Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Marion is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades A overall, ranked 31st of 140 in Iowa, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: it is healthier than 84% of U.S. towns. It also does better than most on incomes: the median household earns $87K. A typical home there costs about $280K, 3.6 years of the Cedar Rapids metro’s $78K median household income. Marion has 13 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Douglas and Charlotte Grant House and Granger House. Only 10 of the 140 Iowa towns we compare have a higher share of workers working from home than Marion. The biggest park or preserve is Lowe Park, at 126 acres.
Where Marion beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,367 in 1860, 41,535 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1855 and 5 maps from 1888 on.
13 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Marion is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
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 has less tooth loss than most of Iowa, has seen reported crime fall beyond ordinary swings and has an unusually large share working from home.
Its widest gap with Iowa is tooth loss: 7.2% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.6% statewide.
21% of adults binge drink in Marion, against 20% in Iowa’s towns and 16% across U.S. towns. 30% of adults have high blood pressure in Marion. Marion beats the Iowa average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Marion | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 26% | 25% |
| What stands out | Marion | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.2% | 11.6% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.4% | 7.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Linn-Mar Community School District. Three of its 16 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boulder Peak Intermediate SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–6 | Grades 5–6 | 613 | B+ |
| Linn-Mar High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,229 | A− |
| Indian Creek Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 354 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
8.6 miles of trail in 21 parks and preserves.
| Marion | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.8% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Legion Park | 1.8 mi | 87 |
| 2. Faulkes Heritage Woods | 0.6 mi | 111 |
| 3. Thomas Park | 0.6 mi | 21 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
19.3% of workers work from home, against 11.3% across Iowa.
Most working residents leave Marion for work: only 15% work in town. Jobs based in Marion grew to 11,255 in 2023, 1,868 more than in 2013. At 19 minutes, Marion’s average trip to work is close to Iowa’s towns (19 minutes) and below U.S. towns (25 minutes).
| Marion | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 31% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $87,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 8.1% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 363 to 301 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Marion has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 11° and about 34 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Marion home is worth about $280,000, up 4.2% in a year, 18% above the Iowa typical home.
| Marion | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 77% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $961 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (23% statewide). 38% of Marion adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Marion has grown 2.8% since 2020, to 42,732 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Marion | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 25% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 25% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 40.6 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
53% women, 47% men
About 87 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.3 points). Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women. Median age: women 41.3, men 40.0.
| Marion | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.3% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.5% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.2% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.6% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.8% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.6% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.6% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.4% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.7% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.9% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.8% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 16.4% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.2% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 55% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 25 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Marion.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Marion. Close and well known come first.
27 mi Stadium & arenaKinnick Stadium
29 mi MuseumHerbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum
7 mi MuseumNational Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
26 mi Stadium & arenaCarver–Hawkeye Arena
28 mi National Historic SiteHerbert Hoover National Historic Site107K visitors a year
in town MuseumGranger HouseKinnick Stadium: Count_de_Des_Moines (talk) (Uploads), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum: Shadow2700, Public domain · National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library: ArtisticAbode, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Carver–Hawkeye Arena: Asolsma1988, CC0 · Herbert Hoover National Historic Site: Billwhittaker, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Granger House: Ian Poellet, CC BY-SA 3.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Marion
About 3 of every 100 Marion residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
34,768 counted in 2010 and 41,535 in 2020; an estimated 42,732 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
13 places in Marion on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Marion.
City in Iowa, United States
Marion is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States. The population was 26,294 at the 2000 census and was 41,535 in 2020, an increase of 58%. The city is located next to Cedar Rapids and part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area. Marion was designated as the first Linn County seat before it was moved to the larger neighbor Cedar Rapids in 1919. Today, Marion is a primarily suburban community with a historic downtown center, and is one of the fastest-growing cities in Iowa.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Marion.
| Town | IA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion | #31 | A | B− | B+ | B+ | A− |
| Cedar Rapids | #104 | C | B | C− | D | B |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Marion grades A overall, better than 88% of U.S. towns and #31 of 140 in Iowa. It grades A− for health, B+ for safety and B+ for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
8 notable people were born here, including Frank Lanning and Ben F. Jensen.
