[3] The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Per fess Or a Semi Lion rampant issuant Gules and Vert two Bars Argent.
Of the rest of the land, 23.2% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.9%) is non-productive (rivers or lakes).
It is located at the base of the Appenzell hill country and along the main road between St. Margrethen and Altstätten.
Of the foreign population, (as of 2000[update]), 77 are from Germany, 96 are from Italy, 374 are from ex-Yugoslavia, 104 are from Austria, 102 are from Turkey, and 130 are from another country.
[8] The age distribution, as of 2000[update], in Balgach is; 513 children or 12.7% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 528 teenagers or 13.1% are between 10 and 19.
[8] The historical population is given in the following table:[3] The old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) at Steigstrasse 17 is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance.
The first is the Schlosslandschaft Ober/Unterrheintal, a concentration of castles that spans Altstätten, Balgach, Berneck and Marbach.
[13] From the 2000 census[update], 1,953 or 48.5% are Roman Catholic, while 1,322 or 32.9% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.