Monroe County, Iowa

County in IA, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

7,513

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

41.8

years ∙ half population younger than 41.8, half older

Diversity Index

10.1%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

0.7%

foreign-born population

99.3%Native

0.7% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Monroe County is a county in Iowa, United States.

Location

County in IA, US

Co-ordinates

DEC41.028847° N, 92.869642° W

DMS41° 01′ 43.85″ N, 92° 52′ 10.71″ W

Population Density & area

17.32/sq mi (6.69/km²)

Total Area

434.3 sq mi (1,124.8 km²)

Land Area

433.7 sq mi (1,123.3 km²) · 99.86%

Water Area

0.6 sq mi (1.5 km²) · 0.14%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

50.1% male

Male 50.1%

Female 49.9%

males per 100 females

Monroe County 100.3

Iowa 100.6

United States 98

Nativity

0.7%

foreign-born population

99.3%Native

0.7% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Monroe County 0.7%

Iowa 5.9%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

41.8

years ∙ half population younger than 41.8, half older

Monroe County

41.8

Iowa

38.6

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

77.4

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Monroe County 77.4

Iowa 69.6

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Monroe County	Iowa	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	23%	22.9%	22%
Working age (18-64)	56.4%	59%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	20.6%	18.1%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	77.4	69.6	64.4
Child dependency ratio	40.9	38.8	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	36.6	30.7	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

94.8%

Black

1.2%

Asian

0.5%

Hispanic

2.1%

Other

1.4%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

10.1%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Monroe County 10.1%

Iowa 31.4%

United States 61.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Monroe County population

	Monroe County	Iowa	United States
Hispanic or Latino	2.1%	7.3%	19.3%
Mexican	1%	5%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0%	0.3%	1.8%
Cuban	0.8%	0.1%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	0.3%	1.8%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	97.9%	92.7%	80.7%
One race	96.8%	89.2%	76.4%
White	94.8%	82.3%	57.4%
Black or African American	1.2%	3.8%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.1%	0.2%	0.5%
Asian	0.5%	2.5%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0.2%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0.2%	0.3%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	1.1%	3.5%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

62.2% family

Family 62.2%

Non family 37.8%

% family households

Monroe County 62.2%

Iowa 61.6%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.38

persons per household

Monroe County

2.38

Iowa

2.36

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Monroe County population

	Monroe County	Iowa	United States
Total households	3,089	1,315,707	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.38	2.36	2.53
Family households	1,920	809,836	82,990,528
Average family size	3.06	2.98	3.14
Married couple family	1,580	635,347	60,637,388
Other families	340	174,489	22,353,140
Male householder	109	56,457	6,572,819
Female householder	231	118,032	15,780,321
Non-family households	1,169	505,871	46,236,968
One-person households	1,023	406,436	37,140,836
Male householder	528	193,582	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	139	58,028	5,225,110
Female householder	495	212,854	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	338	111,645	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	146	99,435	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

3,656

housing units

Monroe County 3,656

Iowa 1,437,699

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

84.5% occupied

Occupied 84.5%

Vacant 15.5%

vacancy rate

Monroe County 15.5%

Iowa 8.5%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

81%

Single family houses

81%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

9.8%

Mobile homes

9.1%

Boat, RV, van, etc

0.1%

Median Year Built

1972

Half of houses were built before 1972, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

32.9%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

16.9%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

37.4%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

12.9%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Monroe County	Iowa	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.6	5.9	5.5
1–3 rooms	8.7%	11.8%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	56.9%	47.4%	51.6%
7+ rooms	34.5%	40.7%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	0.2%	1.7%	2.9%
1 bedroom	8.8%	9.2%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	29.5%	27%	25%
3 bedrooms	39.2%	37.3%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	22.2%	24.7%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1972	1972	1981
Total housing units	3,656	1,437,699	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

81.3% owners

Renter-occupied 18.7%

Owner-occupied 81.3%

homeownership rate

Monroe County 81.3%

Iowa 71.7%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.47

Owner-occupied

1.98

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Monroe County 2.47

Iowa 2.5

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Monroe County	Iowa	United States
Total occupied units	3,089	1,315,707	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	17.8%	24.3%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	35.6%	38.7%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	18.4%	16.4%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	28.1%	20.7%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	98.2%	98.4%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	1.8%	1.1%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0%	0.5%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	5.6%	5.4%	8.4%
1 vehicle	26.4%	30.5%	33.1%
2 vehicles	29.8%	37.8%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	38.2%	26.3%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	77.8%	72.8%	51.4%
Electricity	16.7%	24.4%	41.3%
Solar	0%	0.1%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0%	0.3%	3.9%
All other fuels	5.3%	1.8%	2%
No fuel used	0.2%	0.6%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.6%	0.3%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0.6%	0.8%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0.9%	0.8%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$156,300

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Monroe County

$156,300

Iowa

$208,000

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

18.6%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

18.6%

Owners without a mortgage

14.1%

Renters

54.3%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Monroe County	Iowa	United States
Property value
Median Value	$156,300	$208,000	$332,700
Under $100,000	28.4%	17.8%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	34.3%	30%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	15.9%	23.1%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	12.8%	21.3%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	6.9%	6.8%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	1.6%	1.1%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	48.1%	59.4%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	51.9%	40.6%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,241	$1,533	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$542	$616	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$798	$972	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

21.4%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Monroe County 21.4%

Iowa 31.4%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

4.6%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Monroe County 4.6%

Iowa 6.7%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

1,458

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

9.7%

K–12

81.8%

College / Undergraduate

8.5%

Graduate / Professional

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

13.5%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Monroe County

13.5%

Iowa

42.3%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Monroe County	Iowa	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	1,458	784,322	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	9.7%	6.2%	5.7%
K–12	81.8%	68.4%	67.6%
Kindergarten	6%	5.2%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	21.9%	20.3%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	23.9%	21.3%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	30%	21.6%	21.7%
College or graduate school	8.5%	25.4%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	8.5%	20.8%	21%
Graduate, professional school	0%	4.6%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	13.5%	42.3%	40.9%
School type
Public school	94.8%	84.4%	82%
Private school	5.2%	15.6%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

5,217

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

2.6%

9th-12th, no diploma

HS graduate

41.2%

Some college no degree

17.9%

Associates degree

15%

Bachelors degree

13.9%

Graduate or professional degree

7.4%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

52.9% · 47.1%

9th-12th, no diploma

43.1% · 56.9%

HS graduate

56.6% · 43.4%

Some college no degree

51.3% · 48.7%

Associates degree

48.5% · 51.5%

Bachelors degree

44.1% · 55.9%

Graduate or professional degree

20.6% · 79.4%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Monroe County	Iowa	United States
Population (25+)	5,217	2,154,149	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	2.6%	2.7%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	2%	4%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	41.2%	30%	26%
Some college, no degree	17.9%	19.7%	19.1%
Associate's degree	15%	12.1%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.4%	31.4%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	13.9%	20.9%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	7.4%	10.5%	14.1%
High School or higher	95.4%	93.3%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$53,849

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$44,875

HS graduate

$51,432

Some college or associates

$48,750

Bachelors degree

$60,707

Graduate or professional degree

$61,102

Poverty Rate

2.1%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

10.3%

HS graduate

12.9%

Some college or associates

Bachelors degree or higher

2.1%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Monroe County	Iowa	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$53,849	$51,106	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$44,875	$35,996	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$51,432	$41,528	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$48,750	$47,635	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$60,707	$62,744	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$61,102	$80,022	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	10.3%	21.5%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	12.9%	12.4%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	7%	8.1%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	2.1%	3.8%	4.5%

Insights for Monroe County, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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