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Place dossier plate
SheetIA-MARSHALLTOWN-IA · Marshalltown, IA 27,491 pop · income 48th pct · 11 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Marshalltown
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Marshalltown on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Pearl · lowest
54,643
Pearl · lowest
54,643 median HH income
26.3% of the leader · rank #1
Marshalltown · this city
68,854
Marshalltown · this city
68,854 median HH income
33.2% of the leader · rank #2
Cactus Forest · near
68,854
Cactus Forest · near
68,854 median HH income
33.2% of the leader · rank #3
Lake Alfred · near
68,854
Lake Alfred · near
68,854 median HH income
33.2% of the leader · rank #4
Rossburg · near
68,854
Rossburg · near
68,854 median HH income
33.2% of the leader · rank #5
Burlington · near
68,854
Burlington · near
68,854 median HH income
33.2% of the leader · rank #6
Belmont · highest
207,609
Belmont · highest
207,609 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Marshalltown on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 27,491.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Marshalltown - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Marshalltown places in the 48th percentile for household income and the 31st percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
48th
percentile, household income
16th
percentile, home value
11th
percentile, median rent
31st
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Marshalltown, IA
27,491 people live in Marshalltown, Iowa - a small city by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Marshalltown households earn a median of $68,854 annually, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 10.4%. Marshalltown's housing stock carries a median value of $117,100, and the median resident age is 35.7 years. Educational attainment runs 19.7% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 63.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 28 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Building Boom), up 87% from five years earlier. Crime here tracks close to the national norm: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 2070.6 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, near the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). NOAA climate normals record an annual average temperature of 47.6°F with 37.9 inches of precipitation per year and 25.3 inches of snowfall.
Living costs in Iowa run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Iowa at 87.8 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Below Average). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $989 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Iowa run around $212, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 39.7 out of 100 (Very Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Marshalltown's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from climate and hazard context to work and mobility to reported crime to population change to within-city variation to housing and income to comparison shortlist to schools and households; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Marshalltown, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, matched public-school count, local building permits, within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
1. Climate and hazard context
What physical conditions frame life in Marshalltown?
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 47.6°F, with 37.9 inches of precipitation and 25.3 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Iowa is 39.7 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
What does the journey to work look like in Marshalltown?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 74.9%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
What can 11 Census tracts reveal inside Marshalltown?
PlainCities matches 11 Census tracts to this city.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
Which cities make useful reference points for Marshalltown?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within Iowa, the closest population matches are Mason City (27,135 residents, $62,369 income); Waukee (26,974 residents, $106,728 income); Ottumwa (25,352 residents, $56,994 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Bristol, TN (27,490 residents); Lemon Grove, CA (27,489 residents); Mililani, HI (27,495 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Marshalltown?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 2070.6 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, near the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 9% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Total reported rate
2070.6
Violent rate
297.4
Property rate
1773.3
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Is Marshalltown growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -44 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -0.2% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 28 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.
2020 estimate
27,580
2025 estimate
27,536
Period change
-0.2%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
How far does income reach against housing in Marshalltown?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.
The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 1.7 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 10.4%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
1.7×
Home value
$117,100
Household income
$68,854
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What does the education layer cover for Marshalltown?
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 10 public schools within the city match. 19.7% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
Poverty estimate
10.4%
Bachelor's degree+
19.7%
Matched public schools
10
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Below median income · poverty 10.4% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
87.8 (US=100)
Very affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Iowa average
C-
City profile score · Marshalltown, IA
50/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living A+
87.8 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Household income D
$68,854
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
10.4%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
19.7%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime F
297 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Marshalltown profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 94/100 (A+) · 87.8 index
Household income: 48/100 (D) · $68,854
Poverty rate: 38/100 (F) · 10.4%
Bachelor's+ share: 33/100 (F) · 19.7%
Violent crime: 33/100 (F) · 297 /100k
Where Marshalltown sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Marshalltown's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Marshalltown highlighted among 11 peers.Read the chart values
Marshalltown, IA (this city): home $117,100, crime 2,071/100k
Bristol, TN : home $182,500, crime 2,322/100k
Lemon Grove, CA : home $640,600, crime 1,517/100k
Belmont, CA : home $2,000,000+, crime 1,448/100k
Athens, AL : home $253,700, crime 2,313/100k
Mason City, IA : home $130,000, crime 2,546/100k
Waukee, IA : home $328,200, crime 782/100k
Ottumwa, IA : home $92,400, crime 3,014/100k
Fort Dodge, IA : home $128,900, crime 4,257/100k
Clinton, IA : home $115,400, crime 3,086/100k
Johnston, IA : home $346,200, crime 826/100k
How does Marshalltown compare to other US cities?
Here's how Marshalltown stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income48% higher than other cities
Home value16% pricier than other cities
Median rent11% pricier than other cities
Safety31% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Iowa alone, Marshalltown ranks #119 of 141 Iowa cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Marshalltown against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Iowa only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Iowa-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Marshalltown near the bottom of Iowa's cities
Among the 858 Iowa cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Marshalltown ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Marshalltown only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#352 of 845
58th percentile in Iowa
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 858
0th percentile in Iowa
Median Home Value
#426 of 849
50th percentile in Iowa
Poverty Rate
#222 of 858
74th percentile in Iowa
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#354 of 858
58th percentile in Iowa
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Iowa only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
48th percentile nationally for median household income · 31st percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Marshalltown's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Marshalltown's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Marshalltown's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$117,100Among the most affordablemore affordable than 84% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Marshalltown's home-value-to-income ratio: 1.7×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#748 of 15,516
More affordable than 95% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#19 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 1.7×, Marshalltown sits in the affordable band:
national rank #748 of 15,516 and #19 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$68,854Marshalltown, IA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Marshalltown, IA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Marshalltown, IA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)19.7%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)10.4%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)63.5%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
27,491
Median Income
$68,854
Median Home Value
$117,100
Median Age
35.7
Poverty Rate
10.4%
Labor force participation
63.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
19.7%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
2070.6
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
297.4
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1773.3
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Climate
Avg Temperature
47.6°F
Annual Precipitation
37.9"
Annual Snowfall
25.3"
Schools
Total Schools
10
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Marshalltown's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
27,580 residents
2021
27,459 residents
2022
27,423 residents
2023
27,622 residents
2024
27,692 residents
2025
27,536 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
28
housing units authorized
Single-Family
18
detached homes
Multifamily
10
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
15
13
2
$3.2M
2020
17
15
2
$3.7M
2021
17
17
0
$3.9M
2022
90
10
80
$12.3M
2023
80
8
72
$15.0M
2024
28
18
10
$7.0M
Permit volume increased 87% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
74.9%
Carpool
15.7%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
2.7%
Work from Home
6.0%
Other
0.7%
Based on 13,038 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Iowa statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $212
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Iowa at $212 (electricity about $95 , water and sewer about $42 ).
These are Iowa statewide averages, not a meter reading for Marshalltown. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Iowa's BEA cost-of-living index is 87.8 (Well Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Marshalltown is $989/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Iowa statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 39.7 / 100 (Very Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Iowa statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Marshalltown sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Marshalltown compares to similar-size Iowa cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.