Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Marion grades D overall, 79th of 123 graded towns in Arkansas, mostly because of safety. It reports more crime per resident than 89% of U.S. towns, including 75 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. What it does well: the median household earns $78K. Its National Register listings include Crittenden County Courthouse and Crittenden County Bank and Trust Company. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 82% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. The biggest park or preserve is Marion Sports Complex, at 78 acres.
Where Marion beats most towns.
12,345 counted in 2010 and 13,752 in 2020; an estimated 13,378 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 2.9%, after 11.4% growth in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arkansas), ordered by how far Marion is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 199 in 1880, 13,752 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 7 maps from 1916 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Marion. Close and well known come first.
Big draw5 mi Ancient siteSS Sultana
10 mi MuseumNational Civil Rights Museum
10 mi Stadium & arenaFedExForum
14 mi Stadium & arenaSimmons Bank Liberty Stadium
10 mi MuseumBlues Hall of Fame
14 mi Stadium & arenaMid-South ColiseumSS Sultana: Template:Thomas W. Bankes, Public domain · National Civil Rights Museum: Matthew T Rader, CC BY-SA 4.0 · FedExForum: Marco Espino-Ovalle, Public domain · Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Blues Hall of Fame: John Phelan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mid-South Coliseum: bcbuckner, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Marion, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Marion.
Marion sends many workers across the state line to Collierville, fares better on crime within Arkansas than nationally and looks healthier within Arkansas than nationally.
At 47.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 72% of Arkansas’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 453 to 287 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Marion’s violent crime rate is 5.6 per 1,000 residents, against 3.6 in Arkansas’ towns and 1.6 across U.S. towns. Marion reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 89% report less. The property crime rate in Marion is 15.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Marion | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.6 per 1,000 residents | 3.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15.7 per 1,000 residents | 13.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Marion School District. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Marion High School, with 927 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herbert Carter Global Community Magnet SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 670 | C+ |
| Marion High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 10–12 | Grades 10–12 | 927 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
Since 1987, 15 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Marion.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
36% of working residents cross a state line to work, Collierville among the top destinations. Jobs based here grew from 2,711 in 2013 to 4,128.
Most working residents leave Marion for work: only 15% work in town. 8.6% of Marion residents live below the poverty line, where Arkansas’ towns sit at 18% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Since 2013, Marion has added 1,417 jobs, to 4,128 in 2023.
| Marion | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 8.6% | 18% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 22% | 8% |
| Median household income | $78,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 7.7% | 6.1% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Marion has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Marion’s July high is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Within Arkansas it is healthier than 70% of the 123 graded towns: much of Arkansas scores lower on these measures.
Marion beats the Arkansas average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 38% of Marion adults feel lonely.
| Marion | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 39% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 34% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Marion | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.9% | 18.6% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5.6% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
3.5 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves.
| Marion | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 0.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Marion Sports Complex | 0.8 mi | 78 |
| 2. Brunetti Park | 0.4 mi | 11 |
| 3. Rivertrace Park | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Children under 18 are 28% of residents (23% statewide); people 65 and older are 13% of residents (18% statewide). Marion has lost 2.9% of its people since 2020, down to 13,378 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 25% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 26% across Arkansas.
| Marion | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 28% | 25% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 35.8 years | 36.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 20% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
About 91 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.9 points). Across Arkansas, 50.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 37.1, men 33.7.
| Marion | AR | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.7% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.7% | 10.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8% | 9.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.3% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.6% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.1% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.4% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.1% | 7.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.2% | 11.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.6% | 34.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 26% | 20.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.4% | 8.2% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.7% | 16.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.1% | 9.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The median property tax bill is $1,686, against $1,040 across Arkansas, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Marion home is worth about $240,000, up 2.8% in a year, 7% above the Arkansas typical home.
| Marion | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 72% | 60% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,148 a month | $875 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
10 within 15 miles of the center of Marion
About 5 of every 100 Marion residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arkansas.
Where Marion’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Marion on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Marion.
City in Arkansas, United States
Marion is a city in and the county seat of Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, Marion had a population of 13,752. The city is part of the Memphis metropolitan area. It is the second largest city in Crittenden County, behind West Memphis.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Marion.
| Town | AR rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion | #79 | D | B− | D | C+ | C+ |
| West Memphis | #105 | D− | A− | D− | C− | D− |
| Clarkedale | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Clarkedale isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Marion with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Marion grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #79 of 123 in Arkansas. It grades C+ for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.6 years of the area's median household income ($66,401 across the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
5 notable people were born here, including Benjamin Brown and Frank G. Smith.
