Monroe, Michigan

Population

Down 1.8% since 2020.

20,076

people, the 54th-largest of Michigan's cities and towns.

Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Michigan's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

The workday

9 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.

85.3%

of 9,346 jobs located in Monroe are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2021. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Rent

Median rent is up 38% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

$909

a month. Michigan's median is $1,129.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.

A $805 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Monroe County.

• $438 Tract 8337
• $1,243 Tract 8326

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

Local wages can carry more rent than the median charged today.

$1,039–$1,559

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $909 median

Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2021 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year

Building

Most of the housing here is older than 2000.

• 17 homes permitted, 2022–2025
• 59% of those were in multifamily buildings
• 95% of all homes were built before 2000

Census Building Permits Survey, 2022–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 0.3–1.0% to the 9,000 homes here.

26–93

is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.

Range computed by the Almanac from 2021 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac

Home value

A median home costs 28% less than Michigan's.

$167,900

median home value in Monroe.

• $167,900 Monroe
• $231,600 Michigan
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year