Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Marshville gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $326K for a typical one, or 3.9 years of the Charlotte metro’s $83K median household income. It grades C overall, 156th among North Carolina's 286 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its crime rate is higher than 93% of U.S. towns, with 17 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, and the median household income is $58K, and 15% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, its schools rank ahead of 84% of North Carolina towns. Marshville’s violent crime rate is 6.2 per 1,000 residents, above both the North Carolina town median (3.1) and the median of U.S. towns (1.6). Marshville's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 94% of U.S. towns. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 76% of U.S. towns.
Where Marshville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Marshville Elementary | PK–5 | 419 |
| East Union Middle | 6–8 | 683 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Marshville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 349 in 1900, 2,522 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2023 and 3 maps from 1970 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Marshville, 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 Marshville.
Marshville pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices, trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Marshville’s property crime rate is 27.9 per 1,000 residents. Marshville reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 93% report less. Within North Carolina, it does better than 27% of towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its A− for schools comes with an A for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $326K. Its A− ranks #3 of the 290 North Carolina towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Union County Public Schools. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Union MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 683 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Against the 8,276 U.S. towns with household incomes like Marshville’s, it is less healthy than 59%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
Marshville beats the North Carolina average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 23% of adults worry about having enough food in Marshville.
| Marshville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 15% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 36% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Marshville | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.7% | 7.9% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 22.6% | 15.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Marshville has mild winters and warm summers. The July high in Marshville is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Marshville has about as many jobs (1,048) as working residents, but only 46 people both live and work here. Jobs based here fell from 2,056 in 2013 to 1,048.
Most working residents leave Marshville for work: only 4% work in town. Jobs based in Marshville fell to 1,048 in 2023, 1,008 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Monroe (25%), Charlotte (20%) and Indian Trail (5%).
| Marshville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $58,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.4% | 6.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 54% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Marshville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.5% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Marshville Municipal Park | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Homes are within reach (about $326K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 20 miles.
57% of Marshville households own their home. The typical Marshville home is worth about $326,000, up 2.9% in a year, close to the North Carolina typical home.
| Marshville | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,117 a month | $1,084 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2 within 15 miles of the center of Marshville
About 2 of every 100 Marshville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Marshville is a town in Union County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Marshville had a population of 2,522. Marshville is known as the birthplace of country music singer Randy Travis.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Marshville grades C overall, better than 29% of U.S. towns and #156 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades C− for health, D for safety and A− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Within North Carolina, it does better than 27% of towns.
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.