Monroe County is a county in Indiana, United States, about 50 miles south of Indianapolis. It had a population of 139,718 at the 2020 census, an estimated 143,345 by 2025, and covers 411.32 square miles (1,065.3 km2) centred near 39°10′N 86°31′W.
Bloomington is the county seat and the county’s largest city; its postal code is 47401. The county holds 1 city, 2 incorporated towns and 38 unincorporated communities and census-designated places across 11 townships, and it runs on Eastern Time.
Towns & Villages in Monroe County
Monroe County has 41 named places on record: one city, two incorporated towns, and 38 unincorporated communities and census-designated places (CDPs) with no local government of their own. A CDP is a Census Bureau statistical area drawn around an unincorporated settlement so it can be measured like a town; the rest of the list has never been formally platted or counted on its own.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomington | City · seat | Bloomington & Perry | 79,168 | 47401–47408 |
| Ellettsville | Town | Richland | 6,655 | 47429 |
| Smithville-Sanders | CDP | Clear Creek & Perry | 3,323 | — |
| Harrodsburg | CDP | Clear Creek | 656 | 47434 |
| Stinesville | Town | Bean Blossom | 203 | 47464 |
| Arlington | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Broadview | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Buenavista | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cascade | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Chapel Hill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Clear Creek | Unincorp. | Clear Creek | — | — |
| Dolan | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Eastern Heights | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Elwren | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Fairfax | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Fleener | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Forest Park Heights | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Garden Acres | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Handy | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Highland Village | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hindustan | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hoosier Acres | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Kirby | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Kirksville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Knight Ridge | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Lancaster Park | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Leonard Springs | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mount Tabor | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| New Unionville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ridgemede | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sanders | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Smithville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Stanford | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sunny Slopes | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Unionville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Van Buren Park | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Victor | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Wayport | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Woodbridge | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Woodville Hills | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Yellowstone | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Two entries above are easy to confuse. Smithville and Sanders are separate settlements — Smithville sits around Smithville Road and Strain Ridge Road, Sanders half a mile north on Fairfax Road — but the Census Bureau counts both under one combined CDP, Smithville-Sanders, so the 3,323 population figure covers both villages together, not just Smithville alone. Unionville and New Unionville are also two distinct places, not a typo repeated twice.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Perry | 52,807 | Part of Bloomington |
| Bloomington | 42,238 | Part of Bloomington |
| Richland | 15,098 | Ellettsville |
| Van Buren | 12,802 | Van Buren Park |
| Clear Creek | 5,309 | Harrodsburg, Smithville |
| Benton | 3,260 | Unionville, New Unionville |
| Bean Blossom | 2,941 | Stinesville |
| Washington | 1,977 | Mount Tabor |
| Indian Creek | 1,559 | Victor |
| Salt Creek | 1,423 | Fairfax |
| Polk | 304 | Lake Monroe shoreline, Hoosier National Forest |
Perry and Bloomington townships together hold Bloomington city and account for more than two-thirds of the county’s population. Polk Township, at the opposite end, is the least populated: most of its land is Lake Monroe, the Hoosier National Forest and seasonal cabins rather than year-round housing.
ZIP Codes
- 47401–47408 — Bloomington (the county’s eight city ZIPs, covering downtown, campus and outlying neighborhoods)
- 47429 — Ellettsville
- 47464 — Stinesville
- 47434 — Harrodsburg
- 47458 — part of the Smithville-Sanders area (the rest uses a Bloomington ZIP)
Most of the county’s smaller unincorporated communities — Arlington, Unionville, Mount Tabor, Victor and the rest — have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered under a Bloomington, Ellettsville or Harrodsburg code depending on which rural route serves the address.
Geography
Monroe County sits in the hilly, forested Norman Upland of south-central Indiana, terrain shaped by limestone bedrock rather than the flat glaciated plains that cover most of the state. Of its 411.32 square miles, 394.51 are land and 16.81 are water, about 4.1 percent — higher than most Indiana counties, driven almost entirely by Lake Monroe, a reservoir built by the US Army Corps of Engineers that is the state’s largest lake and stretches into neighboring Brown and Jackson counties. The Hoosier National Forest also reaches into the county’s southeastern corner around Lake Monroe.
Morgan County borders Monroe to the north, Brown County to the northeast, Jackson County to the southeast, Lawrence County to the south, Greene County to the southwest, and Owen County to the northwest. Morgan County, Brown County, Jackson County, Lawrence County, Greene County and Owen County all border Monroe directly.
Demographics
Monroe County had a population of 139,718 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the county near 143,345 residents. Bloomington and Ellettsville are the two largest communities, with Bloomington alone holding well over half the county’s population. Median household income runs $51,945 (2021 ACS), below Indiana’s statewide figure of $69,477 (2023 ACS) — a gap driven partly by Indiana University’s roughly 48,000 students, who are counted as residents but mostly work part-time or not at all. Population density works out to roughly 354 people per square mile of land, high for a mostly rural Indiana county, concentrated almost entirely in and around Bloomington.
Economy & Local Life
Indiana University Bloomington is the county’s dominant employer and economic engine, enrolling more than 48,000 students and employing thousands of faculty and staff on its main campus. Cook Group, a privately held medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturer, is headquartered in Bloomington and is one of the region’s largest private employers outside the university. IU Health Bloomington Hospital anchors the county’s health care sector. The county’s best-known annual event is the Little 500 bicycle race, held on IU’s campus the third weekend of every April and drawing more than 25,000 spectators; it was the inspiration for the 1979 film Breaking Away, much of which was filmed around Bloomington.
History
Indiana’s General Assembly formed Monroe County on 14 January 1818, carving it out of land previously part of Orange County. It was named for James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States, then in his first term. Bloomington was platted the same year and incorporated as a town in 1827; it became the county seat almost immediately. Indiana’s state government chartered a State Seminary at Bloomington in 1820, renamed Indiana College in 1829 and Indiana University in 1838 — the institution that still shapes the county’s economy and population two centuries later.
Getting There
Interstate 69 crosses the county, connecting Bloomington to Indianapolis to the northeast and Evansville to the southwest; it opened through Monroe County in December 2015. Indiana State Roads 37, 45, 46, 48 and 446 also run through the county.
- Indianapolis — about 50 miles north
- Columbus, Indiana — about 30 miles east
- Bedford — about 20 miles south
- Spencer — about 15 miles northwest
Indianapolis International Airport, about 50 miles north of Bloomington, is the nearest airport with scheduled commercial flights. Monroe County Airport, on Bloomington’s north side, handles general aviation only and has no scheduled service. No Amtrak line serves the county.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Monroe County located?
It sits in south-central Indiana, in the hilly Norman Upland region, about 50 miles south of Indianapolis, bordered by Morgan, Brown, Jackson, Lawrence, Greene and Owen counties.
What is the population of Monroe County?
139,718 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 143,345.
How big is Monroe County?
411.32 square miles (1,065.3 km2), of which 394.51 square miles are land and 16.81 square miles are water.
What is the county seat of Monroe County?
Bloomington, platted in 1818 and incorporated in 1827, is the county seat and largest city.
How many towns and villages are in Monroe County?
One city (Bloomington), two incorporated towns (Ellettsville and Stinesville), and 38 unincorporated communities and census-designated places, including Harrodsburg and Smithville-Sanders.
What ZIP codes does Monroe County use?
47401 through 47408 for Bloomington, 47429 for Ellettsville, 47464 for Stinesville, and 47434 for Harrodsburg.
What is Monroe County known for?
Indiana University Bloomington, the Little 500 bicycle race that inspired the film Breaking Away, and Lake Monroe, the largest lake in Indiana.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Indiana.