Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Marion earns a D−, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns, mostly because of safety and health. Its police reported 76 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 99% of U.S. towns. Residents are less healthy than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also has a long history, with 3 places on the National Register. Marion’s violent crime rate is 12.7 per 1,000 residents, above both South Carolina’s towns (3.9) and U.S. towns (1.6). Only 8 of South Carolina’s 263 towns score higher on history. Marion's public schools trail 91% of South Carolina towns on state tests and graduation.
Where Marion beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Marion Historic District
Raymond Felton
Census counts: 214 in 1850, 6,448 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1907 and 2 maps from 1947 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), 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 Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Marion.
Marion is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at 3 times the South Carolina rate and carries more natural-hazard risk than most of South Carolina (mostly hurricanes).
Violent crime runs at 12.7 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the South Carolina rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. At 97.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 83% of South Carolina’s graded towns.
Marion’s property crime rate is 59.2 per 1,000 residents. Marion reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 99% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Marion 10 school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Marion High, with 572 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easterling PrimaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 431 | – |
| Marion HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 572 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Against the 628 U.S. towns with household incomes like Marion’s, it is less healthy than 72%, so its D− isn’t only a matter of income.
33% of Marion adults say their health is fair or poor. Marion beats the South Carolina average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 25. 22% of Marion adults have diabetes.
| Marion | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 22% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 15% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 40% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 21% | 14% |
| What stands out | Marion | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.1% | 15.7% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.8% | 8.6% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 19.7% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical value, about $154K, is 12% below its February 2025 peak.
The typical Marion home is worth about $154,000, down 1.4% in a year, 49% below the South Carolina typical home. 48% of households own their home in Marion. Only 7 of the 166 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower median rent than Marion.
| Marion | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 48% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $651 a month | $1,062 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 75% of South Carolina towns; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Marion is 84 of 100. Since 2008, 39 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Marion.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Marion has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 35° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Marion has about as many jobs (2,695) as working residents, but only 344 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 1,563 in 2013 to 2,695.
Most working residents leave Marion for work: only 15% work in town. Since 2013, Marion has added 1,132 jobs, to 2,695 in 2023. Only 6 of the 168 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower median household income than Marion.
| Marion | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 27% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $31,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 6.1% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Marion | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.6% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Withlacoochee Park | — | 11 |
| 2. Harmon Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Marion
About 3 of every 100 Marion residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
3 places in Marion on the National Register of Historic Places.
15 notable people were born in Marion.
City in South Carolina, United States
Marion is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, South Carolina, United States. It is named for Francis Marion, a brigadier general from South Carolina in the American Revolutionary War. As of the 2020 census, Marion had a population of 6,448.
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, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns. It grades D− for health, D− for safety and D for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 4.2 years of the area's median household income ($36,301 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
15 notable people were born here, including Raymond Felton and Gwen Bristow.
