Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Monroe grades C− overall, ranked 188th of 286 in North Carolina, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools outperform 84% of the state's. On the other side, it reports more crime per resident than 93% of U.S. towns, including 220 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Monroe’s violent crime rate is 5.3 per 1,000 residents, above both the North Carolina town median (3.1) and the median of U.S. towns (1.6). Monroe has 7 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Monroe City Hall and John C. Sikes House. Monroe's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 85% of U.S. towns.
Where Monroe beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Rocky River Elementary | PK–5 | 536 |
| Benton Heights Elementary | PK–5 | 451 |
| Walter Bickett Elementary | PK–5 | 444 |
Where Monroe’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Monroe is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 204 in 1850, 34,562 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1874 and 2 maps from 1971 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Monroe, 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 Monroe.
Monroe has schools in the top 5% of North Carolina, draws workers from Charlotte and beyond and costs less than Unionville or any other town next door.
25,643 jobs are based in Monroe, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 5 of Monroe’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Monroe is 30 minutes. Since 2013, Monroe has added 2,693 jobs, to 25,643 in 2023.
| Monroe | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 7.5% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 13% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its A− ranks #3 of the 290 North Carolina towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Union County Public Schools. Three of its 12 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Monroe High, with 1,215 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 802 | C− |
| Union AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 2,186 | A− |
| Central Academy of Technology and ArtsTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 875 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 1,630 to 1,179 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Monroe’s property crime rate is 23.1 per 1,000 residents. Monroe reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 93% report less. Within North Carolina, it does better than 27% of towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
All 3 graded neighbors score healthier than its C, from Unionville (B+) to Wesley Chapel (A).
Monroe beats the North Carolina average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 18% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Monroe.
| Monroe | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 10% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 24% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Monroe | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.8% | 7.9% |
| More uninsured adults | 17.5% | 10.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Monroe has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 31° and about 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
5.0 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Dickerson Park, at 67 acres.
| Monroe | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.9% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dickerson Park | — | 67 |
| 2. Belk Tonowonda Park | 0.2 mi | 16 |
| 3. Don Griffin Park | 0.1 mi | 16 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its typical home is the least expensive on its borders; Unionville is next at $411K.
The typical Monroe home is worth about $352,000, down 0.6% in a year, 6% above the North Carolina typical home. 62% of Monroe households own their home.
| Monroe | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,246 a month | $1,084 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 1998, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Monroe.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Monroe. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi Stadium & arenaBank of America Stadium
23 mi Theme parkCarowinds
39 mi LakeLake Norman26 mi MuseumSullenberger Aviation Museum70K visitors a year
19 mi Stadium & arenaBojangles Coliseum19 mi TheatreOvens AuditoriumBank of America Stadium: HangingCurve, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Carowinds: Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Norman: Prince Grobhelm, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bojangles Coliseum: James Willamor, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Monroe
About 6 of every 100 Monroe residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina.
7 places in Monroe on the National Register of Historic Places.
26 notable people were born in Monroe.
City in North Carolina, United States
Monroe is a city in and the county seat of Union County, North Carolina, United States. The population increased from 32,797 in 2010 to 34,551 in 2020, and the 28th most populous city in North Carolina. It is within the Charlotte metropolitan area. Monroe has a council-manager form of government.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Monroe.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Wesley Chapel (B+) is closest.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe | #188 | C− | C+ | D | A− | C |
| Unionville | #22 | A− | A− | — | A− | B+ |
| Indian Trail | #31 | B+ | C | — | A− | A− |
| Wesley Chapel | #47 | B+ | C− | — | A− | A |
Unionville, Indian Trail and Wesley Chapel report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Monroe with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Monroe grades C− overall, better than 21% of U.S. towns and #188 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades C for health, D for safety and A− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Within North Carolina, it does better than 27% of towns.
That is 4.2 years of the area's median household income ($83,304 across the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
26 notable people were born here, including Jesse Helms and Christine Darden.
