Marion, Illinois

Area Profile

16,836 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Marion, in Williamson County.

63out of 100
Area Score
Top 35% of 4,196 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 13 sources
OpportunityTop 22% of 4,199 cities measured71
Schools2,148th of 4,162 cities measured49
GrowthTop 25% of 4,224 cities measured62
Housing affordabilityTop 36% of 4,218 cities measured71
ClimateTop 35% of 4,225 cities measured73
Physical resilience2,754th of 4,226 cities measured45
AccessTop 16% of 4,226 cities measured99
Economic stability3,195th of 4,226 cities measured42
The quick read

Marion ranks in the top 22% of cities measured for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 3.5% and median household income of $56,912. The unemployment rate is published for Williamson County, IL, which contains Marion, rather than for Marion alone.

In the public schools here, 28% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 14.3 students for every teacher.

85 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, within 3% of the prior year — steady rather than turning.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
16,836
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$56,912
Bottom 34% nationally
Density
1,169/sq mi
14.4 sq mi of land
Median age
42.2
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Illinois
Nearest major airport
MWA
4 mi · Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois
Median home value
$158,300
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment across Williamson County, IL, which contains Marion, is 3.5%, lower than in 81% of the 4,226 measured US cities.

Employment across Williamson County, IL, which contains Marion, grew 0.9% over the past year, to 30,669 employed residents.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsWilliamson County, IL’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$52,32311th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftWilliamson County, IL’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$62,91230th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$6,5172024 ACS 5-Year$56,912Bottom 34%of 29,2232024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$2,9012024 ACS 5-Year$39,024Top 35%of 31,4202024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year13.2%Bottom 41%of 31,7732024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±2.3 min2024 ACS 5-Year23.2 minTop 31%of 31,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year28.5%Top 33%of 31,9192024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year80.3%61st percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentWilliamson County, IL’s figureJuly 202630,669Bottom 36%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (3 years)Williamson County, IL’s figureJuly 2026+4.2%Top 8%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (year over year)Williamson County, IL’s figureJuly 2026+0.9%Top 20%of 4,226July 2026
Labor forceWilliamson County, IL’s figureJuly 202631,79135th percentileof 4,226July 2026
Labor force participation ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year75.6%Bottom 41%of 31,5132024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.2%2024 ACS 5-Year0.2%75th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)Williamson County, IL’s figureJuly 2026−1.0%Top 12%of 4,226July 2026
Unemployment rateWilliamson County, IL’s figureJuly 20263.5%Top 19%of 4,226July 2026
Worked from home ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year11.3%65th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year

Median household income, successive ACS releases

202120222023202457k47k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $56,912 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes city-level labor data only for places of 25,000 or more. This is the figure for Williamson County, IL, which contains this city.

28% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 38% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 14.3 students for every full-time teacher across 8 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
11
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
14.3
across 8 of them
Math proficiency
28.4%
Bottom 39% in Illinois
Reading proficiency
38.1%
Top 50% in Illinois
All 11 public schools on record, largest first.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Marion High SchoolMarion CUSD 21,07514.719%36%
Marion Jr High SchoolMarion CUSD 274215.523%39%
Lincoln Elem SchoolMarion CUSD 248213.439%40%
Washington Elem SchoolMarion CUSD 246513.749%53%
Jefferson Elem SchoolMarion CUSD 237613.432%32%
Crab Orchard Elementary SchoolCrab Orchard CUSD 332315.419%26%
Longfellow Elem SchoolMarion CUSD 226113.147%52%
Crab Orchard High SchoolCrab Orchard CUSD 315414.05%15%
Williamson Co Learning CntrWilliamson Co Spec Educ District0———
Starquest Acad RSSP SouthFrankln/Johnsn/Massc/Willimsn ROE0———
Williamson Co Intensive ProgramWilliamson Co Spec Educ District0———

52.2% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Illinois’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the non-metropolitan parts of Illinois is up 45% over five years, and up 5.6% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $2,761 a year in real estate taxes, about 1.74% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,037, some 13% above the $921 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,037 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $41,500 a year, about 73% of the median household income here of $56,912.

The typical renter household here spends 31% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $921 a month.

A median home at $158,300 costs 2.0 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $81,067, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Rent as a share of income
30.7%
Above the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
2.0×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,037
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$921
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$158,300
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Marion’s median household income of $56,912, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price change (1 year)the non-metropolitan parts of Illinois’s figure2026 Q2+5.6%83rd percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Illinois’s figure2026 Q2+44.8%56th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Illinois’s figure2026 Q2+68.1%13th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.32024 ACS 5-Year2.0Top 31%of 26,8152024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year63.3%25th percentileof 31,7172024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±3572024 ACS 5-Year9,05093rd percentileof 32,1772024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$790Top 7%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,369Top 11%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,037Top 10%of 4,072FY2026
Median gross rent ±$602024 ACS 5-Year$921Top 44%of 23,1202024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$9,9972024 ACS 5-Year$158,30040th percentileof 29,1112024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$2442024 ACS 5-Year$2,76170th percentileof 26,4402024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$10,4092024 ACS 5-Year$81,067Top 47%of 27,5482024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.19%2024 ACS 5-Year1.74%87th percentileof 20,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year30.7%Bottom 38%of 22,9502024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±692024 ACS 5-Year9689th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year1.1%62nd percentileof 31,8952024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year7.7%53rd percentileof 31,7692024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±1992024 ACS 5-Year79093rd percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.

Development Momentum

62/ 100
Top 25% of 4,224 published city profiles
Permitting has been rising for the last 2 years of a series running from 2022 to 2025. That is the direction of the recent run. The chart below compares the first year with the last, which can point the other way.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 1% since 2020, reaching 17,021 in 2024.

New construction is predominantly single-family: of 85 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes.

Federal tax returns show Williamson County, which contains Marion, gained about 0.6% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $52,323, below the $62,912 of households that moved out.

At 5.0 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US cities.

Units permitted
85
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
5.0
Top 29% nationally
Year over year
−3%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
0.0%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202417k17k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been rising for the last 2 years, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

People moving in and out

Net migration
+0.6%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
33%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$52,323
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$62,912
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Jackson County, IL 502 people · 17% of arrivals
  2. Franklin County, IL 462 people · 16% of arrivals
  3. Saline County, IL 188 people · 6.5% of arrivals
  4. Johnson County, IL 119 people · 4.1% of arrivals
  5. Jefferson County, IL 73 people · 2.5% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Jackson County, IL 398 people · 15% of departures
  2. Franklin County, IL 385 people · 15% of departures
  3. Saline County, IL 149 people · 5.7% of departures
  4. Johnson County, IL 121 people · 4.7% of departures
  5. St. Clair County, IL 63 people · 2.4% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Williamson County, IL. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

Housing units permitted per year

202220232024202510479
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was lower than 2022 (−15%).

Weather & climate

7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 88°F and January a low of 25°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 44.0 inches.

10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station CARBONDALE SOUTHERN IL AP, 17.1 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND5.3"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals44.0"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals25°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals88°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals71991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals45°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

45 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are earthquake, inland flooding and strong wind, with earthquake alone responsible for 37% of it. Inland flooding is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.

Strong windHigh
EarthquakeElevated
Winter weatherModerate
Ice stormModerate
HailModerate

Low or minimal exposure: heat wave, cold wave, tornado, landslide, inland flooding, lightning, drought, hurricane, wildfire, coastal flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity, avalanche.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Violent crime
422
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year
Property crime
2,584
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year

Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.

Marion's police department reported 422 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, higher than most places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 2,584.

Williamson County has a modeled homicide rate of about 4.0 per 100,000 residents a year, because the CDC suppresses counts this small, near the middle of counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at 28.5 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at about 9.6 per 100,000 residents in Williamson County.

Homicide
4.0
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Firearm deaths, all intents
28.5
per 100,000 residents
Drug overdose
9.6
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Suicide
36.0
per 100,000 residents

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.

Offenses are reported to the FBI by Marion’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Marion (Williamson County) rather than Marion itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Cost of living
Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index only where a monitor sits. There is none in this county, and a modeled value would be a different kind of number from the measured ones everywhere else on this page.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

5 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois at 4 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year84.3%Bottom 29%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle4 miTop 6%of 4,226NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle5Top 45%of 4,226NASR current cycle
No internet access ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year9.9%Bottom 38%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Veterans Airport of Southern IllinoisMWA4 mi8,012 ft
Scott AFB/Midamerica St LouisBLV74 mi10,000 ft
Evansville RgnlEVV80 mi8,021 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
63
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Other cities in Marion-Herrin, IL

Same metropolitan area, measured the same way
CityCountyPopulationArea ScoreCompare
HerrinWilliamson County12,22664Herrin vs Marion

Every city here is measured on the same scale from the same source releases, so the comparison is like for like. A higher Area Score reflects AreaProfile’s standardized weighting rather than a judgment about which is the better place to live.

Compare

Put Marion side by side with a similar place.

Marion vs HerrinMarion vs Decatur

Moving to Marion from somewhere else?

You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
SafetyFederal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer
Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency
2025 calendar year
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

ZIP codes in Marion

1 ZIP area

Every ZIP area in Marion with census figures of its own, largest first.

ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueArea Score
6295927,793$71,063$174,80063