Marshall vs Mexico

Which is the better fit for you?

Marshall, MO
55
Area Score
Bottom 35% nationally
Mexico, MO
56
Area Score
Bottom 39% nationally

Want a third or fourth place beside these? Open them in the shortlist and add more.

Mexico receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Marshall to Mexico

It stays in this browser and is never sent anywhere.

Everyday prices
The Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes no regional price index for Marshall or Mexico, so nothing here is estimated in its place.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Needs a price index for both places.
A new two-bedroom lease
The same
HUD benchmarks it at $888 in Mexico against $888 in Marshall.
The median home
5% less
$139,800 in Mexico against $147,900 in Marshall.
The weather you would swap
Similar winters
Normal January lows are 19°F in Mexico against 19°F in Marshall; July highs are 88°F against 88°F (summers the same).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Marshall
Mexico
Opportunity: Marshall is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
58 · Top 45%
vs
53 · Bottom 44%
Growth: Marshall is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
53 · Top 42%
vs
47 · Bottom 42%
Climate
66 · Bottom 37%
vs
66 · Bottom 37%
Physical resilience: Mexico is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
64 · Top 44%
vs
66 · Top 42%
Housing affordability: Mexico is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
73 · Top 32%
vs
84 · Top 6%
Schools: Mexico is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
19 · Bottom 11%
vs
30 · Bottom 25%
Access: Mexico is the more favorable of the two.
Access
45 · Bottom 2%
vs
46 · Bottom 3%
Economic stability
31 · Bottom 10%
vs
31 · Bottom 10%

Measured values

MetricMarshallMexicoSource period
Population13,73911,4772024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$54,437 ±$4,627$50,873 ±$4,8592024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income — the two are too close to separate$27,171 ±$2,379$28,002 ±$2,6162024 ACS 5-Year
Population density1,357/sq mi943/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$147,900$139,8002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent — the two are too close to separate$761 ±$61$686 ±$652024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$888$888FY2026
Homeownership rate65.4%62.5%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.4%3.9% — more favorableJuly 2026
Employment change (year over year)+0.9%+1.4% — more favorableJuly 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher25.4% — more favorable17.2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate16.8% ±4%18.2% ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)92812 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents0.72.4 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+350.0%−3.4%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high88°F88°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low19°F19°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation41.8"43.5"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport82 mi — more favorable86 miNASR current cycle
Average commute16.5 min — more favorable20.7 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age30.937.32024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools1062024-25 school year
Students per teacher14.013.7 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency21.6%33.3% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency33.8%42.4% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility56.6%84.2%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

4 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Physical risk tradeoff

Marshall

No hazard reaches elevated exposure.

Mexico

Elevated or high exposure: earthquake, cold wave.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Marshall
—
Marshall: Your Score
55
Area Score
Mexico
—
Mexico: Your Score
56
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Marshall, MO · Mexico, MO · How this is calculated: methodology