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Monroe, LA metro area: population growth, jobs and income

The Monroe, LA metro area lost 705 residents between 2024 and 2025 (−0.3%).

The Monroe, LA metro area had an estimated 222,390 residents in 2025, down 1.9% (4,301 fewer people) since 2020.

Data as of 2025 · updated

Map, parcel and listing layers cover North and South Carolina only for now.

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Headline numbers

Population, migration, employment, permits, unemployment and income are the figures each agency publishes for the area itself (OMB Bulletin 23-01 delineation; ACS 2016-20 and CBP 2018 use the delineation of their year). IRS migration is the sum of the member counties.

What the numbers say

Net domestic migration was negative in 2025: 1,052 more people moved out to other U.S. counties than moved in.

Private employers had 74,718 paid employees in mid-March 2023, +13.1% since 2018 (County Business Patterns).

Unemployment averaged 4.8% in 2025, 0.8 points lower than in 2019 (before the pandemic).

Builders were authorized to start 530 new homes in 2025, or 2.4 per 1,000 residents.

Median household income was $51,660 in the 2020–24 American Community Survey, +19.6% since 2016–20.

Population growth over five years ranks 5th of 10 Louisiana metro areas and 336th of 362 U.S. metro areas.

IRS tax-return data for 2022-2023 show a net loss of 789 people (the sum of its counties).

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How it ranks

MeasureAmong U.S. metro areas
Population growth336th of 362
Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents318th of 362
Private-sector job growth39th of 352
Median household income361st of 362
Lowest unemployment rate284th of 362
New homes permitted per 1,000 residents243rd of 362

1st = highest (lowest for unemployment), against areas with a figure for the same period.

Fastest-growing metro areas in Louisiana · Fastest-growing metro areas in the U.S.

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The County Growth and Demographics Report for Ouachita Parish, LA, the principal county of the Monroe, LA area, as a PDF: population and migration, housing and rents, permits, private employers and jobs, unemployment, ranks in the state and the country, and neighbouring counties, with a source next to every number. Pay once, no subscription.

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Counties in this metro area

Morehouse Parish, LA led the change: of the 4,301 residents the Monroe, LA metro area lost from 2020 to 2025 (the sum of its counties), it lost 1,754 (41%).

The 4 counties of the Monroe, LA metro area: Census population estimates
CountyRoleResidents2025Share of residents2025Change2020–2025Share of the change2020–2025
Ouachita Parish, LACentral158,54271.3%−1,564 (−1.0%)36%
Morehouse Parish, LAOutlying23,70510.7%−1,754 (−6.9%)41%
Union Parish, LAOutlying20,5619.2%−536 (−2.5%)12%
Richland Parish, LAOutlying19,5828.8%−447 (−2.2%)10%

Census Bureau population estimates (July 1). Shares are of the member counties' total; a share of the change shows only when every county moved the same way. – means no figure for the common period.

All Louisiana counties

Nearby and similar metro areas

Similar in size

Questions

Is the Monroe, LA metro area growing?

No. Its population fell 1.9% between 2020 and 2025, about 4,301 fewer people (Census Bureau population estimates).

Which county in the Monroe, LA metro area is growing fastest?

None of its 4 member counties grew between 2020 and 2025. Ouachita Parish, LA came closest (−1.0%; Census Bureau population estimates).

How many people moved to the Monroe, LA metro area?

On net, none in 2025: about 1,052 more people moved out to other U.S. counties than moved in (Census Bureau net domestic migration estimate).

What is the unemployment rate in the Monroe, LA metro area?

It averaged 4.8% in 2025 (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual average).

What is the population of the Monroe, LA metro area?

About 222,390 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimate for July 1, 2025.

Ouachita Parish data alerts

Email me when Ouachita Parish gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

We use your address only to email you when new data for Ouachita Parish is out: what changed, with a link to that county's report. No newsletter, no other sales emails. Delete it any time with the link in every email. We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing starts until you click it. Privacy notice.

Sources and method

Each number shows its own period. Changes compare the latest period with five years earlier (or the earliest period available). Beacon CRE last refreshed these figures on 2026-11-05. Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how we compute every number. More on every layer: data sources and licences.

Jobs outside North and South Carolina use County Business Patterns (paid private-sector employees in mid-March); wages and government jobs are not included.