Monroe County, Wisconsin: commercial real estate data.
Monroe County, Wisconsin has a population of 46,208 across 901 square miles, up 0.2 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $3.01 bn in 2024, 967 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 43 7(a) approvals worth $12.7 m.
122 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Monroe County
How many people live in Monroe County
- Population46,208
- Households18,301
- Average household size2.52
- Median household income$69,467
- Median age39.7
- Median gross rent$914 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$210,000
- Home value to household income3.0 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher21.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over31,202
- Population under 1811,724
- Share under 1825.4 percent
- Population 65 and over8,320
- Share 65 and over18.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6426,164
- Civilian labor force22,386
- Unemployment rate3.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over64.9 percent
- Rank by population among Wisconsin counties31st of 72
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1076th
Monroe County is the 31st largest of 72 Wisconsin counties by population. A median home costs 3.0 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 25.4 percent against 18.0 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Monroe County
Is Monroe County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base0.22 percent
- Census 2020 base population46,266
- Births, 2024559
- Deaths, 2024490
- Natural change, 202469
- Net domestic migration, 202439
- Net international migration, 202471
- Total net migration, 2024110
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-269
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1748th
The county has grown 0.22 percent since the 2020 census base. Migration contributed more to 2024 change than births over deaths, so demand here follows people arriving rather than families forming.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Monroe County
Where people moving to Monroe County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,220
- People arriving, from those returns2,268
- Adjusted gross income arriving$65.2 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$53,477
- Largest single originMonroe County Non-migrants (17,841 households)
- Largest single destination (17,841 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County Non-migrants | 17,841 | 36,249 | $1.22 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 405 | 803 | $24.4 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 271 | 438 | $13.0 m |
| La Crosse County | 236 | 430 | $12.1 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 157 | 278 | $8.5 m |
| Juneau County | 151 | 302 | $7.8 m |
| Other flows - South | 130 | 269 | $8.9 m |
| Other flows - West | 98 | 216 | $5.9 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Monroe County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Monroe County
What the Monroe County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$3.01 bn
- County GDP, 2023$2.93 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20242.7 percent
- GDP change over five years25.7 percent
- Rank by GDP among Wisconsin counties27th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents978th
- GDP per resident$65,057
Output grew 2.7 percent in the latest year and 25.7 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Monroe County
Who employs people in Monroe County
- Covered employment, annual average21,455
- Establishments reporting1,335
- Average annual pay$53,839
- Average weekly wage$1,035
- Sector 31-33, employment4,052
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$58,031
- Sector 62, employment2,370
- Sector 62, average annual pay$52,215
- Sector 44-45, employment2,164
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$30,804
- Sector 48-49, employment2,098
- Sector 48-49, average annual pay$64,913
- Sector 72, employment1,635
- Sector 23, employment724
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 4,052 | 61 | $58,031 |
| Sector 62 | 2,370 | 296 | $52,215 |
| Sector 44-45 | 2,164 | 122 | $30,804 |
| Sector 48-49 | 2,098 | 70 | $64,913 |
| Sector 72 | 1,635 | 129 | $19,899 |
| Sector 23 | 724 | 118 | $71,185 |
| Sector 42 | 506 | 48 | $64,016 |
| Sector 11 | 464 | 63 | $47,164 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 4,052 jobs, 18.9 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Monroe County
What businesses operate in Monroe County
- Establishments, all industries967
- Employment at those establishments16,790
- Annual payroll$960.5 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents20.9
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Monroe County
What is being built in Monroe County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024116
- Declared construction value permitted$31.0 m
- Single family units authorised96
- Multifamily units authorised20
- Multifamily share of units17.2 percent
- Average declared value per unit$266,958
- Units authorised per 1,000 households6.3
Multifamily is 17.2 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Monroe County
How much SBA lending happens in Monroe County
- 7(a) approvals recorded43
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$12.7 m
- Average 7(a) approval$296,263
- Median 7(a) approval$180,000
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$559,000
- Largest single approval$3,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)297
- Jobs per approval6.9
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active17
- Distinct industries receiving approvals35
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer23.3 percent
- Loans on real estate terms10
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter30
- Franchise loans1
- Franchise share of approvals2.3 percent
- Leading industry by approval countRV (Recreational Vehicle) Parks and Campgrounds (3)
- Most active lenderBank First, N.A. (14)
- 504 approvals recorded19
- 504 gross approval dollars$11.9 m
- Average 504 approval$625,474
- Median 504 approval$592,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval6.4
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved10.3
- Most active CDCWBD, Inc. (18)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals69.4 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$24.6 m
The average approval of $296,263 sits well above the median of $180,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 23.3 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Monroe County
Do SBA loans in Monroe County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded10
- Paid in full10
- Charged off0
- Charge off rate on resolved loans0.0 percent
- Status: Exempt from disclosure29
- Status: Paid in full10
- Status: Cancelled3
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed1
Of the 10 loans that have reached a final outcome, 0.0 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Monroe County
Which parts of Monroe County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending6
- Tomah, approvals25
- Sparta, approvals13
- WILTON, approvals2
- Cashton, approvals1
- Kendall, approvals1
- OAKDALE, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Tomah | 25 | $9,341,500 |
| Sparta | 13 | $2,420,800 |
| WILTON | 2 | $402,000 |
| Cashton | 1 | $250,000 |
| Kendall | 1 | $229,400 |
| OAKDALE | 1 | $95,600 |
Tomah accounts for 25 approvals against 13 in Sparta. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Monroe County
How big is Monroe County
- Land area901 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Wisconsin counties19th of 72
- Width, east to west32.9 mi
- Height, north to south29.9 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land51
- Establishments per square mile1.07
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Monroe County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Monroe County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population46,208
- Households18,301
- Average household size2.52
- Median household income$69,467
- Median age39.7
Common questions
Monroe County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Monroe County, Wisconsin?
46,208, in 18,301 households, ranking 31st of 72 Wisconsin counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Monroe County growing?
The population has grown 0.22 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 559 births against 490 deaths, with net migration of 110. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Monroe County?
$69,467. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $210,000, which is 3.0 times income, and median gross rent is $914 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Monroe County?
967 establishments, employing 16,790 people with an annual payroll of $960.5 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Monroe County?
Average annual pay is $53,839, or $1,035 a week, across 21,455 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Monroe County?
43 7(a) approvals totalling $12.7 m since FY2020, across 17 lenders, with a median approval of $180,000, plus 19 504 approvals worth $11.9 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Monroe County get paid back?
Of the 10 loans that have reached a final outcome, 10 were paid in full and 0 charged off, a charge off rate of 0.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Monroe County?
116 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $31.0 m. Multifamily was 17.2 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Monroe County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Monroe County come from?
The largest single origin is Monroe County Non-migrants, with 17,841 households. Arriving households report an average income of $53,477 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Monroe County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Monroe County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.