Marion, Illinois
Area Profile
16,836 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Marion, in Williamson County.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 13 sourcesMarion 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
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.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsWilliamson County, IL’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $52,323 | 11th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftWilliamson County, IL’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $62,912 | 30th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$6,5172024 ACS 5-Year | $56,912 | Bottom 34%of 29,223 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$2,9012024 ACS 5-Year | $39,024 | Top 35%of 31,420 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 13.2% | Bottom 41%of 31,773 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±2.3 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 23.2 min | Top 31%of 31,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 28.5% | Top 33%of 31,919 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 80.3% | 61st percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentWilliamson County, IL’s figureJuly 2026 | 30,669 | Bottom 36%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)Williamson County, IL’s figureJuly 2026 | +4.2% | Top 8%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)Williamson County, IL’s figureJuly 2026 | +0.9% | Top 20%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceWilliamson County, IL’s figureJuly 2026 | 31,791 | 35th percentileof 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 75.6% | Bottom 41%of 31,513 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public transit to work ±0.2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.2% | 75th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)Williamson County, IL’s figureJuly 2026 | −1.0% | Top 12%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateWilliamson County, IL’s figureJuly 2026 | 3.5% | Top 19%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 11.3% | 65th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Median household income, successive ACS releases
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.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion High School | Marion CUSD 2 | 1,075 | 14.7 | 19% | 36% |
| Marion Jr High School | Marion CUSD 2 | 742 | 15.5 | 23% | 39% |
| Lincoln Elem School | Marion CUSD 2 | 482 | 13.4 | 39% | 40% |
| Washington Elem School | Marion CUSD 2 | 465 | 13.7 | 49% | 53% |
| Jefferson Elem School | Marion CUSD 2 | 376 | 13.4 | 32% | 32% |
| Crab Orchard Elementary School | Crab Orchard CUSD 3 | 323 | 15.4 | 19% | 26% |
| Longfellow Elem School | Marion CUSD 2 | 261 | 13.1 | 47% | 52% |
| Crab Orchard High School | Crab Orchard CUSD 3 | 154 | 14.0 | 5% | 15% |
| Williamson Co Learning Cntr | Williamson Co Spec Educ District | 0 | — | — | — |
| Starquest Acad RSSP South | Frankln/Johnsn/Massc/Willimsn ROE | 0 | — | — | — |
| Williamson Co Intensive Program | Williamson Co Spec Educ District | 0 | — | — | — |
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.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →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.
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.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home price change (1 year)the non-metropolitan parts of Illinois’s figure2026 Q2 | +5.6% | 83rd percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Illinois’s figure2026 Q2 | +44.8% | 56th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Illinois’s figure2026 Q2 | +68.1% | 13th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.32024 ACS 5-Year | 2.0 | Top 31%of 26,815 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 63.3% | 25th percentileof 31,717 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±3572024 ACS 5-Year | 9,050 | 93rd percentileof 32,177 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $790 | Top 7%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $1,369 | Top 11%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $1,037 | Top 10%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$602024 ACS 5-Year | $921 | Top 44%of 23,120 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$9,9972024 ACS 5-Year | $158,300 | 40th percentileof 29,111 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$2442024 ACS 5-Year | $2,761 | 70th percentileof 26,440 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$10,4092024 ACS 5-Year | $81,067 | Top 47%of 27,548 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.19%2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.74% | 87th percentileof 20,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 30.7% | Bottom 38%of 22,950 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±692024 ACS 5-Year | 96 | 89th percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.1% | 62nd percentileof 31,895 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 7.7% | 53rd percentileof 31,769 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±1992024 ACS 5-Year | 790 | 93rd percentileof 32,330 | 2024 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.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
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.
Population, annual estimates
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Jackson County, IL 502 people · 17% of arrivals
- Franklin County, IL 462 people · 16% of arrivals
- Saline County, IL 188 people · 6.5% of arrivals
- Johnson County, IL 119 people · 4.1% of arrivals
- Jefferson County, IL 73 people · 2.5% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Jackson County, IL 398 people · 15% of departures
- Franklin County, IL 385 people · 15% of departures
- Saline County, IL 149 people · 5.7% of departures
- Johnson County, IL 121 people · 4.7% of departures
- 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
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.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 44.0" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 25°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 88°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 7 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 45°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
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.
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.
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.
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.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 84.3% | Bottom 29%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 4 mi | Top 6%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 5 | Top 45%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 9.9% | Bottom 38%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois | MWA | 4 mi | 8,012 ft |
| Scott AFB/Midamerica St Louis | BLV | 74 mi | 10,000 ft |
| Evansville Rgnl | EVV | 80 mi | 8,021 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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Other cities in Marion-Herrin, IL
Same metropolitan area, measured the same way| City | County | Population | Area Score | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herrin | Williamson County | 12,226 | 64 | Herrin 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.
Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyCompare
Put Marion side by side with a similar place.
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 for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Safety | Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency | 2025 calendar year |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Safety | U.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 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA 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 areaEvery ZIP area in Marion with census figures of its own, largest first.
| ZIP | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Area Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 62959 | 27,793 | $71,063 | $174,800 | 63 |