ExecutivePulse
Official Federal Data

Monroe County, Illinois

FIPS 17133 · St. Louis, MO-IL · Population 35,036
9 Sources Updated June 22, 2026
$102,880
Median Income
$80,734 national
3%
Unemployment
4% national
$1.3B
GDP
38.7%
Bachelor's+
35.7% national

Demographics & Population

Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates

Household Income

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$102,880
Per Capita
$49,605
Mean Household
$123,402
Poverty Rate
5%
Median Income Comparison
Monroe County$102,880
Illinois$83,390
National$80,734

Population Profile

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
65+: 19.7% (6,913 residents) 55-64: 15.3% (5,350 residents) 35-54: 26.1% (9,131 residents) 18-34: 17.1% (5,991 residents) Under 18: 21.8% (7,651 residents) 43 Median Age
Cohorts
Under 18 · 21.8%
18-34 · 17.1%
35-54 · 26.1%
55-64 · 15.3%
65+ · 19.7%
Race & Ethnicity
White96%
Black or African American0.6%
Asian0.6%
Hispanic or Latino(any race)1.9%
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.

Educational Attainment

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
96%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +6.4 pts
38.7%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +3.0 pts
13.7%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 0.4 pts

Employment Overview

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
35,036
Population
19,232
Labor Force
Employed
18,854
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3% ▼ 0.1 pts YoY
Mean Commute 2 min above national avg
28.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
12.6%
Key Takeaways
  • Income premium: Households earn well above the national median, supporting strong retail and housing markets.
  • Aging population: Median age of 43 is materially above the U.S. norm; succession planning and senior-services demand are real factors.

Economy & Industry

Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis

$1.3B
Gross Domestic Product · 2024
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis · CAGDP1 Regional GDP

Top Industries by Employment

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics · Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages 2025 Annual
Top industries by employment in Monroe County, Illinois, with employment, share of top sectors, and average wage
IndustryEmploymentShare of Top 10Avg Wage
1Retail Trade
1,269 20.0%
$38,832
2Accommodation and Food Services
1,237 19.5%
$22,617
3Health Care and Social Assistance
995 15.7%
$50,328
4Finance and Insurance
562 8.8%
$93,528
5Construction
549 8.6%
$78,818
6Other Services (except Public Administration)
546 8.6%
$45,583
7Administrative and Support and Waste Management
414 6.5%
$40,530
8Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
320 5.0%
$105,782
9Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
270 4.2%
$26,212
10Educational Services
193 3.0%
$30,083
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Key Takeaways
  • Largest sector: Retail Trade employs 1,269 workers (20% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $38,832.
  • Economic scale: Regional GDP of $1.3B (2024).
  • Wage stratification: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services averages $105,782 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $22,617, a 4.7x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration

Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.

Location Quotient Analysis

Concentrated Industries
Source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector · Location Quotient vs. national employment share
Same source as the Top Industries table above, sub-sector view surfaces the specialization the supersector view masks (e.g., Plastics & Rubber Manufacturing inside the Manufacturing supersector).
Personal and Laundry Services
3.29x
286
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities
2.84x
401
Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
2.79x
182
Waste Management and Remediation Services
2.70x
77
Repair and Maintenance
2.53x
203
General Merchandise Retailers
2.43x
433
Animal Production and Aquaculture
1.95x
29
Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
1.83x
345
Food Services and Drinking Places
1.80x
1,208
Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers
1.79x
202

Cluster Depth

Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Accommodation & Food Services Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
1,208
Cluster Employment
1.80x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Personal and Laundry Services
3.29x 286
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities
2.84x 401
Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
2.79x 182
Waste Management and Remediation Services
2.70x 77
Repair and Maintenance
2.53x 203
General Merchandise Retailers
2.43x 433
Animal Production and Aquaculture
1.95x 29
Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
1.83x 345
Food Services and Drinking Places
1.80x 1,208
Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers
1.79x 202

Attraction Opportunities

LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: Personal and Laundry Services concentrates at 3.29x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy and supports supply-chain attraction strategy.
  • Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
  • Attraction whitespace: 6 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Monroe County's Top Sectors by Workforce Share
Each rectangle's area is proportional to that sector's share of total private-sector employment across all NAICS supersectors. Hover for exact employment.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW 2025 Annual · Private sector, NAICS supersectors

Housing & Affordability

Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026

Housing Overview

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$282,100
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,042
Rent/Mo
84.7%
Owner-Occ
6.2%
Vacancy
2.7x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average

HUD Fair Market Rents

Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$955/mo
1 Bedroom
$995/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,218/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,568/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,812/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,572/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
  • Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.7x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
  • High home ownership: 84.7% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
  • Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,572/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.

Workforce Pipeline

Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition

Labor Market Overview

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
20,472
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 2 min above national avg
28.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
12.6%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
91.7%
of prime-age population
Labor force participation rate: 70.2% of working-age population (18-64) 70% Participation
▼ vs 2019

Education & Talent Pipeline

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
38.7%
HS Diploma+
96%
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
57,734/yr
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 15,945/yr
Chamberlain University-Illinois 11,893/yr
DeVry University-Illinois 9,399/yr
University of Illinois Chicago 8,607/yr
Loyola University Chicago 5,976/yr
DePaul University 5,914/yr

Aging Workforce

Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
26.1%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.

Workforce by Occupation

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
46.2%
Service
12.1%
Sales & Office
22.4%
Construction / Maint.
10.2%
Production / Transport
9.2%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 18,854 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
  • Succession risk is real: 26.1% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
  • Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 37,237 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.

AI Insights

AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources

Sample AI Insight

Monroe County shows meaningful potential for personal and laundry services attraction, with a 3.29x concentration and 286 jobs in this sub-sector. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 26.1% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.

The interconnected base across personal and laundry services, credit intermediation and related activities, and heavy and civil engineering construction creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.

Industry Shift Analysis

Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100

Prospect Match Scores

Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example

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Data Sources

Updated from official federal government data.

Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23

Frequently Asked Questions

Key economic and demographic figures for Monroe County, Illinois, from federal data sources.

What is the population of Monroe County, Illinois?

35,036 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the median household income in Monroe County, Illinois?

$102,880 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Monroe County, Illinois?

3% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).

What is the GDP of Monroe County, Illinois?

$1.3B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).