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Place dossier plate
SheetNC-MONROE-NC · Monroe, NC 35,596 pop · income 46th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Monroe
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Monroe on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Richmond · lowest
46,395
Richmond · lowest
46,395 median HH income
33.6% of the leader · rank #1
Monroe · this city
67,265
Monroe · this city
67,265 median HH income
48.8% of the leader · rank #2
Boone · near
67,269
Boone · near
67,269 median HH income
48.8% of the leader · rank #3
St. Marys · near
67,271
St. Marys · near
67,271 median HH income
48.8% of the leader · rank #4
McVeytown · near
67,273
McVeytown · near
67,273 median HH income
48.8% of the leader · rank #5
Silkworth · near
67,273
Silkworth · near
67,273 median HH income
48.8% of the leader · rank #6
Fruit Cove · highest
137,906
Fruit Cove · highest
137,906 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Monroe on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 35,596.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Monroe - the verdict
Nationally, Monroe sits in the 46th percentile for household income and the 7th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
46th
percentile, household income
60th
percentile, home value
48th
percentile, median rent
7th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Monroe, NC
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 35,596 residents in Monroe, a small city within North Carolina. Monroe households earn a median of $67,265 annually, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 11.0%. Home values in Monroe run a median of $270,600, and the median resident age is 36.5 years. 21.6% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 60.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 1,111 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 1362% from five years earlier. Monroe's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: FBI UCR figures show 3986.8 crimes per 100,000 residents, above the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than a definitive danger score). NOAA climate normals record an annual average temperature of 61.2°F with 37.9 inches of precipitation per year.
Living costs in North Carolina run below the national norm: the state registers 94.3 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,161 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $215 across North Carolina, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 66.7 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Monroe's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from population change to work and mobility to reported crime to climate and hazard context to comparison shortlist to schools and households to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Monroe, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history, commute-mode shares, local building permits, matched public-school count.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Population change
Is Monroe growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +7,945 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +22.9% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 1,111 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
What does the journey to work look like in Monroe?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 74.9%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Monroe?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 3986.8 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 75% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Which cities make useful reference points for Monroe?
Within North Carolina, the closest population matches are Salisbury (35,730 residents, $51,058 income); Goldsboro (33,448 residents, $47,005 income); Fuquay-Varina (37,749 residents, $111,447 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Fruit Cove, FL (35,609 residents); Owings Mills, MD (35,626 residents); Richmond, IN (35,551 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Climate and hazard context
What physical conditions frame life in Monroe?
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 61.2°F, with 37.9 inches of precipitation. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for North Carolina is 66.7 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
Mean temperature
61.2°F
Annual precipitation
37.9 in
FEMA risk index (state avg)
66.7
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
The NCES join finds 25 public schools within the city match. 21.6% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
25
Bachelor's degree+
21.6%
Poverty estimate
11.0%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
How far does income reach against housing in Monroe?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.0 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 11.0%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
Household income
$67,265
Home value
$270,600
Value / income
4.0×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Below median income · poverty 11.0% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
94.3 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, North Carolina average
F
City profile score · Monroe, NC
39/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living B-
94.3 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Household income D
$67,265
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share F
21.6%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate F
11.0%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime F
653 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Monroe profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 67/100 (B-) · 94.3 index
Household income: 45/100 (D) · $67,265
Bachelor's+ share: 39/100 (F) · 21.6%
Poverty rate: 36/100 (F) · 11.0%
Violent crime: 8/100 (F) · 653 /100k
Where Monroe sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Monroe's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Monroe highlighted among 9 peers.Read the chart values
Monroe, NC (this city): home $270,600, crime 3,987/100k
Cookeville, TN : home $263,800, crime 1,955/100k
San Juan, TX : home $118,200, crime 1,573/100k
Salisbury, NC : home $215,200, crime 4,948/100k
Goldsboro, NC : home $173,700, crime 6,940/100k
Fuquay-Varina, NC : home $410,600, crime 649/100k
Garner, NC : home $320,300, crime 4,864/100k
Cornelius, NC : home $512,400, crime 1,140/100k
New Bern, NC : home $211,500, crime 1,979/100k
How does Monroe compare to other US cities?
Monroe measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income46% higher than other cities
Home value60% pricier than other cities
Median rent48% pricier than other cities
Safety7% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at North Carolina, Monroe ranks #153 of 195 North Carolina cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Monroe against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to North Carolina only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
North Carolina-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Monroe near the bottom of North Carolina's cities
Among the 746 North Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Monroe ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Monroe only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#260 of 700
63rd percentile in North Carolina
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 746
0th percentile in North Carolina
Median Home Value
#199 of 708
72nd percentile in North Carolina
Poverty Rate
#336 of 746
55th percentile in North Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#372 of 746
50th percentile in North Carolina
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within North Carolina only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
46th percentile nationally for median household income · 7th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Monroe's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Monroe's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Monroe's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$270,60040th percentilemore affordable than 40% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Monroe's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.0×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#10,770 of 15,516
More affordable than 31% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#2,007 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 4.0×, Monroe sits in the moderate band:
national rank #10,770 of 15,516 and #2,007 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$67,265Monroe, NC median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Monroe, NC median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Monroe, NC.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)21.6%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)11.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)60.2%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
35,596
Median Income
$67,265
Median Home Value
$270,600
Median Age
36.5
Poverty Rate
11.0%
Labor force participation
60.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
21.6%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
3986.8
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
652.9
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
3333.9
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Climate
Avg Temperature
61.2°F
Annual Precipitation
37.9"
Annual Snowfall
N/A
Schools
Total Schools
25
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Monroe's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
34,699 residents
2021
35,088 residents
2022
36,106 residents
2023
37,990 residents
2024
40,154 residents
2025
42,644 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
1,111
housing units authorized
Single-Family
943
detached homes
Multifamily
168
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
31.2
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
76
76
0
$12.3M
2020
255
255
0
$37.7M
2021
556
496
60
$76.8M
2022
655
650
5
$94.4M
2023
845
845
0
$143.8M
2024
1,111
943
168
$151.6M
Permit volume increased 1362% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
74.9%
Carpool
17.7%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.9%
Work from Home
5.5%
Other
1.0%
Based on 16,500 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
North Carolina statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $215
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across North Carolina at $215 (electricity about $115 , water and sewer about $45 ).
These are North Carolina statewide averages, not a meter reading for Monroe. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
North Carolina's BEA cost-of-living index is 94.3 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Monroe is $1,161/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to North Carolina statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 66.7 / 100 (Moderate).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a North Carolina statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Monroe sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Monroe compares to similar-size North Carolina cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, 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.