Judge John A. Bingham House, 1857
Monroe’s story
Monroe in pictures
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.
Explore the history →
MonroeWI
A town of 1,276.
5 bordering townsMap →
Photo: SD Dirk · CC BY 2.0
Population
1,276
2025 Census estimate · −0.5% since 2020
Median home value
$307K
Census ACS
Household income
$107K
median
Median age
48.7
years
Jobs based here
193
A commuter town
Is Monroe a good place to live?
Monroe’s best subject grade is an A− for incomes. Monroe’s median age is 48.7 years, above both Wisconsin’s towns (42.1 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). Homes are within reach, about $307K for a typical one, or 3.5 years of the Madison metro’s $89K median household income. On civic life, just 59 of Wisconsin’s 869 towns do worse. Monroe has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Monroe stand out
Where Monroe beats most towns.
Small town
1,276 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
MonroeJordanSylvesterWashingtonClarnoMonroe
How Monroe grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Monroe is from typical.
Jobs & income$107K median household incomeA−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 10% of U.S. communities; cold waves tops the listA−Open →Cost of livingB+Open →HealthThe Monroe Clinic 3.5 miles awayBOpen →SchoolsBehind 54% of Wisconsin districts on tests and graduationB−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.3 of 20; 4.5% of households have no car; 4.3% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2 miles of trailsDOpen →History18 notable people born hereC+Open →Civic life0 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Monroe: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Monroe, and how to reach them.
PowerWisconsin Power & Light18.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterPleasant View Nursing Home water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers30% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Monroe’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Wisconsin you can register online until 20 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 20 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereTown of Monroe ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP code5356653566 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Monroe.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Monroe faces a very low natural-hazard risk, led by cold waves
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 90% of U.S. communities.
10risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland floodingTornadoes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
With 0.3 jobs for every working resident, most of Monroe’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Monroe for work: only 2% work in town. 1.8% of Monroe residents live below the poverty line, against 6.4% in Wisconsin’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Since 2013, Monroe has lost 119 jobs, to 193 in 2023.
2%work in town
| Monroe | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 1.8% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $107,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.7% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Monroe2%
Monroe27%
Madison14%
Brodhead4%
Fitchburg3%
20 mi
median commute distance
193
jobs based in Monroe
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 50% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Monroe has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Monroe has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 12° and about 42 inches of snow falls in a winter.
42″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter15–31°
Spring36–58°
Summer59–81°
Fall40–60°
Oct 14
typical first frost
Apr 27
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
Fewer young adults than Wisconsin overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 14% of residents (22% statewide). 22% of Monroe residents are 65 or older. 38% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin.
48.7median age · WI 40.2
| Monroe | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 32% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 21% | 22% |
MonroeWisconsinUnited States
Ages · share of residents
18%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma3%
High school28%
Some college14%
Associate’s18%
Bachelor’s27%
Graduate11%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.3 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Monroe | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.2% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.5% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.2% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 6.2% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.8% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 18.2% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.7% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.1% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.2% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.5% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.2% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 13.7% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 17.9% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.6% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.1% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,300, single groups can be off by several points
HealthB
On CDC estimates, Monroe is healthier than 56% of U.S. towns
Monroe beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 29% of adults feel lonely in Monroe.
56%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| 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% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 33% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
0 better31 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Monroe | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.9% | 8.6% |
The Monroe Clinic
3.5 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsD
Conserved land covers 0% of Monroe
1.9 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The trail density in Monroe is 0.1 miles per square mile.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 20,476 acres
1.9 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pleasant View Community Park Veterans Memorial | 0.2 mi | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Monroe
19pages on Monroe
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Monroe; the nearest are
Highland Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Freeport, IL25.2 mi$4,936 in-state tuitionUniversity of Wisconsin-MadisonUniversity or college · Public · Madison32.5 mi$11,603 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Monroe residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Monroe for work
Where Monroe’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
193jobs based in Monroe
2%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Famous people from Monroe
18 notable people were born in Monroe.
About 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)
- Area
- 5.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,056 ft
- ZIP code
- 53566
- Area code
- 608
Questions about Monroe
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Monroe, WI expensive?
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 B+.