that rent
- 53.0%
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +67.6%
What stands out in Alto
Average commute: 14.1 minutes (±3.1) in Alto, lower than in Marin County (27.4 minutes).
Working from home: 17.2% (±14.2 points) in Alto, lower than in Marin County (31.5%).
Housing in Alto at a glance
- Rent burden: 31.8% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 53.0% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $129,191 median household income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Homeowner costs: $4,000 or more median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $10,000 or more median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 29.1% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 43.2% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 69.8% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 0.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 74.9% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 14.1 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: +67.6% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 34.6% moved in since 2020 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Crowding and facilities: 0.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Alto against Marin County, its state and the nation
| Alto | Marin County | California | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,024 (±346) | 257,969 (exact) | 39,287,377 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 463 (±149) | 112,116 (±118) | 14,644,735 (±1,665) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 53.0% (±18.8 points) | 35.3% (±1.1 points) | 44.1% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | — | $2,668 (±$83) | $2,036 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $129,191 (±$123,241) | $149,091 (±$4,474) | $99,122 (±$310) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | — | $1,507,300 (±$27,346) | $734,700 (±$1,307) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $10,000 or more | $10,000 or more | $5,124 (±$17) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 69.8% (±31.9 points) | 74.8% (±1.8 points) | 56.0% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 14.1 minutes (±3.1) | 27.4 minutes (±0.7) | 28.7 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 97.3% (±3.9 points) | 95.8% (±0.6 points) | 93.5% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 42.3 years (±19.0) | 47.4 years (±0.3) | 37.9 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Alto covers 0.1 square miles of land, about 8,127 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Alto has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 611 (±240) | 1,024 (±346) | +67.6% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 297 (±95) | 463 (±149) | +55.9% | Not a measurable change |
| Median household income | $185,395 (±$76,298) | $129,191 (±$123,241) | −30.3% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 43.1% (±23.2 points) | 53.0% (±18.8 points) | +9.9 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% (±28.8 points) | 0.0% (±16.2 points) | 0.0 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Marin County
Alto has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Marin County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Marin County recorded 181 violent and 1,230 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
Places near Alto
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strawberry | 1.1 mi | $2,958 | $2,000,000 or more | 58.5% |
| Mill Valley | 1.3 mi | $3,278 | $2,000,000 or more | 33.8% |
| Corte Madera | 1.9 mi | $3,500 or more | $1,755,200 | 31.2% |
| Tamalpais-Homestead Valley | 2.1 mi | $3,500 or more | $1,863,900 | 14.6% |
| Marin City | 2.4 mi | $1,335 | $1,142,700 | 61.3% |
| Larkspur | 2.5 mi | $3,001 | $1,996,600 | 53.5% |
| Kentfield | 3.0 mi | $2,741 | $2,000,000 or more | 19.1% |
| Tiburon | 3.3 mi | $3,500 or more | $2,000,000 or more | 25.1% |
HUD Fair Market Rent for Alto, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,574 | $3,003 | $3,697 | $4,832 | $5,439 |
HUD income limits for Alto, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $44,150 | $73,550 | $117,700 |
| 2 people | $50,450 | $84,050 | $134,500 |
| 3 people | $56,750 | $94,550 | $151,300 |
| 4 people | $63,050 | $105,050 | $168,100 |
| 5 people | $68,100 | $113,500 | $181,550 |
| 6 people | $73,150 | $121,900 | $195,000 |
| 7 people | $78,200 | $130,300 | $208,450 |
| 8 people | $83,250 | $138,700 | $221,900 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the San Francisco, CA HUD Metro FMR Area, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $200,800.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Alto is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Alto
How many renters are there in Alto?
Alto has an estimated 239 (±118) renting households, 53.0% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Alto?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Alto, CA is $4,000 or more a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in Alto?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Alto, CA is $10,000 or more a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many homes are in Alto?
Alto, CA has an estimated 463 (±149) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the most common home size in Alto?
The most common size is 2 bedrooms, 46.9% of homes in Alto, CA.
How old are most homes in Alto?
69.8% of homes in Alto, CA were built before 1980 (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Alto growing?
In Alto, the number of residents went from 611 in 2015–2019 to 1,024 in 2020–2024 (+67.6%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Alto CDP, California
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Alto CDP, California
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Alto CDP, California
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Alto CDP, California
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Alto CDP, California
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Alto CDP, California
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Alto CDP, California
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: San Francisco, CA HUD Metro FMR Area
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: San Francisco, CA HUD Metro FMR Area
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Alto CDP, California (place:01416, in state:06).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .