Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Monmouth gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $112K, 1.7 years of the county’s $67K median household income. It grades B overall, 427th of 767 graded towns in Illinois. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 10 places on the National Register. 44% of working residents work locally in Monmouth, above both Illinois’ towns (8.3%) and U.S. towns (8%). On history, just 31 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do better. Monmouth is home to Monmouth College.
Where Monmouth beats most towns.
Sarah Martin House
Census counts: 797 in 1850, 8,902 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1858 and 3 maps from 1921 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Monmouth is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Monmouth, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Monmouth.
Monmouth is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has homes that are cheap against local pay and has commutes shorter than most of Illinois.
At 1.7 years of the county’s $67K median household income, the typical home (about $112K) costs less against local pay than in 88% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $1,753, against $5,298 across Illinois, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Monmouth’s median rent is $733 a month. The typical Monmouth home is worth about $112,000, about the same as a year ago, 62% below the Illinois typical home. 66% of households own their home in Monmouth.
| Monmouth | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $733 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 66% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Monmouth has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 15° and about 26 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 3,417 working residents takes 15.5 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
The average trip to work in Monmouth is 16 minutes. Since 2013, Monmouth has lost 710 jobs, to 4,406 in 2023. 18% of Monmouth residents live below the poverty line.
| Monmouth | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 7.5% | 11% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
0.0 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Monmouth Park, at 68 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Monmouth Park | — | 68 |
| 2. Citizen's Lake | — | 61 |
| 3. Pattee Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 9,206 U.S. towns with household incomes like Monmouth’s, it is healthier than 65%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Monmouth beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7.
| Monmouth | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 33% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 7.9% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Monmouth | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.5% | 10.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.8% | 6.3% |
| More adults in frequent mental distress | 18.4% | 15.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. Since 1986, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Monmouth.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
3 within 15 miles of the center of Monmouth
About 13 of every 100 Monmouth residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
10 places in Monmouth on the National Register of Historic Places.
20 notable people were born in Monmouth.
City in Illinois, United States
Monmouth is a city in and the county seat of Warren County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,902 at the 2020 census, down from 9,444 in 2010. It is the home of Monmouth College. Local parks and institutions located within Monmouth include Monmouth Park, Harmon Park, North Park, Warfield Park, West Park, South Park, Garwood Park, Buster White Park and the Citizens Lake & Campground. It is the host of the Prime Beef festival, held annually the week after Labor Day. The festival is kicked off with one of the largest parades in Western Illinois. Monmouth is also known regionally as the "Maple City". It is part of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Monmouth grades B overall, better than 57% of U.S. towns and #427 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C+ for health, C+ for safety and C+ for schools.
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.
20 notable people were born here, including Wyatt Earp and Rosa Smith Eigenmann.
