What it's like to live in Monroe
Monroe is a small city in Ohio with home prices that remain within reach, household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Monroe deals with air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, larger class sizes than the national average, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, and cold winters.
The good
- Affordable home prices
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Highly educated workforce
The not so good
- Air quality concerns
- High student-teacher ratio
- High rent burden for renters
- Cold winters
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Monroe compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Monroe
Based on Monroe's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,216
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $64,320 a year
- 55% of Monroe renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$56,480
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $28,240
- Homes cost 2.7× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 14% above US
$1,608/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,608 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 $282,400. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $282,400 · 55% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.6% county unemployment
Unemployment in Butler County is 4.6%, 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.
Butler County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 71% below US
97 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1421/100k · Monroe Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 11% below US
23 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 23.1 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 17% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 84°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 23°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforceNear US average
39% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 39% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
6 public schools inside the boundary
There are 6 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 20:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is William Howard Taft National Historic Site (24 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Monroe's strongest points are home prices that remain within reach and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are air quality that falls short of national benchmarks and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin. A year of median rent ($1,608/mo) equals 18% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime and remote workers (17% of workers here already work from home).
Other places near Monroe
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