Marion County, IA

County

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2024 Population

33,642

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

39.9

0.504% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

8.17%

15.6% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$78,680

0.796% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$233,000

10.4% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

17,166

1.6% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Marion County, IA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99.2% of the residents in Marion County, IA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Marion County, IA are Central College (268 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Marion County, IA was $233,000, and the homeownership rate was 77.7%.

Most people in Marion County, IA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 21 minutes. The average car ownership in Marion County, IA was 2 cars per household.

Marion County, IA borders Jasper County, IA, Lucas County, IA, Mahaska County, IA, Monroe County, IA, Polk County, IA, and Warren County, IA.

United States Iowa Pella, IA

Population & Diversity

Marion County, IA is home to a population of 33.6k people, from which 99.2% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.08% of Marion County, IA residents were born outside of the country (701 people).

In 2024, there were 49.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (31.4k people) in Marion County, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 637 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 473 Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.2%

2024 Citizenship

99.1%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.2% of Marion County, IA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Marion County, IA was 99.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Marion County, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Marion County, IA

White (Non-Hispanic)
31.4k ± 98
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
637 ± 120
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
473 ± 94

2.3%

Hispanic Population

773 people

2.3% of the people in Marion County, IA are hispanic (773 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Marion County, IA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Iowa.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
42,808 ± 5,046 people
India
12,283 ± 2,716 people
China
7,889 ± 2,178 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Iowa was Mexico, the natal country of 42,808 Iowa residents, followed by India with 12,283 and China with 7,889.

Foreign-Born Population

2.08%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

701 people

2.02%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

679 people

As of 2024, 2.08% of Marion County, IA residents (701 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Marion County, IA was 2.02%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Marion County, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
520 ± 144
Gulf War (1990s)
281 ± 104
Gulf War (2001-)
258 ± 80

Marion County, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.85 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Marion County, IA.

Economy

The economy of Marion County, IA employs 17.2k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Marion County, IA were Manufacturing (4,042 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,537 people), and Educational Services (1,956 people), and the highest paying industries were Information ($75,417), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($73,182), and Finance & Insurance ($70,000).

Employment

Occupations

17.2k

2024 Value

± 833

1.6%

1 Year growth

± 6.92%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Marion County, IA grew at a rate of 1.6%, from 16.9k employees to 17.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Marion County, IA, are Production Occupations (2,015 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,831 people), and Management Occupations (1,805 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Marion County, IA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Iowa (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

17.2k

2024 Value

± 833

1.6%

1 Year growth

± 6.92%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Marion County, IA grew at a rate of 1.6%, from 16.9k employees to 17.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Marion County, IA, are Manufacturing (4,042 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,537 people), and Educational Services (1,956 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Marion County, IA, though some of these residents may live in Marion County, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$59,416

Median earning men ± $2,342

$36,113

Median earning women ± $2,274

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($90,859), Information ($77,955), and Public Administration ($77,204).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($66,037), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($52,740), and Public Administration ($51,859).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

Y-Axis

1.48%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.57M people employed in Iowa. This represents a 1.48% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Iowa.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

74
Other Services (except Public Administration)
64
Construction
52
Health Care and Social Assistance

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$722k
Manufacturing
$114k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$49.7k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Iowa went to Donald J. Trump with 55.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.789%).

Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are the senators currently representing the state of Iowa. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Iowa is currently represented by 4 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Marion County, IA. Showing the available data for Iowa.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (55.7%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (42.5%)
Democratic Party
Robert Kennedy (0.789%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Iowa went to Donald J. Trump with 55.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.789%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Iowa for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Iowa

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

Chuck Grassley

Senator from Iowa

Assumed office on January 3, 1981

Joni Ernst

Senator from Iowa

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are the senators currently representing Iowa.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Iowa over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2023, universities in Marion County, IA awarded 268 degrees. The student population of Marion County, IA in 2023 is skewed towards men, with 583 male students and 512 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Marion County, IA are White (219 and 81.7%), Hispanic or Latino (26 and 9.7%), Unknown (9 and 3.36%), and Two or More Races (7 and 2.61%).

The largest universities in Marion County, IA by number of degrees awarded are Central College (268 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Marion County, IA are General Business Administration & Management (42 and 15.7%), Exercise Physiology (41 and 15.3%), and General Biological Sciences (31 and 11.6%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $20,988.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Marion County, IA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 79%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 17.5%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 1,095 (53.2% men and 46.8% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 1,095 students enrolled in Marion County, IA, 53.2% men and 46.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 958 records, of which 47.3% were women and 52.7% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
42 degrees awarded
Exercise Physiology
41 degrees awarded
General Biological Sciences
31 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Marion County, IA was General Business Administration & Management with 42 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Marion County, IA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Central College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

268 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Central College with 268 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 125 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Marion County, IA, which is 0.874 times less than the 143 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 219 degrees mean that there were 8.42 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 26 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($20,988) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,275) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Marion County, IA was $233,000 in 2024, which is 0.7 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $211,100 to $233,000, a 10.4% increase. The homeownership rate in Marion County, IA is 77.7%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Marion County, IA have an average commute time of 21 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Marion County, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 10.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Marion County, IA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 1.27%.

Housing

Property

$233,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$9,817

$10,346

Median Property Taxes

±$609

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Marion County, IA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Marion County, IA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

77.7%

Homeownership

2024

63.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 77.7% of the housing units in Marion County, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 77.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Marion County, IA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$78,680

Median Household Income

± $3,041

13.3k

Number of Households

± 726

In 2024, the median household income of the 13.3k households in Marion County, IA grew to $78,680 from the previous year's value of $78,059.

The following chart displays the households in Marion County, IA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Marion County, IA is from Iowa.

0.441

2023 Wage GINI in Iowa

0.442

2022 Wage GINI in Iowa

In 2023, the income inequality in Iowa was 0.441 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.304% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Iowa was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Iowa in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Iowa across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (78.8%)
Worked At Home (10.2%)
Carpooled (5.54%)

In 2024, 78.8% of workers in Marion County, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (10.2%) and those who carpooled to work (5.54%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

21 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Marion County, IA have a shorter commute time (21 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.38% of the workforce in Marion County, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Marion County, IA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Marion County, IA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Marion County, IA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 10.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Marion County, IA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 1.27%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

8.17% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Marion County, IA (2.6k out of 31.9k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 35 - 44, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Males 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Marion County, IA is White, followed by Two Or More and Asian.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 8.2% of the children was living in poverty in Marion County, IA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 274 in Marion County, IA. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 44.5 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

97.5% of the population of Marion County, IA has health coverage, with 56.9% on employee plans, 13.1% on Medicaid, 14.2% on Medicare, 12.3% on non-group plans, and 1.09% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Marion County, IA see 1,043 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,043 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1682 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 637 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.4% were men and 49.6% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,043 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Marion County, IA

Primary care physicians in Marion County, IA see an average of 1,043 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,043 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Marion County, IA in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.9% under 18 years, 19.3% between 18 and 34 years, 37% between 35 and 64 years, and 18.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.4% were men and 49.6% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

2.46%

Uninsured

56.9%

Employer Coverage

13.1%

Medicaid

14.2%

Medicare

12.3%

Non-Group

1.09%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Marion County, IA declined by 3.22% from 2.54% to 2.46%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Marion County, IA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 53.8 in Marion County, IA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Marion County, IA.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 38.3% in Marion County, IA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Marion County, IA.