Monroe County is a county in Kentucky, United States, on the Tennessee state line in the Eastern Pennyroyal Plateau. It had a population of 11,338 at the 2020 census and covers 332 square miles (860 km2), of which 329 square miles (850 km2) is land and 2.7 square miles (7 km2) is water, centred near 36°42′N 85°41′W.
Tompkinsville is the county seat; its postal code is 42167. The county has 3 incorporated cities and about two dozen unincorporated communities, no civil townships, and sits in the Central time zone (FIPS code 21-171).
Towns & Villages in Monroe County
Monroe County has three incorporated cities — Tompkinsville, Fountain Run and Gamaliel — and roughly two dozen unincorporated communities scattered across the county’s ridges and hollows. Kentucky has no civil townships, so the table below omits that column.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tompkinsville | City · seat | 2,335 | 42167 |
| Fountain Run | City | 205 | 42133 |
| Gamaliel | City | 406 | 42140 |
| Akersville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Blythe | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Boles | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bugtussle | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bushong | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Coe | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cyclone | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Emberton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Flippin | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Forkton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Freetown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Grandview | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gum Tree | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Harlan Crossroads | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hestand | Unincorp. | — | 42151 |
| Jeffrey | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lamb | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Martinsburg | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Meshack | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mount Hermon | Unincorp. | — | 42157 |
| Mud Lick | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Otia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Persimmon | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Raydure | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rockbridge | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sulphur Lick | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Vernon | Unincorp. | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 42167 — Tompkinsville (also serves most of central Monroe County)
- 42133 — Fountain Run (also serves the county’s western communities)
- 42140 — Gamaliel (also serves the county’s southern border communities)
- 42151 — Hestand
- 42157 — Mount Hermon
Most of the smaller communities listed above share a ZIP with their nearest post-office town rather than carrying their own.
Geography
Monroe County lies in the Eastern Pennyroyal Plateau, a karst landscape of rolling ridges, sinkholes and spring-fed creeks that drain south into the Cumberland River system. The Tennessee state line forms the county’s entire southern border. Barren County lies to the north, Metcalfe County to the northwest, Cumberland County to the west, and Clinton County to the southwest; Macon and Clay counties in Tennessee border it to the south.
Barren County is Monroe’s largest neighbor by population.
Demographics
Monroe County had 11,338 residents at the 2020 census, giving it a density of roughly 34 people per square mile — entirely rural, with no urbanized area inside the county. Tompkinsville, the seat, and Gamaliel are the two largest communities. The county’s median household income runs well below the Kentucky median of $61,118, typical of the state’s rural Pennyroyal counties.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture anchors the local economy — cattle, tobacco and hay farming on family-owned land, supplemented by small manufacturing and county-government employment centered in Tompkinsville. Monroe is a dry county: the sale of alcohol is prohibited countywide. The Monroe County Fair, held each summer in Tompkinsville, remains the county’s largest annual gathering.
History
Monroe County was formed in 1820 from parts of Barren and Cumberland counties and named for President James Monroe. Tompkinsville, its seat, is named for Daniel Tompkins, Monroe’s vice president — making Monroe the only one of the nation’s 3,144 counties named for a president whose county seat is named for that president’s vice president. Confederate General John Hunt Morgan passed through the county on his first Kentucky raid on July 9, 1862. The Old Mulkey Meetinghouse, built in 1804 near Tompkinsville, is the oldest surviving log meetinghouse in Kentucky and holds the graves of several Revolutionary War veterans.
Getting There
Kentucky Routes 100, 63 and 1533 are the county’s principal roads; there is no interstate access within the county.
- Glasgow, Kentucky — 25 miles north
- Bowling Green, Kentucky — 50 miles northwest
- Nashville, Tennessee — 85 miles south
- Burkesville, Kentucky — 20 miles west
The nearest commercial airport is Nashville International Airport (BNA), roughly 90 miles south.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Monroe County, Kentucky?
It sits on Kentucky’s southern border with Tennessee, in the Eastern Pennyroyal Plateau region of south-central Kentucky.
What is the population of Monroe County?
11,338 residents at the 2020 census.
How big is Monroe County?
332 square miles (860 km2) total, of which 329 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Monroe County?
Tompkinsville is the county seat.
How many towns are in Monroe County?
Three incorporated cities — Tompkinsville, Fountain Run and Gamaliel — plus about two dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Monroe County?
42167 (Tompkinsville), 42133 (Fountain Run), 42140 (Gamaliel), 42151 (Hestand) and 42157 (Mount Hermon).
Is Monroe County a dry county?
Yes — alcohol sales are prohibited countywide.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kentucky.