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Switzerland · Canton AR · District

Bezirk Vorderland

Appenzell Ausserrhoden

Bezirk Vorderland is one of 3 districts of the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden and comprises 8 municipalities with 14'106 residents in all (BFS, 2025). A district is an administrative unit of the canton — a court and administrative area, not a postal delivery area: postal codes and localities follow delivery routes and can cross district borders.

Relief © swisstopo · TINITALY · geoland.at · LGL · IGN

Federal Statistical Office (FSO), retrieved 12.08.2026

Votes in Bezirk Vorderland

district results as published by BFS
Federal Statistical Office (FSO), retrieved 12.08.2026

Politics

National Council election 2023 · sum of its municipalities
SVP45.3% · strongest party
SVP45.3%
FDP35.9%
Mitte17.7%
Übrige1.2%
Walzenhausen
320 %
median of its municipalities
380 %
Rehetobel
420 %

A district has no tax rate of its own. Rates range from 320 % % in Walzenhausen to 420 % % in Rehetobel (median 380 % %).

Tax burden (single, CHF 100,000): 12.8 % in Walzenhausen to 14.5 % in Rehetobel (ESTV 2'026)

Vacancy rate
1.22 %
Dwellings
7'693
Avg. rooms
4.2
Built before 1946
49.1%

Vacancy rate: published by BFS for the district (2025) · Dwellings: sum of its municipalities (2024)

Population change

BFS · 2025 · sum of its municipalities
Population change 2025
+128 +0.9%
births
125
deaths
136
net migration
+119
BEVNAT (Statistik der natürlichen Bevölkerungsbewegung) 2025 · Federal Statistical Office (FSO), retrieved 19.09.2026

Economy

BFS · 2024 · sum of its municipalities
Jobs
6'027
Workplaces
1'217
Services share
66.6 %
Jobs by sector: Primary 376 (6.2%) · Secondary 1'640 (27.2%) · Tertiary 4'011 (66.6%)
STATENT (Statistik der Unternehmensstruktur) 2024 · Federal Statistical Office (FSO), retrieved 11.09.2026

Agriculture

BFS · 2025 · sum of its municipalities
Farms
155
Organic share
15.5 %
Farmland
2'492 ha
Landwirtschaftliche Strukturerhebung 2025 · Federal Statistical Office (FSO), retrieved 19.09.2026

Climate · Terrain

MeteoSchweiz · swisstopo
Annual mean temperature
8.5 °C
Precipitation
1'407 mm
Elevation
427–1'124 m
Flat share
6.7%

Climate: area-weighted over its municipalities · Terrain: swissALTIRegio 40 m, zonal over the district polygon

Energy · Accessibility

BFE · ElCom · ARE
Solar potential
112 GWh
Electricity
29.4 Rp./kWh
Public transport to centre
127 min
Road to centre
85 min

Solar potential: sum of its municipalities · Electricity: median of its municipalities (28.0534.763 Rp./kWh, 2027). ElCom publishes a median per municipality; the district value is our median of those. · Accessibility: median of its municipalities

Map

swisstopo · OSM
Which municipalities belong to Bezirk Vorderland?
Bezirk Vorderland comprises 8 municipalities: Heiden, Walzenhausen, Wolfhalden, Rehetobel, Lutzenberg, Grub, Wald, Reute. Together they have 14'106 residents (BFS, 2025).
Which canton is Bezirk Vorderland in?
Bezirk Vorderland lies in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, which is divided into 3 districts.
How many people live in Bezirk Vorderland?
Bezirk Vorderland has 14'106 residents (BFS STATPOP, 2025) — the sum of its 8 municipalities; the largest is Heiden with 4'413.
Does Bezirk Vorderland have its own tax rate?
No. Tax rates are set by municipalities. In Bezirk Vorderland the municipal rate ranges from 320 % (Walzenhausen) to 420 % (Rehetobel).
How did Bezirk Vorderland vote in the latest federal vote?
On 14.06.2026, Bezirk Vorderland voted 56.4 % yes on “Änderung des Bundesgesetzes über den zivilen Ersatzdienst (Zivildienstgesetz, ZDG)” (Accepted) — the district figure BFS publishes.

Districts exist in 17 cantons; UR, OW, NW, GL, ZG, BS, AI, NE and GE have no such level.