• county
  • FIPS 55081
  • Largest town: Sparta

Monroe County, Wisconsin

Monroe County had 46,370 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 900.9 square miles of land. It ranks 31st of 72 in Wisconsin by population and 19th by land area.

Population
46,370
#31 of 72 in Wisconsin · #1,064 in US
Area
900.9 sq mi
#19 of 72 in Wisconsin · #847 in US
Density
51 / sq mi
#36 of 72 in Wisconsin · #1,437 in US
Median household income
$63,372
#57 of 72 in Wisconsin · #1,531 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Monroe County within Wisconsin. Pin: Madison.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Monroe County

Monroe County population, land area and income

Monroe County had 46,370 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 900.9 square miles of land. It ranks 31st of 72 in Wisconsin by population and 19th by land area. That works out to 51.5 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Wisconsin has 41,821 residents; Monroe County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $63,372 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

46,370

3144th1st

1064th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

901 sq mi

3144th1st

847th of 3,144 (US)

Density

51.5 / sq mi

3144th1st

1437th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$63,372

3143rd1st

1531st of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Wisconsin (72)

Population

46,370

72nd1st

31st of 72 (WI)

Land area

901 sq mi

72nd1st

19th of 72 (WI)

Density

51.5 / sq mi

72nd1st

36th of 72 (WI)

Median household income

$63,372

72nd1st

57th of 72 (WI)

How Monroe County's population changed since 2020

Monroe County gained 71 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 0.2%. That ranks 54th of 72 in Wisconsin for growth. The median Wisconsin county changed by +1.0%, and the state as a whole by +1.1%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Monroe County recorded 2,403 births and 2,222 deaths, a natural change of +181. Net international migration added +209 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -290. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 290 people.

46.3k202046.2k202146.0k202246.2k202346.4k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
2,403
Deaths
2,222
Net international migration
+209
Net domestic migration
-290
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+177

Where Monroe County is

The Census internal point of Monroe County is at 43.945200, -90.620000. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Wisconsin's 72 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Monroe County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Barron County: +0.2%Green County: +0.4%Dunn County: +1.5%Jefferson County: +0.0%Lincoln County: +0.1%Rusk County: -0.1%Fond du Lac County: +0.1%Marquette County: +1.0%Outagamie County: +2.3%Waupaca County: -1.2%Oneida County: +0.8%Eau Claire County: +2.8%Washington County: +1.4%Portage County: +2.3%Menominee County: +0.7%Clark County: +0.5%Monroe County: +0.2%Milwaukee County: -1.5%Buffalo County: +1.1%Lafayette County: +4.2%Ozaukee County: +2.5%Rock County: +1.0%Sheboygan County: +0.2%Green Lake County: +1.8%Waukesha County: +2.3%Calumet County: +2.1%Dodge County: -0.8%Wood County: -0.3%Winnebago County: +0.9%Sawyer County: +4.0%Dane County: +4.6%Sauk County: +1.1%Pepin County: +2.9%Adams County: +3.2%Price County: +0.4%Taylor County: +1.1%Grant County: +0.7%Trempealeau County: -0.0%Vernon County: +2.1%Waushara County: +2.2%Iowa County: +1.0%Crawford County: -0.5%Kenosha County: -0.3%Shawano County: +1.1%Juneau County: -0.7%Jackson County: -0.3%Vilas County: +3.7%Bayfield County: +3.7%Chippewa County: +1.5%Iron County: +1.5%Racine County: +0.3%Door County: +1.3%Ashland County: +1.1%Kewaunee County: +0.9%Polk County: +1.8%Florence County: +2.4%Douglas County: -0.2%Forest County: +3.7%Columbia County: -0.7%Walworth County: +0.7%La Crosse County: +0.1%Manitowoc County: +0.1%Oconto County: +2.5%Langlade County: +0.4%Marathon County: +0.7%Washburn County: +2.2%Brown County: +1.8%Richland County: -0.9%Marinette County: +1.1%St. Croix County: +4.3%Pierce County: +2.7%Burnett County: +3.7%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +0.1%
  2. < +0.7%
  3. < +1.3%
  4. < +2.3%
  5. ≥ +2.3%
no data

Orange pin: Monroe County internal point. Dark pin: Madison.

Internal point

Decimal
43.945200, -90.620000
DMS
43°56'42.72"N 90°37'12.00"W
UTM
15N 690992.0E 4868540.0N
Geohash
9zz9czux2
Plus code
86MFW9WJ+32

Towns in Monroe County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Monroe County, 20,694 people together, or 45% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Monroe County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Sparta with 9,963.

  1. 01Sparta9,963
  2. 02Tomah9,574
  3. 03Cashton1,157
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Monroe County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 4 neighbors for Monroe County. The most populous is La Crosse County, WI, with 121,060 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Madison and the nearest big city

Madison is 86.3 miles SE of Monroe County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Madison, WI (population 285,300), 84.1 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Onalaska, WI (population 19,898), 29.3 miles away.

Monroe County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Monroe County is 55081: state code 55 for Wisconsin plus county code 081. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $63,372.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Monroe County, Wisconsin?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 46,370. That is up 71 people (0.2%) from the July 2020 estimate of 46,299.

What is the FIPS code of Monroe County?

55081. The first two digits (55) are Wisconsin; the last three (081) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Monroe County?

Sparta, with 9,963 residents inside Monroe County in 2024.

Which counties border Monroe County?

4 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: La Crosse County, WI; Vernon County, WI; Juneau County, WI; Jackson County, WI.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.