Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 10,060, settled in 1909.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 93% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Overall it grades C, 379th among Florida's 634 graded towns. 22% of its land is conserved and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 95% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $832K, 9.5 years of the Key West area’s $88K median household income. 37% of working residents work locally in Marathon, where Florida’s towns sit at 5% and U.S. towns at 8%. Marathon has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Pigeon Key Historic District and George Adderley House. Among 638 Florida towns, just 3 have a lower average trip to work than Marathon.
Where Marathon beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Coastal flooding makes up 20% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
23.4% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, so the town is fuller in summer than its census count suggests.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Marathon is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,397 in 1970, 9,689 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1965 and 2 maps from 1971 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Marathon, 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 17, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Marathon.
Marathon has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Florida and has a long record of flood insurance claims.
At 9.5 years of the Key West area’s $88K median household income, the typical home (about $832K) costs more against local pay than in 94% of Florida towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
60% of Marathon households own their home. The typical Marathon home is worth about $832,000, up 1.8% in a year, more than twice the Florida typical home. The median rent in Marathon is $1,633 a month.
| Marathon | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,633 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Monroe school district. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Marathon School, with 809 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanley Switlik Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 602 | B+ |
| Marathon SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 809 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
2,134 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 189 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1998, 2,134 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Marathon.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
3.7 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Curry Hammock State Park, 733 acres with 1.4 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Curry Hammock State Park | 1.4 mi | 733 |
| 2. Marathon Community Park | 0.7 mi | 13 |
| 3. Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary | 0.1 mi | 546 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Duck Key weather station, 8 miles away, records that about 46 days a year reach 90°, more than in 96% of U.S. towns. January nights average 63.5°, milder than in 100% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 90.2°.
Marathon’s January low is 64°F. Marathon has warm winters and warm summers. Marathon’s July high is 90°F.
| Marathon | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 64°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Marathon beats the Florida average on 5 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 26% of adults have obesity in Marathon.
| Marathon | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 32% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 18% | 23% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 8.1% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Marathon | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 7.3% | 8.6% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.9% | 13.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 9.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The average commute for its 4,585 working residents takes 13.7 minutes, against 28 across Florida.
About one in 3 of Marathon’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Marathon grew to 3,523 in 2023, 626 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Key West (10%), Miami (3%) and Key Colony Beach (3%).
| Marathon | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $89,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (21% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 44% of residents (38% statewide). Marathon has grown 3.3% since 2020, to 10,060 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 33% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 34% across Florida.
| Marathon | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 45.6 years | 42.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 31% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 21% | 20% | 22% |
47% women, 53% men
About 112 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.7 points). Across Florida, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Marathon | FL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.1% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.6% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.3% | 8.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.5% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.6% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.3% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.8% | 13.4% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.9% | 11.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.8% | 9.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.5% | 10.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.6% | 27.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.9% | 18.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.7% | 21.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.4% | 12.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
None within 15 miles of Marathon; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Marathon residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
22.2% of the town is conserved land, across 8 parks and preserves.
City in the United States
Marathon is a city in the middle of the Florida Keys, in Monroe County, Florida, United States. As of 2024, the city had a population of 9,914, up from 8,297 in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Marathon.
| Town | FL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marathon | #379 | C | D | — | B | B |
| Key Colony Beach | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Marathon reports no FBI crime data of its own. Key Colony Beach isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Marathon with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Marathon grades C overall, better than 28% of U.S. towns and #379 of 634 in Florida. It grades B for health and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.