Monroe County, Iowa Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Monroe County, IA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
B
Health Around averageLess healthy than 84% of counties in Iowa
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B
Income Around average
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 94% of counties in Iowa
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Monroe County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 7,513 | 3,204,793 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 17.3 | 57.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.72% | 0.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.8 | 36.8 | 37.3 |
| Households | 3,089 | 1,308,457 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Monroe County declined by 1.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 7,513 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Monroe County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.1% of residents. That is 3.2 points above Iowa as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,403 18.7% -3.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,356 18.1% -2.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 1,661 22.1% +3.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 1,436 19.1% +1.4 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Iowa, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.8% of the people living in Monroe County and men 49.2%.
- Women 50.8% Iowa 50.0%
- Men 49.2% Iowa 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Monroe County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Monroe County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Monroe County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $70,943 | $75,133 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.44% | 3.99% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.1% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Monroe County is about 6% lower than in Iowa.
Housing
| Metric | Monroe County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $22,403 | $153,425 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $797 | $971 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 81.3% | 71.7% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Monroe County is about 2.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $797 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Monroe County spend about 61 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 254 hours, about 10.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Monroe County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 30.4 | 17.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 60.9 | 33.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 254 | 141 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,865 | $4,382 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.0% | 11.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,052 | 4,993 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 363 | 606 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Iowa:
Sioux County (10.1 min), Union County (10.4 min), Cass County (10.6 min).
Slowest:
Monroe County (30.4 min), Madison County (30.1 min), Mills County (26.7 min).
The average commute time in Monroe County is 30 minutes, longer than the 17 minutes in Iowa.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Monroe County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Monroe County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 21.9% | 27.9% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.38 | 2.37 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Iowa:
Johnson County (0.4), Dallas County (0.4), Story County (0.4).
Lowest:
Crawford County (0.2), Wayne County (0.2), Louisa County (0.2).
Health
Monroe County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Monroe County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.5 | 79.2 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 14.4% | 13.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.1% | 17.6% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Iowa:
Johnson County (0.8), Story County (0.8), Winneshiek County (0.8).
Lowest:
Davis County (0.8), Wayne County (0.8), Appanoose County (0.8).
Monroe County, IA Compared With Nearby Counties
Monroe County, IA is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 7,513 residents against a local median of 33,642. The measure that sets Monroe County, IA apart most is commute: 30.4 min, 97% above the local median of 15.5 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $22,403 against a local median of $184,905, 88% below it. The counties themselves sit within 2.0 min of each other on commute, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Monroe County, IA, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Monroe County, IA has the 4th lowest commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County, IA | 7,513 | $70,943 #3/4 | $22,403 #4/4 | 30.4 min #4/4 |
| Mahaska County, IA | 22,021 | $71,408 | $202,419 | 15.9 min |
| Marion County, IA | 33,642 | $79,418 | $184,905 | 15.5 min |
| Wapello County, IA | 35,362 | $64,636 | $83,500 | 13.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Monroe County, Iowa.
How big is Monroe County, Iowa by population?
About 7,513 people live in Monroe County, Iowa, in 3,089 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 42.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Monroe County, Iowa mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Monroe County, Iowa has 17 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 20% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Monroe County, Iowa?
The median home costs 0.3 times the median household income ($22,403 against $70,943), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $797 a month takes about 13% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Monroe County, Iowa?
Unemployment in Monroe County, Iowa is only 3.1%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How common is a college degree in Monroe County, Iowa?
21.9% of adults in Monroe County, Iowa hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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