City profile · Massachusetts · Census ACS 2023

Monson Center, MA

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Monson Center — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

1,794
Residents
$58,603
Median income
$279,500
Median home
$2,261
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Monson Center, MA

Monson Center is a city in Massachusetts with a population of 1,794 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $58,603 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 20.0%. Typical homes in Monson Center are valued around $279,500, and the median resident age is 47.3 years. About 24.8% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 54.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Massachusetts registers 105.8 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $2,261 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $330 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 78.8 out of 100 (High).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

1,794 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Massachusetts

Median Household Income

$58,603 /yr

Poverty 20.0%

Cost of Living Index

105.8 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Monson Center compare to other US cities?

Where Monson Center sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 33% higher than other cities
Home value 62% pricier than other cities
Median rent 98% pricier than other cities

Percentiles compare Monson Center against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Monson Center, MA Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Monson Center, MA. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Monson Center, MA — median $58,603/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Monson Center, MA — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 24.8%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 20.0%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 54.5%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
1,794
Median Income
$58,603
Median Home Value
$279,500
Median Age
47.3
Poverty Rate
20.0%
Labor force participation
54.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
24.8%

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
75.2%
Carpool
6.5%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
1.7%
Work from Home
15.0%
Other
1.6%

Based on 819 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Massachusetts — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$160
avg/month
Natural Gas
$110
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$60
avg/month
Total Utilities
$330
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Massachusetts state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Massachusetts state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
105.8
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$2,261/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
78.8 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Monson Center, MA Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Monson Center, MA — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Monson Center compares to nearby Massachusetts cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Monson Center) plus the nearest peer cities in Massachusetts, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

MA

Monson Center

58.60% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$58,603
Brackets
2
Selected

MA

Rutland

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$180
Brackets
2
Selected

MA

Lenox

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$180
Brackets
2
Selected

MA

Essex

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$180
Brackets
2
Census ACS 5-year FIPS MA OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Monson Center, MA?

What is the population of Monson Center, MA? +

Monson Center, MA has a population of 1,794 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Monson Center, MA? +

The median household income in Monson Center is $58,603 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Monson Center? +

Monson Center has a cost of living index of 105.8 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

What is the median home value in Monson Center, MA? +

The median home value in Monson Center is $279,500, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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