Enterprise vs Monroe

Which is the better fit for you?

Enterprise, AL
63
Area Score
Top 35% nationally
Monroe, NC
61
Area Score
Top 41% nationally

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Enterprise receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Enterprise to Monroe

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Everyday prices
The Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes no regional price index for Enterprise, so nothing here is estimated in its place.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Needs a price index for both places.
A new two-bedroom lease
+$347 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,280 in Monroe against $933 in Enterprise.
The median home
52% more
$309,100 in Monroe against $202,900 in Enterprise.
The weather you would swap
Winters 8°F colder
Normal January lows are 32°F in Monroe against 40°F in Enterprise; July highs are 91°F against 93°F (summers 2°F cooler).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Enterprise
Monroe
Opportunity: Enterprise is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
60 · Top 43%
vs
54 · Bottom 45%
Growth: Monroe is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
80 · Top 5%
vs
85 · Top 2%
Climate: Monroe is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
71 · Top 46%
vs
76 · Top 26%
Physical resilience: Monroe is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
36 · Bottom 28%
vs
37 · Bottom 30%
Housing affordability: Enterprise is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
81 · Top 10%
vs
68 · Top 46%
Schools: Enterprise is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
62 · Top 34%
vs
54 · Top 44%
Access: Enterprise is the more favorable of the two.
Access
90 · Bottom 42%
vs
86 · Bottom 31%
Economic stability: Monroe is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
31 · Bottom 10%
vs
49 · Bottom 33%

Measured values

MetricEnterpriseMonroeSource period
Population29,50536,7592024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$73,125 ±$6,158$72,540 ±$7,6772024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$34,809 — more favorable$31,0892024 ACS 5-Year
Population density941/sq mi1,142/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$202,900$309,1002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,098 — more favorable$1,2462024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$933 — more favorable$1,280FY2026
Homeownership rate63.5%61.6%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate3.6% — more favorable4.0%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)−2.3%−1.9% — more favorableJuly 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher — the two are too close to separate25.1% ±3%24.1% ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate17.0% ±3%13.5% ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)2251,00612 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents7.627.4 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+29.3%+28.3%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high93°F91°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low40°F32°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation53.9"37.9"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport23 mi — more favorable26 miNASR current cycle
Average commute21.7 min — more favorable31.9 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age36.535.52024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools10102024-25 school year
Students per teacher18.915.3 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency59.9%47.8%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency55.3%43.3%2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility49.8%71.9%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

3 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Alabama and North Carolina do not give the same test. Each state writes its own assessment and sets its own passing score, so the two proficiency rows above are not directly comparable — the difference between them partly measures which standard is harder. Students per teacher and the school count are unaffected, and each profile ranks its own proficiency within its own state.

Physical risk tradeoff

Enterprise

Elevated or high exposure: hurricane, tornado.

Monroe

Elevated or high exposure: inland flooding.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Enterprise
—
Enterprise: Your Score
63
Area Score
Monroe
—
Monroe: Your Score
61
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Enterprise, AL · Monroe, NC · How this is calculated: methodology