Census snapshot: Monroe

This is one of a series of looks at Snohomish and Island county communities based on data from the U.S. Census of 2010.

Monroe is named for James Monroe, the nation’s fifth president, and originally was a railroad town, although timber and agriculture played an important role over the years. The settlement was was known for the Great Northern Railroad greenhouses that served passengers.

The city was incorporated in 1902 with a population of 325. In 1910, the state chose Monroe as the site for the Washington State Reformatory. Today that prison is part of a larger Monroe Correctional Complex that houses some 2,400 men. As a result, Monroe’s population is only 43.7 percent female.

The city has seen rapid commercial and residential growth over the past decade, with the population swelling by 25.4 percent.

Monroe population vs. Snohomish County and Washington

At a glance	Monroe	County	Washington
Population, 2010	17,304	713,335	6,724,540
Population change, 2000 to 2010	25.4%	17.7%	14.1%
Population, 2000	13,795	606,024	5,894,121
Persons under 5 years	8.0%	6.6%	6.5%
Persons under 18 years	26.6%	24.4%	23.5%
Persons 65 years and over	7.2%	10.3%	12.3%
Female persons	43.7%	50.0%	50.2%
White persons	78.6%	78.4%	77.3%
Black persons	3.5%	2.5%	3.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native persons	1.4%	1.4%	1.5%
Asian persons	2.8%	8.9%	7.2%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders	0.4%	0.4%	0.6%
Persons reporting two or more races	3.8%	4.6%	4.7%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin	17.1%	9.0%	11.2%
White persons not Hispanic	72.0%	74.3%	72.5%