Monroe iowa, 2009
Monroe’s story
175 years in pictures
Census counts: 982 in 1880, 1,967 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1965 on.
- 1851Monroe is settled
MonroeIA
A town of 2,022, settled in 1851. A typical home costs 3 years of the Des Moines metro’s $86K median household income.
Photo: Billwhittaker at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
2,022
2025 Census estimate · +2.9% since 2020
Typical home
$260K
+3.7% in a year
Household income
$80K
median
Median age
35.3
years
Jobs based here
292
A commuter town
Is Monroe a good place to live?
Monroe’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living and civic life and an A− for safety; its weakest is a C− for walkability. Only 15 of Iowa’s 276 towns score lower on walkability. The biggest park or preserve is Monroe Recreation Park, at 20 acres. Monroe has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Monroe stand out
Where Monroe beats most towns.
Typical home value
Monroe$260K
Iowa$237K
Cost of livingA
3 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 95% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Library visits per resident
Monroe4.8
Typical U.S. town3.4
Typical IA town4
Civic lifeA
21% more library visits per person
than the typical Iowa town
IMLS Public Libraries Survey.
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Monroe0.5
Iowa2.4
U.S.3.3
SafetyA−
79% less violent crime than IA
FBI data, 2025. Crimes reported to police.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Monroe for work
Where Monroe’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
292jobs based in Monroe
3%of working residents work in town
24 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Monroe grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Monroe is from typical.
Cost of livingAOpen →SafetyA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7 of 20; 1.5% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →HealthPella Regional Health Center 12.4 miles awayB+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 34% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →SchoolsBOpen →Jobs & income$80K median household income; 292 jobs based hereB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsC+Open →History1 notable person born hereC+Open →Civic life4.8 library visits per resident; 7.6 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 35.3; 19% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Monroe: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Monroe, and how to reach them.
PowerMidAmerican Energy11.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterMonroe Water SupplyNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Monroe’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Iowa you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereJasper County AuditorJasper County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code5017050170 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Monroe.
SafetyA−
Crime per resident in Monroe is lower than in 84% of U.S. towns
At 2 per 1,000 residents, Monroe’s property crime rate is where Iowa’s towns sit at 7.3 and U.S. towns at 9.9. The violent crime rate in Monroe is 0.5 per 1,000 residents.
84%of U.S. towns report more crimeA−Safety Grade
| Monroe | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 7.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Monroe0.5
Iowa2.4
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Monroe2
Iowa12.1
U.S.15.5
84th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
1
violent crimes reported in 2025
4
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
SchoolsB
Public schools in Monroe beat 62% of Iowa districts
Its public schools are run by the PCM Community School District. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is PCM High School, with 348 students.
62%of IA districts it outscoresBSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 257 | C |
| PCM High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 348 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
With 0.3 jobs for every working resident, most of Monroe’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Monroe for work: only 3% work in town. At 24 minutes, Monroe’s average trip to work is against 19 minutes in Iowa’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. The top destinations are Newton (16%), Des Moines (14%) and Pella (7%).
3%work in town
| Monroe | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 3% | 31% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 8.1% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $80,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Monroe3%
Newton16%
Des Moines14%
Pella7%
West Des Moines4%
24 mi
median commute distance
292
jobs based in Monroe
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 23% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthB+
Monroe is healthier than 70% of U.S. towns
Monroe beats the Iowa average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 21% of adults binge drink in Monroe. Among 141 Iowa towns, just 7 have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Monroe.
71%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| Monroe | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 32% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Iowa
3 better29 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Monroe | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.7% | 11.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.4% | 12% |
Pella Regional Health Center
12.4 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Monroe has four seasons and pleasant summers
Monroe has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 13° and about 29 inches of snow falls in a winter.
29″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter17–33°
Spring39–60°
Summer62–83°
Fall42–63°
Oct 19
typical first frost
Apr 20
typical last frost
+0.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Monroe faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 66% of U.S. communities.
34risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingDroughtTornadoes
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HousingCost of living grade A
A typical Monroe home is worth about $260K
The typical Monroe home is worth about $260,000, up 3.7% in a year, 10% above the Iowa typical home. Monroe’s median rent is $817 a month.
$260KZillow home value
| Monroe | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 78% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $817 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Monroe$260K
Iowa$237K
+3.7%
value change, 1 year
4
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,082 acres
0.1 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Monroe Recreation Park | — | 20 |
| 2. Tool's Point Park | — | 2 |
| 3. Madsen Field | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Monroe
20pages on Monroe
The big questions
SchoolsBBeat 62% of IA districts · 2 schoolsSafetyA−0.5 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthB+Better than IA on 3 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingA$260K typical home · up 3.7% in a yearWork & commuteB−$80K median household income · 292 jobs hereNatural hazardsB+FEMA risk higher than 34% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Monroe
About 2 of every 100 Monroe residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
About Monroe
City in Iowa, United States
Monroe is a city in Jasper and Marion counties in Iowa, United States. The population was 1,967 at the time of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1851
- Area
- 1.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 925 ft
- ZIP code
- 50170
Questions about Monroe
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Monroe, IA expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.