Monroe County, Missouri Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Monroe County, MO Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below averageHealthier than 73% of counties in Missouri
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D
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 79% of counties in Missouri
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Monroe County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 8,734 | 6,186,340 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 13.0 | 88.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.13% | 0.28% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 46.2 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 3,468 | 2,507,647 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Monroe County declined by 4.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 8,734 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Monroe County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 24.2% of residents. That is 6.3 points above Missouri as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,597 18.3% -2.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,451 16.6% -4.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 1,750 20.0% +0.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,117 24.2% +6.3 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 Missouri, 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 49.7% of the people living in Monroe County and men 50.3%.
- Women 49.7% Missouri 50.7%
- Men 50.3% Missouri 49.3%
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 D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Monroe County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $53,714 | $70,801 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.48% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 1.8% | 4.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Monroe County is about 24% lower than in Missouri.
Housing
| Metric | Monroe County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $191,944 | $145,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $688 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 74.3% | 68.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Monroe County is about 23.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $688 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Monroe County spend about 45 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 187 hours, about 7.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Monroe County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.5 | 21.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 44.9 | 41.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 187 | 175 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,805 | $5,415 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 3.8% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,888 | 7,545 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 227 | 923 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Missouri:
Saline County (11.9 min), Adair County (12.0 min), Nodaway County (12.1 min).
Slowest:
Bollinger County (33.1 min), Ray County (32.2 min), Maries County (31.9 min).
The average commute time in Monroe County is 22 minutes, longer than the 21 minutes in Missouri.
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 | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15.0% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.47 | 2.40 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Missouri:
St. Louis County (0.4), Platte County (0.4), Boone County (0.4).
Lowest:
Bollinger County (0.2), Wayne County (0.2), Ripley County (0.2).
Health
Monroe County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Monroe County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.6 | 76.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.1% | 19.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.0% | 22.8% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Missouri:
St. Charles County (0.8), Platte County (0.8), Boone County (0.8).
Lowest:
Scotland County (0.7), Ripley County (0.7), Pemiscot County (0.8).
Monroe County, MO Compared With Nearby Counties
Monroe County, MO is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 8,734 residents against a local median of 24,548. The measure that sets Monroe County, MO apart most is median home price: $191,944, 92% above the local median of $100,000.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 22.5 min against a local median of 15.8 min, 42% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 42% above the local median it puts Monroe County, MO at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $172,876 on median home price, so Monroe County, MO sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Monroe County, MO has the 2nd highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County, MO | 8,734 | $53,714 #3/4 | $191,944 #2/4 | 22.5 min #4/4 |
| Audrain County, MO | 24,548 | $59,477 | $100,000 | 16.7 min |
| Marion County, MO | 28,457 | $63,331 | $79,047 | 13.8 min |
| Randolph County, MO | 24,365 | $53,637 | $251,923 | 15.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Monroe County, Missouri.
How big is Monroe County, Missouri by population?
About 8,734 people live in Monroe County, Missouri, in 3,468 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 46.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 9 years.
Is Monroe County, Missouri urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Monroe County, Missouri has 13 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 15% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Monroe County, Missouri?
The median home costs 3.6 times the median household income ($191,944 against $53,714), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $688 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Monroe County, Missouri?
Unemployment in Monroe County, Missouri is only 1.8%, 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, Missouri?
15.0% of adults in Monroe County, Missouri hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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