About Altstätten
Altstätten is a small historic rural town and a municipality in the district Rhine Valley, in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It is located with some secure distance of about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) west from the Alpine Rhine in the flat and wide St. Gall Rhine Valley, which also designates the border with Austria. It further gives access to the higher situated Appenzell to the west.
- Canton
- St. Gallen
- Area
- 39.5 km²
Population
12'581residents
Median taxable income
CHF 59'213
Vacancy
1.06%
Foreign residents
31.9%
Dwellings
6'509
Jobs (FTE)
7'184
Tax multiplier
107%
Land use across the commune
Every 100 × 100 m of Altstätten, coloured by how it's used. Drawn from the BFS Arealstatistik 2025 release — the most recent nationwide snapshot.
Source BFS Arealstatistik
Loading statistics …
Jobs & economy
7'184 full-time-equivalent jobs across 993 businesses — services make up 59% of employment, industry 36% (2018).
Source BFS STATENT
7'184FTE total
Primary4.7%
Secondary36.4%
Tertiary58.9%
Land use
14% built-up, 60% agricultural, 21% forest. Measured across 3'957 hectares (2018).
Source BFS Arealstatistik
Settlement15.0%
Agriculture62.7%
Forest22.3%
Water0.0%
Election Results
SVP led the 2023 National Council election with 39.1%, ahead of Mitte at 23.5%.
Source BFS
SVP39.1%+5.4 pp
Mitte23.5%
FDP9.4%−0.9 pp
SP9.2%−0.1 pp
Grüne8.3%−1.4 pp
GLP6.1%+0.5 pp
EVP1.3%−0.2 pp
Others
1.1%
2023 vs 2019
Primary / second-home mix
86.9% of dwellings are primary residences; 13.1% are second homes (2026).
Source BFS
Primary residences86.9%
Second homes13.1%
Climate data
Annual mean 8.7°C with 1'433 mm of rain. Warmest in July (17.5°C), coldest in January (0.2°C). Station: St. Gallen, 776 m.
Source MeteoSchweiz
8.7°C
Annual mean
Mean 8.7°C
Rain 1433 mm
Sun ≈135 days
St. Gallen · 776 m.a.s.l. · 1991–2020 normals
Warming trend
Mean annual temperature at St. Gallen has risen by +2.5°C between the first 30 observed years (1864–1893) and the most recent (1996–2025).
Source MeteoSchweiz NBCN
+2.5°C
mean 1996–2025 vs. 1864–1893
St. Gallen · 776 m.a.s.l. · 1864–2025
