Monroe County is a county in Ohio, United States, on the Ohio River across from West Virginia. It had a population of 13,385 at the 2020 census and covers 457 square miles (1,184 km2) centred near 39°44′N 81°05′W.
Woodsfield is the county seat and its postal code is 43793. The county has 10 incorporated villages and dozens of unincorporated communities spread across 18 townships. Monroe County is in the Eastern time zone; its FIPS code is 39-115.
Towns & Villages in Monroe County
Monroe County has 10 incorporated villages — including the county seat, Woodsfield — and a long list of small unincorporated communities and crossroads settlements that never organised as municipalities. In the table below, “Unincorp.” marks places with no municipal government of their own; most are named for the pioneer family or post office that once served them.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodsfield | Village · seat | Center | 2,109 | 43793 |
| Beallsville | Village | Adams | — | 43716 |
| Clarington | Village | Switzerland | — | 43915 |
| Graysville | Village | Green | — | 45734 |
| Jerusalem | Village | Jackson | — | 43747 |
| Lewisville | Village | Franklin | — | 43754 |
| Miltonsburg | Village | Malaga | — | — |
| Stafford | Village | Summit | — | 43786 |
| Antioch | Village | Perry | — | — |
| Wilson | Village | Salem | — | — |
| Sardis | Unincorp. | Salem | — | 43946 |
| Hannibal | Unincorp. | Ohio | — | 43931 |
| Cameron | Unincorp. | — | — | 43914 |
| Malaga | Unincorp. | Malaga | — | 43757 |
| Laings | Unincorp. | — | — | 43752 |
| Alexis | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Altitude | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Benwood | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Bingham | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Brister | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Brownsville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Burkhart | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Calais | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cline | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Coats | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cranenest | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Dairy | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Decker | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Doherty | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Duffy | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Dwight | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Edwina | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Fly | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Foxtown | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Goodwin | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Graham | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Greenbrier | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Griffith | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hamilton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hartshorn | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Herlan | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hilltop | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Jacobsburg | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Jericho | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Kerr | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Lodi | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Marr | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mechanicsburg | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Monroefield | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Morton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mount Carrick | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Oak | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ozark | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Plainview | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Poulton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Rinard Mills | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Round Bottom | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Six Point | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sprague | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Swazey | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Switzer | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sycamore Valley | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Way | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Winklers Mill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Wittens | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Townships
Monroe County is divided into 18 civil townships. Populations below are 2020 census figures for the township as a whole, including any incorporated villages inside it.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Center | — | Woodsfield (seat) |
| Switzerland | — | Clarington |
| Adams | — | Beallsville |
| Green | — | Graysville |
| Franklin | — | Lewisville |
| Jackson | — | Jerusalem |
| Malaga | — | Miltonsburg, Malaga |
| Summit | — | Stafford |
| Perry | — | Antioch |
| Salem | — | Wilson, Sardis |
| Ohio | — | Hannibal |
| Benton | — | — |
| Bethel | — | — |
| Lee | — | — |
| Seneca | — | — |
| Sunsbury | — | — |
| Washington | — | — |
| Wayne | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 43793 — Woodsfield (also serves the surrounding Center Township area)
- 43716 — Beallsville
- 43754 — Lewisville
- 43946 — Sardis
- 43747 — Jerusalem
- 43915 — Clarington
- 45734 — Graysville
- 43931 — Hannibal (post office box delivery)
- 43786 — Stafford (post office box delivery)
- 43914 — Cameron (post office box delivery)
- 43757 — Malaga (post office box delivery)
- 43752 — Laings (post office box delivery)
Smaller crossroads communities without their own post office generally use the ZIP code of the nearest listed town.
Geography
Monroe County sits on Ohio’s eastern edge, where steep, forested hill country drops to the Ohio River. The river forms the county’s entire eastern border, separating it from West Virginia; away from the valley floor the terrain is cut by narrow creek hollows, with little flat farmland outside the bottoms. Sunfish Creek and several smaller streams drain the interior toward the river.
Monroe County borders Belmont County to the north, Washington County to the south, and Noble County to the west; across the Ohio River to the east lie Wetzel and Tyler counties, West Virginia. Of these, only Washington County and Noble County have their own pages on this site; Belmont County does not yet.
Demographics
Monroe County had 13,385 residents at the 2020 census, the second-lowest total of Ohio’s 88 counties. Woodsfield, the county seat, is the largest community, followed by Clarington on the river. The county is heavily rural — about 99% of residents live outside any incorporated place — and includes a growing Amish farming population in its western townships. Median household income runs below the Ohio median of $67,769, reflecting the county’s agricultural and energy-sector economic base and its distance from any metro job market.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture, oil and natural gas, and small-scale manufacturing anchor the local economy. Monroe County has produced oil and gas since the 1890s and remains active in shale-era drilling, which supplements traditional cattle and hay farming on the county’s steep pastureland. Woodsfield serves as the county’s retail, government, and school hub. The Monroe County Fair, held in Woodsfield each September, is the county’s largest annual event.
History
Monroe County was formed on March 1, 1815, from parts of Belmont, Guernsey, and Washington counties, and named for James Monroe, then U.S. Secretary of State and later the nation’s fifth president. Oil was discovered near Woodsfield in 1891, and by 1901 some 300 wells in the area were producing roughly 55,000 barrels of crude a month, briefly making the county one of Ohio’s busiest drilling districts. The county’s rugged terrain limited large-scale settlement and kept its population predominantly rural through the 20th century.
Getting There
State Route 78 runs east-west through Woodsfield, connecting to State Route 800 along the Ohio River and State Route 7 on the West Virginia side.
- Marietta, Ohio — 30 miles south
- Wheeling, West Virginia — 35 miles northeast
- St. Clairsville, Ohio — 30 miles north
- Cambridge, Ohio — 35 miles west
The nearest commercial airport is Wheeling Ohio County Airport in West Virginia; Pittsburgh International Airport, about 100 miles northeast, offers wider service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Monroe County, Ohio?
It sits on Ohio’s eastern border along the Ohio River, across from West Virginia, between Belmont County to the north and Washington County to the south.
What is the population of Monroe County?
13,385 people, according to the 2020 census — the second-least populous county in Ohio.
How big is Monroe County?
457 square miles (1,184 km2), of which about 1.7 square miles is water.
What is the county seat of Monroe County?
Woodsfield is the county seat.
How many towns are in Monroe County?
Ten incorporated villages, plus dozens of unincorporated communities across the county’s 18 townships.
What ZIP codes are in Monroe County?
Twelve, led by 43793 (Woodsfield), 43716 (Beallsville), and 43915 (Clarington).
What is Monroe County known for?
Its early oil boom around Woodsfield in the 1890s-1900s, its Ohio River hill-country scenery, and one of Ohio’s larger rural Amish farming communities.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Ohio.