Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Monroe grades C+ overall, 153rd of 285 graded towns in Washington, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Residents are healthier than 78% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and it has 11 miles of trail. On the other side, FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Monroe’s trail density is 1.7 miles per square mile, against 0.8 in Washington’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Monroe is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 85% of U.S. towns. The biggest place to walk is Al Borlin Park, 100 acres with 2.8 miles of trail.
Where Monroe beats most towns.
17,304 counted in 2010 and 19,699 in 2020; an estimated 20,025 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Monroe is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,552 in 1910, 19,699 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 4 maps from 1953 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Monroe. Close and well known come first.
Big draw24 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw24 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
Big draw24 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
25 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
24 mi Ancient siteSeattle Underground
21 mi Stadium & arenaHusky StadiumSpace Needle: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Climate Pledge Arena: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lumen Field: "Smart Destinations", GoSeattleCard.com, and Go Seattle Card Blog, CC BY-SA 2.0 · T-Mobile Park: MyName (Cacophony), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Seattle Underground: Mark Hursh, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Husky Stadium: Atomic Taco, CC BY-SA 2.0
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 Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Monroe.
Monroe has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, owes part of its health edge to its incomes and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more.
For Monroe, that is where Washington’s towns sit at 4% and U.S. towns at 4.3%.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Al Borlin Park | 2.8 mi | 100 |
| 2. Skykomish River Centennial Park | 1.2 mi | 45 |
| 3. Lake Tye Park | 0.9 mi | 23 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Monroe School District. Two of its 12 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park Place Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 755 | – |
| Monroe High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,515 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
Since 1979, 66 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Monroe.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 7,066 U.S. towns with household incomes like Monroe’s, it is healthier than 60%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
69% of Monroe adults had a checkup this year. Monroe beats the Washington average on 7 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 28% of Monroe adults have high blood pressure.
| Monroe | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 69% | 71% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.3% | 9.8% | 12% |
| What stands out | Monroe | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.5% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.5% | 5.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 10.1% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 556 to 328 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within Washington, it does better than 49% of towns.
| Monroe | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.9 per 1,000 residents | 15.1 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Monroe weather station records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 96% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 75.3°, cooler than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 34.6°.
Monroe has mild winters and cool summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Monroe is 75°F. About 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Monroe | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 75°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 35°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Monroe home is worth about $707,000, down 0.6% in a year, 20% above the Washington typical home. Monroe’s median rent is $1,950 a month.
| Monroe | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,950 a month | $1,737 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Monroe for work: only 11% work in town. Jobs based in Monroe grew to 7,390 in 2023, 421 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Seattle (15%), Redmond (9%) and Everett (8%).
| Monroe | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 20% | 15% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $110,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 4.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across Washington.
| Monroe | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 11% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 35.7 years | 38.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 21% | 22% | 22% |
44% women, 56% men
About 125 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.7 points). Across Washington, 49.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 36.3, men 35.5.
| Monroe | WA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.1% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.3% | 9.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.5% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 19.6% | 15.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.6% | 14.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.5% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.9% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.5% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.7% | 7.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.5% | 21.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.6% | 21% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.2% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.7% | 24% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.3% | 15.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
5 within 15 miles of the center of Monroe
About 6 of every 100 Monroe residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
6 notable people were born in Monroe.
City in Washington, United States
Monroe is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located near the Cascade foothills at the confluence of the Skykomish and Snoqualmie rivers, which form the Snohomish River. The city is part of the Seattle metropolitan area and is 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Seattle. Monroe's population was 19,699 as of the 2020 census. The town of Park Place was originally founded in 1864 at the river confluence and was among several existing settlements in the Tualco Valley. The confluence site was previously a trading post used by the indigenous Skykomish people. Park Place was renamed to Monroe in 1890 to honor U.S. President James Monroe, and was moved northeast to be near the t…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Monroe.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe | #153 | C+ | D | C | B | A− |
| Monroe North | — | — | C | — | A− | A |
| Woods Creek | #165 | C+ | D | — | B | A− |
| Chain Lake | #34 | A− | C | — | A− | A |
Monroe North has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Monroe North, Woods Creek and Chain Lake 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 41% of U.S. towns and #153 of 285 in Washington. It grades A− for health, C for safety and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Within Washington, it does better than 49% of towns.
Yes. That is 6.1 years of the area's median household income ($115,177 across the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 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 D.
6 notable people were born here, including Benson Boone and Chuck Close.
