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Monroe County, IL

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
95
5% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$265,600
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+37.5%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$996
national $1,348
Homeownership
84%
national 65%
Unemployment
3.0%
national 3.6%
Household income
$101,635
national $78,538
Median age
42.5 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the metro-area price level for St. Louis, MO-IL.

The cost of living runs about 5% below the national average. The median home is valued at $265,600 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 38% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $996 a month. Unemployment averaged 3.0% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $101,635. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Monroe County, IL saw a net loss of 32 tax-filing households and a net gain of 7 individuals. Against a population of about 34,957, that is a net inflow of about 0.2 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area gained $3.2M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 218 households, came from St. Clair County; the largest outflow, about 168 households, went to St. Clair County. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net gain of 321 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
+$3.2M
nominal dollars
Net households
-32
tax returns
Net people
+7
exemptions

+0.2 net people per 1,000 residents (population 34,957)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$56.8M
Moved out$53.7M
Net +$3.2M (nominal)
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Monroe County within Illinois

Monroe County is outlined, with arrows tracing its largest moves to and from other Illinois counties. Hover any county for its figures; click to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
Loading map…

Where movers came from

  1. 1St. Clair County, IL218$14.4M
  2. 2St. Louis County, MO124$10.4M
  3. 3Randolph County, IL60$4.4M
  4. 4St. Louis City, MO38$2.8M
  5. 5Jefferson County, MO37$2.8M
  6. 6Madison County, IL34$2.6M
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Where movers went

  1. 1St. Clair County, IL168$9.7M
  2. 2St. Louis County, MO118$8.1M
  3. 3Randolph County, IL52$2.7M
  4. 4St. Louis City, MO39$2.8M
  5. 5Jefferson County, MO36$2.1M
  6. 6Madison County, IL34$1.7M
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Churn by county · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

St. Clair County, IL218168+50+$4.6M
St. Louis County, MO124118+6+$2.2M
Randolph County, IL6052+8+$1.7M
St. Louis City, MO3839-1-$3K
Jefferson County, MO3736+1+$641K
Madison County, IL34340+$885K

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: +$50.7M (+2,136 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012-$28K+75
2013+$6.9M+277
2014-$1.4M+32
2015-$5.1M-16
2016+$1.9M+198
2017+$57.1M+579
2018+$2.9M+169
2019-$4M+55
2020-$12.7M+372
2021-$528K+67
2022+$2.4M+321
2023+$3.2M+7
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 7 more people moved into Monroe County, IL than left (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net gain of about $3.2M in income (nominal) — in a county of 35,190 people.

Population
35,190
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
+0.2
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about +2 people.
Net income per resident
+$90
nominal dollars
+$3.2M total across 35,190 residents.

The rate lets you compare Monroe County, IL with a countyof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the county’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+274
Deaths
-374
Net domestic migration
+172
Net international migration
-1
Total change
+61

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Monroe County, IL run about 5% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $105 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$74,332
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
6% above the U.S. average
Price level
95.0
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 5.0% lower than average
What that income buys
$78,266
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
12% above the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

Cost of living shown for the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area (BEA publishes price parities by metro, not by county).

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Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents80.6
Goods98.7
Utilities81.6
Other services97.6

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

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Who lives here

The people of Monroe County, IL

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
42.5
years
Median household income
$101,635
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
29% above the U.S. median
College degree
38%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
4.6%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
28 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
91%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 95%Hispanic 2%Black 1%Asian 0%Other 2%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$265,600
owner-occupied homes
12% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$996
gross rent per month
26% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
84%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+7.4%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+38%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
65new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 100%Multifamily 0%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
3.0%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
19,571
18,979 employed
Disaster declarations
1
major federal, 2023
most common: Severe Storm

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
2.6%
April 2026 · ▲ 0.4 points vs April 2025
January 2024April 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this county, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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How Monroe County, IL has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
20246,47314,055374R +36.320,902
20206,56914,142437R +35.821,148
20165,53512,6291,190R +36.719,354
20126,21510,888329R +26.817,432
20087,9539,881249R +10.718,083
20046,7889,468114R +16.416,370
20005,7977,632367R +13.313,796

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

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