Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 11,543, settled in 1853.
Monmouth's standout: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 96% of U.S. towns. Overall it grades C, 76th of 142 graded towns in Oregon. Its weakest subject is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $471K for a typical one and 6 times the Salem metro’s $79K median household income. Monmouth is home to Western Oregon University. Among 142 Oregon towns, just 1 have a lower median age than Monmouth.
Where Monmouth beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Monmouth | OR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.2% | 8.9% |
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Western Oregon University | 3,007 |
9,534 counted in 2010 and 11,110 in 2020; an estimated 11,543 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oregon), ordered by how far Monmouth is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 267 in 1880, 11,110 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1891 and 5 maps from 1914 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Monmouth. Close and well known come first.
20 mi Stadium & arenaReser Stadium
25 mi MuseumEvergreen Aviation & Space Museum
11 mi Theme parkEnchanted Forest
30 mi State parkSilver Falls State Park
19 mi MuseumOregon Electric Railway Museum11 mi MuseumHallie Ford Museum of Art30K visitors a yearReser Stadium: Zapper258, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum: Notkeel at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Enchanted Forest: Trashbag (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Silver Falls State Park: Kelvin Kay -- Kkmd at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Oregon Electric Railway Museum: Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 3.0
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 Oct 2, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Monmouth.
Monmouth fares better on crime within Oregon than nationally and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Adults 18 to 34 are 42% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 27% of residents (39% statewide). 12% of residents are 65 or older in Monmouth, below both Oregon’s towns (18%) and U.S. towns (18%). Monmouth has grown 3.7% since 2020, to 11,543 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Monmouth | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 12% | 18% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 21% | 22% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.5 points. Across Oregon, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 27.4, men 26.4.
| Monmouth | OR | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.2% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.8% | 9.6% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 25.6% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.9% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.8% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.4% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.5% | 12.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.2% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.6% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.3% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.8% | 22.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 28.8% | 23.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.8% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.6% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.6% | 14.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Its public schools are run by Central SD 13J. One of its 3 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monmouth Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 468 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OR on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Monmouth for work: only 11% work in town. 16% of residents live below the poverty line in Monmouth, where Oregon’s towns sit at 11% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Jobs based in Monmouth fell to 2,314 in 2023, 206 fewer than in 2013.
| Monmouth | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 11% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 9.5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 10,461 U.S. towns with household incomes like Monmouth’s, it is healthier than 89%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
25% of adults have high blood pressure in Monmouth. Among 142 Oregon towns, just 7 have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Monmouth. 30% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Monmouth.
| Monmouth | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 68% | 73% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 27% | 23% |
| What stands out | Monmouth | OR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.2% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5% | 6.5% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.3% | 12.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Monmouth has mild winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 36° and about 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 61% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Monmouth since 2025.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 16.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 81% of Oregon’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
47% of Monmouth households own their home. The typical Monmouth home is worth about $471,000, up 1.9% in a year, close to the Oregon typical home. The median rent in Monmouth is $1,114 a month.
| Monmouth | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 47% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,114 a month | $1,415 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.5 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. Monmouth’s trail density is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Monmouth | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.6% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Monmouth Recreational Park | — | 6 |
| 2. Main Street Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Gentle Woods Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
3 within 15 miles of the center of Monmouth
College town 19 of every 100 Monmouth residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oregon.
6 places in Monmouth on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Oregon, United States
Monmouth () is a city of Polk County in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was named after Monmouth, Illinois, the origin of its earliest settlers. The population is 11,110 as of the 2020 Census; and Monmouth is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is home to Western Oregon University. The city’s first public library, Monmouth Public Library, opened in 1934.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Monmouth.
| Town | OR rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monmouth | #76 | C | C− | B− | C− | B+ |
| Independence | #97 | D | D | B− | C− | B− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Monmouth grades C overall, better than 25% of U.S. towns and #76 of 142 in Oregon. It grades B+ for health, B− for safety and C− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
