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Monmouth, Oregon

Monmouth is a college town of about 11,500 people in Polk County, Oregon. It has grown about 4% since 2020. A typical home costs about 6 years of the typical household's income, compared with 4.1 across the U.S. The nearest metro area of about a million people or more, Portland, is about 55 miles away as the crow flies.

College town

Population
11,543
up 3.6% since 2020
Typical home, 2020-24
$413,200
Polk County prices up 7.9% since 2022
Household income
$69,170
U.S.: $80,734
Prices, Salem area
103.6
U.S. average = 100
Emergency room
6 miles
Dallas, OR
To Portland
55 mi
straight line

The book's checklist

  • Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 3.6% above the U.S. average in the Salem metro area.
  • More house for the moneyA typical home costs 6 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
  • A safer neighborhood18 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 1.5 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 10.7 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
  • Schools in town4 public schools: 2 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
  • A hospital close bySalem Health West Valley in Dallas, about 6 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
  • Within reach of a big cityPortland is about 55 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Monmouth meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

College town. About 1 in 5 residents is a college student, with Western Oregon University in town. Concerts, sports and good food all year, and a big employer that rarely closes. Expect higher home prices close to campus.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024
$413,200U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then
Up 7.9%Polk County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities
$1,114 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income
$69,170U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them
47%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill
$3,731 a yearOregon: $3,876
Homes built before 1940
3%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010
17%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes
0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices
103.6U.S. average = 100 (the Salem metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 7.9% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Salem metro area, not Monmouth alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate
11,5432020: 11,145
Median age
27.1 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older
12%U.S.: 17%
Under 18
20%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
27%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year
15%U.S.: 6%
College students
19%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work
Schools, health care and social services (36%); retail (21%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (12%)
Unemployment rate
7%U.S.: 5%
Average commute
24 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home
11%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line
16%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Salem Health West Valley, Dallas, OR, about 6 miles away. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Nearest general hospital: Salem Hospital, Salem, OR, about 11 miles away. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

4 public schools in Monmouth, run by Central SD 13J.

Colleges in or next to town: Western Oregon University (1,000 to 4,999 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Oregon's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet
82%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription
91%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low
35°F
July average high
82°F
Days 90°F or hotter
17 a year
Nights at or below freezing
49 a year
Rain and melted snow
43 inches a year
Snow
3 inches a year
Elevation
201 feet

Weather stations: Dallas 2 NE (7 miles away) and Corvallis State Univ (15 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Salem Health West Valley, Salem, Portland.

Polk County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

7 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including Sarah Helmick State Park.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

  • Fort Vancouver National Historic Site60 miles

Campus life. Check Western Oregon University's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Monmouth's history on Wikipedia.

Know Monmouth?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
  3. Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions)
  4. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
  6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
  7. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal)
  8. National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024
  9. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
  10. U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
  11. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
  12. National Park Service, park unit boundaries
  13. USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
  14. U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.