Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Monroe gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $281K, 3.2 years of the Madison metro’s $89K median household income. It grades A− overall, ranked 135th of 357 in Wisconsin. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 14 places on the National Register. 46% of working residents work locally in Monroe, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 8.2% and U.S. towns at 8%. Only 32 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score higher on history. Forest Prairie Park, at 141 acres with 3.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Monroe beats most towns.
Census counts: 939 in 1860, 10,661 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1857 and 3 maps from 1920 on.
14 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Monroe is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
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 pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the Wisconsin norm, draws workers from Freeport and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
4.8 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. Monroe’s trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile.
| Monroe | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.5% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Forest Prairie Park | 3.1 mi | 141 |
| 2. Twining Park | 0.5 mi | 48 |
| 3. Green County Fair Grounds | 0.5 mi | 34 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Monroe School District. Three of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Monroe High, with 686 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 483 | C+ |
| Monroe HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 686 | C |
| Northside ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 362 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
8,190 jobs are based in Monroe, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
The average trip to work in Monroe is 18 minutes. Jobs based in Monroe grew to 8,190 in 2023, 427 more than in 2013. The median household income in Monroe is $69,000.
| Monroe | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 8.9% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 90% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons average 82.4°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 87% of Wisconsin places with climate records; January nights average 11.7°.
Monroe has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. About 42 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Monroe | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 12°F | 11°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Violent crime is rare: 7 reported in 2025, 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Monroe grades A− overall with a typical home of about $281K, below the Wisconsin typical value; only 24 of the 118 Wisconsin towns graded A− or better can say that.
63% of Monroe households own their home. Typical home values rose 4.4% in the year to September 2026.
| Monroe | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 63% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $862 a month | $1,080 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 10,457 U.S. towns with household incomes like Monroe’s, it is healthier than 75%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Monroe beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 29% of adults feel lonely in Monroe.
| Monroe | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 20% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| What stands out | Monroe | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.7% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
People 65 and older are 23% of residents (19% statewide). 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin.
| Monroe | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 27% | 32% | 29% |
| Median age | 42.5 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 21% | 21% | 22% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.5 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Monroe | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.6% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.5% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.5% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.5% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.7% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.2% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.5% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.4% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 23% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.8% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.7% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.6% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
None within 15 miles of Monroe; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Monroe residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
Where Monroe’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
14 places in Monroe on the National Register of Historic Places.
18 notable people were born in Monroe.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Monroe is a city in Green County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 10,661 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered by the Town of Monroe to the north and the Town of Clarno to the south. It is nicknamed the "Cheese Capital of the USA".
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Monroe.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe | #135 | A− | A− | B+ | B− | B |
| Monroe | — | — | B+ | — | B− | B |
| Clarno | — | — | B+ | — | B− | B |
| Sylvester | — | — | B+ | — | C+ | B− |
Monroe, Clarno and Sylvester have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Monroe, Clarno and Sylvester report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Monroe with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Monroe grades A− overall, better than 77% of U.S. towns and #135 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades B for health, B+ for safety and B− 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−.
18 notable people were born here, including Nathan Farragut Twining and Edwin Bingham Copeland.
