Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 38,264, settled in 1886.
Homes are expensive, about $974K for a typical one and 10.1 times the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income. Overall it grades C+, 309th among California's 841 graded towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 81% of the country and it has 29 miles of trail and 57% conserved land. Its weakest subject is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 91% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. 57% of the land in Monrovia is conserved, above both the California town median (4.2%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Monrovia is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 92% of U.S. towns. The biggest place to walk is San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, 3,065 acres with 10.9 miles of trail.
Where Monrovia beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
56.7% of the town is conserved land, across 12 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Monrovia is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Upton Sinclair House is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 907 in 1890, 37,931 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1902 and 2 maps from 1925 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Monrovia. Close and well known come first.
Big draw25 mi Stadium & arenaSoFi Stadium
Big draw21 mi LandmarkHollywood Walk of Fame10.0M visitors a year
Big draw25 mi Theme parkDisneyland17.3M visitors a year
Big draw20 mi MuseumLucas Museum of Narrative Art
Big draw20 mi Stadium & arenaLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaDodger StadiumSoFi Stadium: Thank You (21 Millions+) views, CC BY 2.0 · Hollywood Walk of Fame: BenSherman, Public domain · Disneyland: HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Lucas Museum of Narrative Art: Kriddl, CC0 · Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: CanonStarGal, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dodger Stadium: Frederick Dennstedt from los angeles, usa, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Monrovia, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Monrovia.
Monrovia fares better on crime within California than nationally, keeps more of its land conserved than most of California and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns.
Its 4,961 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 98% of California towns.
29 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. At 2.1 miles per square mile, Monrovia’s trail density is above both California’s towns (1.0) and U.S. towns (0.4).
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. San Gabriel Mountains National Monument | 10.9 mi | 3,065 |
| 2. Monrovia Hillside Wilderness Preserve | 9.8 mi | 1,087 |
| 3. Monrovia Open Space | 1.6 mi | 388 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Monrovia Unified school district. Three of its 14 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clifton MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 634 | B+ |
| Monrovia HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,455 | B+ |
| Mayflower ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 524 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Since 1978, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Monrovia.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its widest gap with California is tooth loss: 6.8% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 10.6% statewide.
24% of Monrovia adults have obesity. Monrovia beats the California average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 39% of Monrovia adults feel lonely.
| Monrovia | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 29% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 36% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 22% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Monrovia | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.8% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.7% | 7.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 31.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 56% of California’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 912 to 830 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Monrovia is 20.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Monrovia | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 20.1 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 10.1 years of the Los Angeles metro’s $96K median household income, the typical home (about $974K) costs more against local pay than in 78% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living.
Monrovia’s median rent is $2,114 a month. The typical Monrovia home is worth about $974,000, up 1.9% in a year, 28% above the California typical home. 46% of households own their home in Monrovia.
| Monrovia | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 46% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $2,114 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 55% | 55% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
January nights average 45°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 89.6°.
Monrovia has warm winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Monrovia | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 45°F | 40°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 89°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Monrovia has about as many jobs (17,800) as working residents, but only 1,361 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Monrovia for work: only 8% work in town. The top destinations are Los Angeles (23%), Pasadena (9%) and Arcadia (5%). Half commute less than 15 miles.
| Monrovia | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 18% | 14% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $96,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the California average. 43% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across California.
| Monrovia | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 43% | 29% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 38.3 years | 39.1 years | 40.5 years |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.5 points. Across California, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 39.5, men 36.8.
| Monrovia | CA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.5% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.2% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.4% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.2% | 13.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.9% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.1% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.7% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.2% | 15.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 18.8% | 20.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.4% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.7% | 14.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
29 within 15 miles of the center of Monrovia
About 7 of every 100 Monrovia residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
5 places in Monrovia on the National Register of Historic Places.
17 notable people were born in Monrovia.
City in the United States
Monrovia is a city in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Monrovia is the fourth-oldest general-law city in Los Angeles County and the L.A. Basin (after Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Pasadena, all now charter cities). Incorporated in 1887, it has grown from a sparse community of orange ranches to a residential community of over 37,000. The population was 37,931 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Monrovia.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monrovia | #309 | C+ | D− | C | B+ | A− |
| Arcadia | #228 | B− | D− | C− | A | A |
| Mayflower Village | #168 | B− | D− | — | B+ | B+ |
| Bradbury | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| South Monrovia Island | #203 | B− | C− | — | B+ | B− |
| Duarte | #313 | C+ | D− | C+ | B | B |
| Irwindale | — | — | C | D− | B | B+ |
Irwindale has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Mayflower Village and South Monrovia Island report no FBI crime data of their own. Bradbury isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Monrovia with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Monrovia grades C+ overall, better than 37% of U.S. towns and #309 of 841 in California. It grades A− for health, C for safety and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
17 notable people were born here, including Velma Dunn and Kenny Baker.
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