Photo: Thomas R Machnitzki · CC BY-SA 3.0Making a living in Marion
The average commute, 22 minutes each way, matches the Arkansas norm. Jobs and income earn Marion B; getting around on foot earns it C−. About one in seven work in Marion; the top destination outside it is Memphis (31%, 15 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Marion stands out on work
A lot of Marion workers cross into Tennessee
36% of Marion workers work outside Arkansas, most of them in Tennessee, the Census survey finds. The commute map ↓
Marion has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Marion went from 2,711 in 2013 to 4,128 in 2023, +52%. The jobs ↓
31% of Marion works in Memphis
1,981 working residents, 31%, have their main job in Memphis, TN, 15 miles away. That’s twice as many as work in Marion itself. The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
The four measures behind Marion’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Marion is better than 63% of U.S. towns, #24 of 123 in Arkansas. Job access by car holds Marion’s grade up (ahead of 81% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (4.7%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Marion could be anywhere from B− to A−.
Where the trip to work from Marion ends
Where Marion clocks in
31% of workers
3% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Goods jobs make up 30% of work in Marion
4,128 jobs are based in Marion.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Marion, 2013 → 2023: 2,711 → 4,128. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Marion’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Marion quiets down on a workday
On a workday 5,387 residents head out to work, 934 work right here, and 3,194 people come in from elsewhere.
About 11,000 people are in Marion on a workday afternoon, 16% fewer than live here.
0.65 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Time on the road from Marion: about 22 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Marion workers work from home, vs 9% across Arkansas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 6,271 commuters (the 8% who work from home are left out). Across Arkansas: 87% drive alone, <1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Marion
About 18% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
In Marion, most people drive to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Marion is more walkable than 24% of U.S. towns, #87 of 123 in Arkansas. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: hardly any commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 2.0% across Arkansas.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 6,797 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 45% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 2.5% of Marion households have no vehicle (Arkansas 5.9%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Marion’s commuters take a bus or train.
Marion is 1,242nd of 2,526 U.S. towns of 9,000 to 18,000 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 341 | Pea Ridge AR | 11,233 | $96K | 3.2% | 1.3% | 5% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 430 | Farmington AR | 10,658 | $90K | 3.8% | 0.7% | 2% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 475 | Lowell AR | 12,184 | $96K | 6.9% | 1.4% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,240 | Artesia CA | 15,789 | $101K | 9.4% | 10.0% | 7% | B |
| 1,241 | Northlake IL | 12,462 | $84K | 10.9% | 5.6% | 5% | B |
| 1,242 | Marion AR | 13,378 | $78K | 8.6% | 4.7% | 15% | B |
| 1,243 | Depew NY | 14,801 | $74K | 9.4% | 4.2% | 8% | B |
| 1,244 | Ingleside TX | 10,085 | $69K | 10.0% | 2.1% | 16% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 2,526 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Marion, the top three, the last and three more from Arkansas.
Work next door: 20% of Marion’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Marion workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion | – | B | C− | 22 min | $78,330 |
| West Memphis | 20% | D | B+ | 20 min | $42,674 |
| Clarkedale | under 1% | — | — | 29 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Clarkedale: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to West Memphis. Darker towns draw more of Marion’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Marion: questions
What is the median household income in Marion?
$78,330 (±$8,724) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $60,773 across Arkansas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Marion?
8.6%, against 16.0% across Arkansas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Marion?
22 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Arkansas and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Marion work?
15% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Memphis (31%, 15 mi), West Memphis (20%, 4 mi), Jonesboro (3%, 50 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Marion walkable?
Marion is more walkable than 24% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 7.1 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Marion without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Marion, from the people who make the trip.
More of Marion
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.