Monroe County, Iowa
Population 7,513 · Albia, Lovilia, Melrose
- Overall cost of living: −15.9% vs the US average, lower than 87% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- On-time high school graduation: 97.5%, higher than 96% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−15.9% | lower than 87% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of Iowa outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $156,300 | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Median rent | $798 | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $151/mo | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $6,946/yr | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1.37% | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6% | higher than 46% of US counties |
| State income tax | 5.7% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $2,149 | higher than 68% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $70,996 | higher than 64% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4% | higher than 49% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -0.5% | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 317.3 | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈203 days | lower than 64% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 85°F | lower than 63% of US counties |
| January low | 14°F | lower than 78% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 30 in | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 15 days | lower than 73% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 135 days | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 13.7% of weeks | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈63.2°F | lower than 50% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 37.4 in | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $131/yr | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $93/yr | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.02/yr | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.93/yr | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $14/yr | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $1.8/yr | higher than 65% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 7.7 µg/m³ | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 275.1 mi | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈292.8 ft | lower than 70% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 95.4% | higher than 94% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 21.4% | lower than 53% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 7.4% | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 3 | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 14:1 | higher than 53% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 97.5% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 8.8 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.44 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.5 | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 1.2 | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 53/100k | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 6 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 2.7★ | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 75.2 yrs | lower than 54% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 5.3% | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 41/100k | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 40/100k | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 69.8% | higher than 60% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 76 min | higher than 76% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 199 min | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 29 min | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 86.2% | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| Work-from-home share | 9% | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 207 min | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 14 per sq mi | lower than 63% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 0.8 per 1k | lower than 84% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 2.2 per 1k | lower than 89% of US counties |
| Population | 7,513 | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Median age | 41.8 | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +0.3 per 1k/yr | lower than 61% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 24.2% Dem | lower than 61% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 74.9% Rep | higher than 63% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1% | lower than 61% of US counties |
| % White | 94.8% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 2.1% | lower than 83% of US counties |
| % Black | 1.2% | lower than 60% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.5% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 1.1% | lower than 97% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.2% | lower than 54% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 22 parks | lower than 66% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 13.3 | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Drive to dark skies | 4 min | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.1% | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 14 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 176 km | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | the lowest in the US |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 7 | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 20 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 12 | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 13 | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 1 km | lower than 65% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data