Objective To investigate the contamination of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods in Wenzhou, and characterize the antimicrobial resistance, virulence gene profiles, and genetic diversity of the isolates. Methods Strains were isolated and identified according to GB 4789.30-2016. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the broth microdilution method . Virulence genes, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) were analyzed based on whole-genome sequencing. Results A total of 91 strains of Listeria monocytogenes were isolated from 1285 samples across 5 categories of RTE foods, with a detection rate of 7.08% (91/1285). Among these, The detection rate of Chinese cold dishes was the highest (14.34%,36/251), followed by cooked meat products (9.62%,15/156). The isolates showed a sensitivity rate of over 94% to 9 antimicrobial agents. The strains comprised two lineages (I and II), 15 STs, and 14 CCs. The predominant serogroups were IIa (47.25%,43/91) and IIb (32.97%,30/91), with the dominant clones ST87 (21.98%,20/91), ST121 (16.48%,15/91), and ST8 (13.19%,12/91). All strains carried virulence genes associated with LIPI-1 and LIPI-2, 19.78% (18/91) harbored the LIPI-3 pathogenicity island, while the LIPI-4 pathogenicity island was exclusive to strains of CC619/ST3004 and CC87/ST87. Conclusion Listeria monocytogenes is prevalent to a certain extent in RTE foods in Wenzhou. The isolates exhibit low antimicrobial resistance, high genetic diversity, and potential pathogenicity. Strengthen surveillance of highly virulent clones is essential to prevent the foodborne outbreaks.