Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 14,171, settled in 1870.
Marshall gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $249K for a typical one, or 3.3 years of the Marshall area’s $75K median household income. It grades B overall, 184th of 271 graded towns in Minnesota. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 83% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 88% of U.S. towns. Marshall’s average trip to work is 11 minutes, against 23 minutes in Minnesota’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Of the 274 Minnesota towns we compare, none has a higher July high than Marshall. Marshall is home to Southwest Minnesota State University.
Where Marshall beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Marshall is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 961 in 1880, 13,628 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1873 and a map from 1963 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
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 Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Marshall.
Marshall has hotter summers than almost anywhere else in Minnesota and draws workers from Rochester and beyond, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Minnesota (mostly inland flooding).
8.6 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. Marshall’s trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Independence Park, at 53 acres.
| Marshall | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. ADM & SMSU Environmental Learning Area | 1.3 mi | 49 |
| 2. Legion Field Park | 0.5 mi | 26 |
| 3. Justice Park | 0.4 mi | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Marshall Public School District. Two of its 12 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 655 | B |
| Marshall High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 886 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
15,879 jobs are based in Marshall, 2.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 10.7 minutes, against 22.7 across Minnesota.
66% of Marshall’s working residents work right in town. 17% of Marshall residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Marshall grew to 15,879 in 2023, 1,145 more than in 2013.
| Marshall | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $91,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of Minnesota towns, with expected losses of about $581 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Among 274 Minnesota towns, just 4 have a higher FEMA risk score than Marshall. Since 1979, 18 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Marshall.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The median rent in Marshall is $779 a month. Typical home values rose 6.6% in the year to September 2026. 63% of households own their home in Marshall.
| Marshall | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $779 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons average 83.6°, the highest of 2,691 Minnesota places with climate records; January nights average 5.8°.
Marshall has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. About 44 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 10,399 U.S. towns with household incomes like Marshall’s, it is healthier than 80%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income. Within Minnesota it is less healthy than 71% of the 271 graded towns: Minnesota sets a high bar.
Marshall beats the Minnesota average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7.
| Marshall | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 75% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 30% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Marshall | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 14.3% | 11.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 9.4% | 7.5% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
16.9% of residents live below the poverty line, against 9.3% across Minnesota, which weighs on its C for jobs and income.
Adults 35 to 64 are 34% of residents (38% statewide). Marshall has grown 2% since 2020, to 14,171 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 36% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 39% across Minnesota.
| Marshall | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 35.9 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 25% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 33% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
About 91 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.8 points). Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 37.2, men 34.0.
| Marshall | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.6% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.1% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.8% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.9% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.1% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.6% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.9% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.2% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.3% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.7% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.9% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.6% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.6% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Marshall
About 7 of every 100 Marshall residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Minnesota.
Where Marshall’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Marshall on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Marshall.
City in Minnesota, United States
Marshall is a city in Lyon County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,628 at the 2020 census and 13,906 as of 2023 estimates. Marshall is a regional center in southwest Minnesota, and the county seat of Lyon County. It is the headquarters of the Schwan Food Company and the home of Southwest Minnesota State University.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Marshall.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall | #184 | B | B+ | B | B− | B |
| Fairview Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lake Marshall Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lynd Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grandview Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Fairview Township, Lake Marshall Township, Lynd Township and Grandview Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Marshall with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Marshall grades B overall, better than 63% of U.S. towns and #184 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades B for health, B for safety and B− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
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 B+.
12 notable people were born here, including Steve Zahn and Trey Lance.
