Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Marion earns a D, 942nd of 987 graded towns in Ohio, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 94% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $48K, and 22% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 12 places on the National Register. 22% of residents live below the poverty line in Marion, above both the Ohio town median (9.1%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Its National Register listings include Warren G. Harding House and Harding Tomb.
Where Marion beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Warren G. Harding House is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 287 in 1830, 35,999 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1884 and 3 maps from 1903 on.
12 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), 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 Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Marion.
45% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Marion. Marion beats the Ohio average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 36% of adults get no exercise outside work in Marion.
| Marion | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 38% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 38% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 28% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 34% | 33% |
| What stands out | Marion | OH |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 21.8% | 15.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21.3% | 15.3% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 19.6% | 14.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 81% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Marion for work: only 17% work in town. 4% of Marion workers work from home. Jobs based in Marion fell to 9,404 in 2023, 672 fewer than in 2013.
| Marion | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 4% | 9.7% | 11% |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Homes are within reach (about $169K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 26 miles. The median property tax bill is $1,215, against $2,822 across Ohio, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Marion home is worth about $169,000, up 3.4% in a year, 31% below the Ohio typical home. Marion’s median rent is $856 a month.
| Marion | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $856 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The violent crime rate in Marion is 3.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Marion | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.5 per 1,000 residents | 1.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13.5 per 1,000 residents | 9.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Marion has chilly winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 19° and about 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1.6 miles of trail in 15 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Lincoln Park, at 66 acres.
| Marion | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.6% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Glenwood Park | 0.5 mi | 11 |
| 2. Veterans Memorial Park | 0.3 mi | 11 |
| 3. Lincoln Park | — | 66 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Marion
About 4 of every 100 Marion residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
Where Marion’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
12 places in Marion on the National Register of Historic Places.
26 notable people were born in Marion.
City in Ohio, United States
Marion is a city in Marion County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in north-central Ohio, approximately 50 miles (80 km) north of Columbus. The population was 35,999 at the 2020 census, down slightly from 36,837 at the 2010 census. It is the largest city in Marion County and the principal city of the Marion micropolitan area. It is also part of the larger Columbus–Marion–Zanesville, OH Combined Statistical Area. President Warren G. Harding, a former owner of the Marion Star, was a resident of Marion for much of his adult life and is buried at Harding Tomb. The city and its development were closely related to industrialist Edward Huber and his extensive business inter…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Marion grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #942 of 987 in Ohio. It grades D for health, C for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. That is 2.9 years of the area's median household income ($59,371 across the Marion, OH 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+.
26 notable people were born here, including Florence Harding and Norman Thomas.
