City profile · North Carolina · Census ACS 2023

West Marion, NC

West Marion's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

1,018
Residents
$38,523
Median income
$123,300
Median home
$1,161
Median rent (state)
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Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.

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Starting with West Marion, NC - add up to three more cities on the compare page.

See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for West Marion.

Place dossier plate

Sheet NC-WEST-MARION-NC · West Marion, NC 1,018 pop · income 7th pct

POP-VILLAGE · INC-LOW · COL-BELOW · SAFE-UNK · RANK-BOTTOM · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-LOW · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-VILLAGE 1,018
  • INC-LOW $38,523
  • COL-BELOW 94.3
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-BOTTOM 7th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Cheraw
  • HOME-LOW $123,300
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Cheraw, CO (+ $19 income $)

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 West Marion

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest West Marion on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

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.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for West Marion on ACS population and median household income . 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: 1,018.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $38,523. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

West Marion - the verdict

Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, West Marion places in the 7th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.

7th
percentile, household income
19th
percentile, home value
48th
percentile, median rent
📝 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: West Marion, NC

West Marion is a small town in North Carolina, home to 1,018 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $38,523 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 12.5%. West Marion's housing stock carries a median value of $123,300, and the median resident age is 35.0 years. About 12.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 47.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Living costs in North Carolina run below the national norm: the state registers 94.3 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,161 per month. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in North Carolina run around $215, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 66.7 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Moderate).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of West Marion'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 housing and income to comparison shortlist to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For West Marion, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares. No matched row is reported here for matched public-school count, FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits, annual population history, within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

Question 1

How far does income reach against housing in West Marion?

The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.2 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 12.5%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

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. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Question 2

Which cities make useful reference points for West Marion?

Within North Carolina, the closest population matches are Moravian Falls (1,015 residents, $57,262 income); Barker Heights (1,025 residents, $28,929 income); Roseboro (1,007 residents, $39,345 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Cohutta, GA (1,018 residents); Pray, MT (1,018 residents); Botkins, OH (1,018 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.

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.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

3. Work and mobility

What does the journey to work look like in West Marion?

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. The profile is strongly car-oriented, so a relocation comparison should put trip distance, vehicle access, and household fuel costs ahead of a citywide commute average. The same-state peer links offer a more relevant benchmark than a national label.

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 95.9%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Compare commute patterns →

Population

1,018 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$38,523 /yr

Lowest-decile income · poverty 12.5% (Above-median poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

94.3 (US=100)

Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, North Carolina average

City profile score · West Marion, NC

28/100

4 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 B-
94.3 index

BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.

Poverty rate F
12.5%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Bachelor's+ share F
12.7%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Household income F
$38,523

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

West Marion profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Cost of living, Poverty rate, Bachelor's+ share, Household income. Cost of livingPoverty rateBachelor's+ shareHousehold income 28 F
West Marion profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Cost of living: 67/100 (B-) · 94.3 index
  • Poverty rate: 30/100 (F) · 12.5%
  • Bachelor's+ share: 14/100 (F) · 12.7%
  • Household income: 5/100 (F) · $38,523

How does West Marion compare to other US cities?

West Marion measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.

Household income 7% higher than other cities
Home value 19% pricier than other cities
Median rent 48% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares West Marion against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to North Carolina only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

North Carolina-relative analysis

Median Gross Rent places West Marion near the bottom of North Carolina's cities

Among the 746 North Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, West Marion ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares West Marion only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#602 of 700
14th percentile in North Carolina
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 746
0th percentile in North Carolina
Median Home Value
#553 of 708
22nd percentile in North Carolina
Poverty Rate
#303 of 746
59th percentile in North Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#591 of 746
21st percentile in North Carolina
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 North Carolina only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

7thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

7th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How West Marion's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$123,300 Among the most affordable more affordable than 81% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). This entry sits in this band. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Above this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Above this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. West Marion $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

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

West Marion's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.2×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#7,704 of 15,516
More affordable than 50% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#6,366 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 3.2×, West Marion sits in the moderate band: national rank #7,704 of 15,516 and #6,366 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000). Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.

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

$38,523 West Marion, NC median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - West Marion, NC West Marion, NC's median household income ($38,523) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not West Marion, NC-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution West Marion, NC median $38,523/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
West Marion, NC median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for West Marion, NC.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 12.7%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 12.5%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 47.3%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
1,018
Median Income
$38,523
Median Home Value
$123,300
Median Age
35.0
Poverty Rate
12.5%
Labor force participation
47.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
12.7%

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
95.9%
Carpool
2.4%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
1.6%

Based on 370 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

North Carolina statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $215

EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across North Carolina at $215 (electricity about $115 , water and sewer about $45 ).

These are North Carolina statewide averages, not a meter reading for West Marion. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

North Carolina's BEA cost-of-living index is 94.3 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around West Marion is $1,161/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to North Carolina statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 66.7 / 100 (Moderate).

Cost/risk geography note

Cost of living is a North Carolina statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county West Marion sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How West Marion compares to similar-size North Carolina 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.

City Population Median Household Income
West Marion (this city) 1,018 $38,523
Moravian Falls 1,015 $57,262
Barker Heights 1,025 $28,929
Roseboro 1,007 $39,345
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

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