Moving to
Monticello.

All Monticello data Compare Monticello

14,858people live here $79,534median household incomeNear US average $1,405median rent per monthNear US average $323,700median home valueNear US average

What it's like to live in Monticello

Monticello is a small city in Minnesota with a growing population and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Monticello deals with cold, harsh winters, snowy winters, fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.

The good

Growing population
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Cold, harsh winters
Snowy winters — 40" per year
Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
Car-dependent — few commuters use transit

How Monticello compares

Median household income

Monticello$79,534

Minnesota avg$89,062

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Monticello$1,405

Minnesota avg$1,280

US$1,413

Median home value

Monticello$323,700

Minnesota avg$329,300

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Monticello

Based on Monticello's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$2,810

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $56,200 a year
43% of Monticello renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$64,740

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $32,370
Homes cost 4.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of livingNear US average

$1,405/mo median rent

Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,405 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $323,700. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.

Median home value $323,700 · 43% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

3.8% county unemployment

Unemployment in Wright County is 3.8%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Wright County (county-wide)

Safety

40 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Monticello doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Wright County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.

Property crime 320/100k · Policed by Wright County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

26 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 26.1 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 13% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

73%

Work from home

13%

Carpool

11%

Walk

1.9%

Other

1.5%

Public transit

0.1%

Climate

Summers are comfortable, with highs around 79°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 7°F.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Healthcare

1 hospital

There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.

Medicare-certified hospitals

Education & workforce▼ 35% below US

24% bachelor's degree or higher

College degree attainment runs below average at 24%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.

Schools

19 public schools inside the boundary

There are 19 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Mississippi National River & Recreation Area (42 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Monticello's strongest point is a growing population; the main tradeoffs are cold, harsh winters and snowy winters. A year of median rent ($1,405/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive and anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.

See all the data for Monticello →·All Minnesota cities →