Monroe Center, IL Fire Dept 01, 2007
Monroe Center’s story
133 years in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 2 maps from 1954 on.
- 1893Monroe Center is settled
Monroe CenterIL
A town of 406, settled in 1893.
Photo: Ben Jacobson (Kranar Drogin) · CC BY 2.5
Population
406
2025 Census estimate · −2.2% since 2020
Typical home
$267K
+8.5% in a year
Household income
$93K
median
Median age
40.1
years
Jobs based here
67
A commuter town
Is Monroe Center a good place to live?
Monroe Center’s average trip to work is 35 minutes, against 26 minutes in Illinois’ towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Only 8 of the 769 Illinois towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Monroe Center. Monroe Center has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
406 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Monroe Center: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Monroe Center, and how to reach them.
PowerCommonwealth Edison17.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterKnolls Edge Subdivision water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Monroe Center’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Illinois you can register online until 16 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 28 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereOgle County ClerkOgle County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code6105261052 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Monroe Center.
Work & commute
Monroe Center has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Monroe Center for work: only 1% work in town. Jobs based in Monroe Center grew to 67 in 2023, 23 more than in 2013. 4.9% of Monroe Center residents live below the poverty line, where Illinois’ towns sit at 8.4% and U.S. towns at 9.6%.
1%work in town
| Monroe Center | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 4.9% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $93,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Monroe Center1%
Rockford24%
Rochelle8%
DeKalb4%
Chicago4%
14 mi
median commute distance
67
jobs based in Monroe Center
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Monroe Center faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities.
22risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
In Monroe Center, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Monroe Center has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 13° and about 37 inches of snow falls in a winter.
37″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter17–32°
Spring38–59°
Summer60–82°
Fall41–61°
Oct 17
typical first frost
Apr 24
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
More of Monroe Center’s adults have obesity than in the typical Illinois or U.S. town
44% of adults have obesity in Monroe Center. Monroe Center beats the Illinois average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 25% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Monroe Center.
| Monroe Center | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 37% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
0 better24 too close to call8 worse
| What stands out | Monroe Center | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 18.1% | 12.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.7% | 10.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.5% | 6.3% |
Saint Anthony Medical Center
11.5 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Housing
A typical Monroe Center home is worth about $267K
The typical Monroe Center home is worth about $267,000, up 8.5% in a year, 10% below the Illinois typical home. 81% of Monroe Center households own their home.
$267KZillow home value
| Monroe Center | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 81% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,027 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Monroe Center$267K
Illinois$296K
+8.5%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 772 acres
0.2 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Monroe Center park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 41 attractions →Illinois Railway Museum and 18 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Monroe Center. Close and well known come first.
25 mi MuseumIllinois Railway Museum
13 mi Stadium & arenaBMO Center
17 mi TheatreEgyptian Theatre, DeKalb
14 mi GardenAnderson Japanese Gardens
31 mi National Historic SiteRonald Reagan Boyhood Home National Historic Site
38 mi Theme parkSanta's Village Amusement & Water ParkSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Illinois Railway Museum: The original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 · BMO Center: SimLibrarian, CC0 · Egyptian Theatre, DeKalb: Andy McMurray, CC BY 2.5 · Anderson Japanese Gardens: M. Readey, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home National Historic Site: Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Santa's Village Amusement & Water Park: Martin Lewison from The Hague, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Monroe Center
18pages on Monroe Center
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Monroe Center
Rockford UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Rockford11.9 mi$37,780 tuitionKishwaukee CollegeCommunity college · Public · Malta12.6 mi$4,560 in-state tuitionRock Valley CollegeCommunity college · Public · Rockford14.3 mi$4,334 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Monroe Center residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Monroe Center for work
Where Monroe Center’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
67jobs based in Monroe Center
1%of working residents work in town
14 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Monroe Center
Village in Illinois, United States
Monroe Center is a village in Ogle County, Illinois, United States, southeast of Rockford in Monroe Township. It is located on the Canadian Pacific Railway and on Illinois Route 72, approximately 0.6 mile east of Exit 111 from Interstate 39. As of the 2020 census, Monroe Center had a population of 411.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 853 ft
- ZIP code
- 61052
Questions about Monroe Center
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Monroe Center, IL a good place to live?
Monroe Center has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.