Parts of this article (those related to rebuilding followinghurricanes, specifically the 2017Hurricane Irma, and developing discussions ofurban resilience,climate resilience, and planning) need to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(September 2017)
Monroe County is the southernmostcounty of thestate ofFlorida.[1] As of the2020 census, the population was 82,874.[2] Itscounty seat isKey West.[3] Monroe County includes the islands of theFlorida Keys and comprises the Key West-Key LargoMicropolitan Statistical Area. Over 99.9% of the county's population lives on the Florida Keys. The mainland, which is part of theEverglades, comprises 87% of the county's land area and is virtually uninhabited with only 17 people recorded in the 2020 census.[4]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,738 square miles (9,680 km2), of which 983 square miles (2,550 km2) (26.3%) is land and 2,754 square miles (7,130 km2) (73.7%) is water.[6] It is the largest county in Florida by total area.
More than 99.9 percent of the Monroe County population lives in the island chain known as theFlorida Keys.
Two thirds of the large area in what local residents call "mainland Monroe" is uninhabited by virtue of being part of theEverglades National Park, and the remainder by theBig Cypress National Preserve in the northeastern interior. The area, officially namedCape SableCensus County Division, is virtually uninhabited. This area has 87.4 percent of the county's land area (859.6 out of 983 sq mi (2,546 km2)), but it had only 0.022 percent of the county's population (18 out of 82,170) as of the 2021 American Community Survey. The Census Bureau defines this area asCensus Tract 9800 of Monroe County, Florida.[7]
In mainland Monroe, the only three populated places appearing on detailed maps and in theUSGS geographic name database areFlamingo,Pinecrest, (not to be confused with much largerPinecrest of neighboringMiami-Dade County), andTrail City. Flamingo, on the south coast and at the end ofState Road 9336 (Flamingo Lodge Highway), is the location of the Flamingo Lodge and the Flamingo Ranger Station (with Visitor Center & Marina). 7 mi (11 km) northeast on the highway is the West Lake Trail (station). Pinecrest, located in the northern interior of the county (in the Big Cypress National Preserve) on Loop Road (given that name since it forms a loop withU.S. Highway 41 further north), hosts the Loop Road Education Center. Trail City is 4 mi (6 km) west of Pinecrest on Loop Road. Loop Road can be found on most maps as CR 94, although the roadway no longer has a numbered designation and is now managed by the National Park Service.
Between the south coast of Florida's mainland and the Florida Keys isFlorida Bay, which is encompassed by the Everglades National Park and contains numerous islets or keys.
The county is coterminous with the Key West-Key Largo, Florida Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA), withKey Largo andKey West designated asprincipal cities. The μSA was first defined in 2003 as the Key West-Marathon, Florida Micropolitan Statistical Area. The name was changed to Key West, Florida Micropolitan Statistical Area in 2006, and to Key West-Key Largo, Florida Micropolitan Statistical Area in 2023.[8][9] The μSA is part of theMiami-Port Saint Lucie-Fort Lauderdale Combined Statistical Area.
As of the2020 census, there were 82,874 people, 36,436 households, and 18,586 families residing in the county. The median age was 49.7 years; 14.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.4% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 107.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 107.7 males.[16]
86.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 13.1% lived in rural areas.[18]
Of those households, 20.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 46.0% were married-couple households, 22.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[16]
There were 53,961 housing units, of which 32.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 60.5% were owner-occupied and 39.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 13.1%.[16]
Monroe County, Florida – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the census[28][29] of 2010, there were 73,090 people, 32,629 households, and 18,219 families living in the county. The racial makeup of the county was 89.5%White (71.3% Non-Hispanic White), 5.7%Black orAfrican American, 0.4%Native American, 1.1%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 1.4% fromother races, and 1.8% from two or more races. 20.6% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
As of the census[29] of 2000, there were 79,589 people, 35,086 households, and 20,384 families living in the county. Thepopulation density was 80 people per square mile (31 people/km2). There were 51,617 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile (20/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 90.65% White, 4.77% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.55% from other races, and 1.78% from two or more races. 15.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
In 2005 Monroe County’s population was 75.1% non-Hispanic white, 17.7% Hispanic or Latino, 5.4% African-American and 1.1% Asian.[30]
In 2000 there were 35,086 households, out of which 20.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.80% were married couples living together, 7.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.90% were non-families. 28.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.73.
In the county, 17.10% of the population was under the age of 18, 6.30% was from 18 to 24, 31.10% from 25 to 44, 30.90% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 113.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,283, and the median income for a family was $50,734. Males had a median income of $31,266 versus $25,709 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $26,102. About 6.80% of families and 10.20% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 11.80% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2010, 77.57% spoke only English at home, while 17.56% spoke Spanish, 0.96% French Creole (mainlyHaitian Creole), 0.74% French, and 0.50% spoke Russian at home. In total, 22.43% of the population spoke a language other than English at home.[31]
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) is thelaw enforcement agency responsible for Monroe County and is the county's largest law enforcement agency.
Monroe County Fire Rescue (MCFR) providesfire protection andemergency medical services throughout the county. Monroe County Fire Rescue has 9 stations placed around the county. Their headquarters, located inMarathon, holds the MCFR administration. Monroe County Fire Rescue conducts all fire inspections within the unincorporated portions of the county, with the exclusion ofKey Largo.
Key West: The Key West Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services throughoutKey West, Florida. The Key West Fire Department has 4 stations placed throughout the city. TheKey West Police Department is the responsible law enforcement agency within theincorporated City of Key West.
Marathon: Monroe County Fire Rescue provides fire protection and emergency medical services throughoutMarathon, Florida. The Marathon Fire Department has 2 stations placed throughout the city. The Monroe County Sherriff's Office is responsible forlaw enforcement within the City of Marathon.
Key Colony Beach: The Monroe County Fire Rescue Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services throughoutKey Colony Beach, Florida. The Key Colony Beach Police Department is the responsible for law enforcement within the City of Key Colony Beach.
Islamorada: The Islamorada Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services throughoutIslamorada, Florida, with 1 station within the village. The Monroe County Sherriff's Office is responsible for law enforcement within the Village of Islamorada.
Key Largo: Even as an unincorporated community,Key Largo, Florida, maintains their own fire district, with 2 stations placed around the community. The Monroe County Sherriff's Office is responsible for law enforcement within the community of Key Largo.
The Florida Keys Council for the Arts is the primary cultural umbrella for the Florida Keys, and serves the population fromKey Largo toKey West. A non-profit local arts agency, it makes grants, operates the Monroe County Art in Public Places program, sponsors seminars, and manages the on-line cultural calendar for the region. It also manages the county's Tourism Development Council arts marketing grants and serves as a leading advocate for cultural tourism in lower Florida. In 1998, the Florida Keys Council of the Arts was designated by the Board of Monroe County Commissioners as the area's Local Arts Agency as provided by Florida Statute 286.011. Established in 1997 as the Monroe Council of the Arts Corporation. The name was changed to the Florida Keys Council of the Arts in 2001. Today the organization is the liaison among cultural organizations, all levels of government and the private sector in encouraging and promoting the arts throughout Monroe County. The council endeavors to make the arts a part of the fabric of daily life. From its inception through fiscal year end 2006, FKCA has awarded $433,916 in privately raised funds and grants to literary, visual and performing artists and cultural organizations. Add to that sum the Cultural Umbrella event funding, the South Florida Cultural Consortium Visual & Media Artists Fellowships and The Art in Public Places commissions, and the total distributed in the Keys cultural community through FKCA's efforts come to $2.5 million to date. The annual economic impact of the non-profit cultural community in the Keys is estimated at over $22 million. The Florida Keys Council of the Arts, a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) corporation in a public-private partnership with local county government since 1997 serves 76,329 local residents and three million visitors annually. A ten-member board of directors guides the council, assisted by three alternate directors, two directors Emeritus and twenty-five advisory board members.
TheMonroe County School District serves the entire county,[32] as well as several private schools for primary and secondary education.
Florida Keys Community College is the primary college education provider with main campus in Key West, Florida. FKCC also operates two additional campuses in the Florida Keys; one in Marathon and another in Key Largo.
Like much of the Solid South, in the first two-thirds of the 20th century, Monroe was a solidlyDemocratic county, supporting landslide losers likeJames M. Cox andJohn W. Davis. However, unlike most Southern Democrats, Monroe County voters tended to be far more liberal on social issues such as civil rights and later gay rights, voting decisively forLyndon B. Johnson in 1964 and even supportingHubert Humphrey in 1968, one of only three Florida counties to do so. Four years later, however,Richard Nixon easily carried the county in his 1972 landslide re-election, becoming the firstRepublican winner since 1888 by receiving over 70% of the vote.
Since the 1970s, Monroe County has been a competitive swing county in presidential elections. Although Monroe voted for the Democratic candidate from1992 to2012, it was won by consistently narrow margins, such as 0.5% in2004 and2012.Barack Obama in2008 was the first candidate for president to win a majority, 51.7%, of the vote sinceGeorge H. W. Bush's national landslide victory in1988. In2016,Donald Trump became the first Republican to carry the county in almost three decades, winning a majority and winning it by an even larger margin than Obama had won it by in 2008. In2020, he won it by a still wider margin, and in2024 he won by double digits.
Monroe County is home to a large LGBT community, particularly inKey West. Due to the influence of this community, Monroe County was the only county in Florida to reject2008 Florida Amendment 2, which banned same-sex marriage and civil unions in the state. The amendment passed in the state with 60% of the vote.
United States presidential election results for Monroe County, Florida[33]
Monroe County is politically divided by geography, withKey West voting reliably Democratic,Stock Island a swing area, and the rest of the archipelago voting reliably Republican. The western part of Key West is more strongly Democratic than the eastern part of the island.
On July 17, 2014, a county court judge ruled the state's ban on same sex marriage unconstitutional, ordering the county clerk of court to issue marriage licenses on July 22, 2014.
The Monroe County Public Library provides various programs and services to the Monroe County community, including job finding tools. There is a program that preserves the history of the Keys for use by customers. In 2010 the library worked to digitize historical photographs of the Keys.[34][35]
Annual visitors cards can be purchased for $30. The library provides access to PCs with internet and word processing capabilities. The library also provides free Wi-Fi for all.[34]
The Monroe County Public Library is served by the Miami-Dade County subregional library of Florida Bureau of Braille and Talking Books Library.
.JPG)
