Monroe County, Tennessee Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Monroe County is located in Tennessee with a total population of 47,054. It is the 34th most populous county out of 95 in Tennessee. The county encompasses 4 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Monroe County is 44.8 years. This is 15% higher than the state median of 38.9 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Monroe County is $56,648. This is 16% lower than the state median of $67,097. It is also 28% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 16.1%. This is 17% higher than the state poverty rate of 13.8%. The unemployment rate is 5.3%. This is 11% higher than the state rate of 4.7%. The median home value is $199,700. Housing costs are 22% lower than the state median of $256,800. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.5x. 72.2% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 8% higher than the state average of 67.0%.

Race & Ethnicity

Monroe County has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 87.4% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 4.5%. The Black or African American population (1.7%) is well below the state average of 15.7%. The Asian population (0.4%) is well below the state average of 1.8%.

Education

15.8% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 48% lower than the state rate of 30.4%. Nationally, 35.0% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 86.3%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Monroe County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023), with comparisons drawn against Tennessee and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.