Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Marshall gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $178K for a typical one, or 2.4 years of the county’s $73K median household income. It grades B+ overall, 291st of 767 graded towns in Illinois. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 91% of U.S. towns, with 7 places on the National Register. 27% of working residents work locally in Marshall, against 8.3% in Illinois’ towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Only 74 of Illinois’ 1,240 towns score higher on civic life. Marshall is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 72% of U.S. towns.
Where Marshall beats most towns.
Archer House Hotel
Census counts: 1,885 in 1880, 3,947 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1932 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Marshall is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Marshall, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Marshall.
Marshall sends many workers across the state line to Terre Haute and has property taxes about half the Illinois norm.
The median property tax bill is $2,131, against $5,298 across Illinois, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Typical home values rose 9.5% in the year to September 2026. Marshall’s median rent is $867 a month.
| Marshall | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $867 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 75% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Marshall has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 21° and about 15 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Marshall beats the Illinois average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 19% of Marshall adults binge drink.
| Marshall | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 23% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 35% | 36% |
| What stands out | Marshall | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.5% | 15.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.6% | 13.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
24% of working residents cross a state line to work, Terre Haute among the top destinations. The average commute for its 1,337 working residents takes 19.5 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
About one in 4 of Marshall’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Marshall is 20 minutes. Since 2013, Marshall has added 237 jobs, to 1,909 in 2023.
| Marshall | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.8% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $76,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 22% of residents (17% statewide). 19% of residents are under 18 in Marshall. 31% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 38% across Illinois.
| Marshall | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 19% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 43.5 years | 40.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 29% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.4 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Marshall | IL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.6% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.1% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.1% | 13.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.1% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.2% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.8% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.4% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.7% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.5% | 9.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.5% | 25.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.5% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.7% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.7% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.2% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,900, single groups can be off by several points
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
0.1 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Marshall Soccer Park | — | 9 |
| 2. Marshall Community Pool & Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Marshall. Close and well known come first.
15 mi MuseumPaul Dresser Birthplace
16 mi MuseumSwope Art Museum
37 mi MuseumMansfield Roller MillPaul Dresser Birthplace: Nyttend, Public domain · Swope Art Museum: Colin Pizarek, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mansfield Roller Mill: Nyttend, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Marshall
About 5 of every 100 Marshall residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
7 places in Marshall on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Marshall.
City in Illinois, United States
Marshall is a city in and the county seat of Clark County, Illinois, United States, located approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Terre Haute, Indiana. The population was 3,947 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Marshall grades B+ overall, better than 74% of U.S. towns and #291 of 767 in Illinois. It grades B for health, B− for safety and B− for schools.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
7 notable people were born here, including Charles Le Moyne and Chris Bennett.
