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Marshalltown, IA

Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

27,626
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

35.7
years ∙ half population younger than 35.7, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
58.6%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

20.1%
foreign-born population
79.9%Native
20.1% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Marshalltown is a city within Marshall County, Iowa, United States.
Location
City in Marshall County, IA, US
Co-ordinates
DEC42.034300° N, 92.906266° W
DMS42° 02′ 03.48″ N, 92° 54′ 22.56″ W

Population Density & area

1,439/sq mi (555.9/km²)
Total Area
19.2 sq mi (49.8 km²)
Land Area
19.2 sq mi (49.7 km²) · 99.86%
Water Area
0 sq mi (0.1 km²) · 0.14%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

50.7% male
Male 50.7%
Female 49.3%
males per 100 females
Marshalltown 102.8
Marshall County 102.7
Iowa 100.6

Nativity

20.1%
foreign-born population
79.9%Native
20.1% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Marshalltown 20.1%
Marshall County 14.6%
Iowa 5.9%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

35.7
years ∙ half population younger than 35.7, half older
Marshalltown
35.7
Marshall County
38.5
Iowa
38.6

Dependency ratio

Low High
77
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Marshalltown 77
Marshall County 77.2
Iowa 69.6

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Marshalltown Marshall County Iowa
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 27% 25.4% 22.9%
Working age (18-64) 56.5% 56.4% 59%
Senior (65+) 16.5% 18.2% 18.1%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 77 77.2 69.6
Child dependency ratio 47.8 44.9 38.8
Old-age dependency ratio 29.2 32.3 30.7
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
54.1%
Black
2.1%
Asian
4.9%
Hispanic
34.2%
Other
4.7%
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

Low High
58.6%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Marshalltown 58.6%
Marshall County 50.1%
Iowa 31.4%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Marshalltown population
Racial and ethnic composition — Marshalltown vs Marshall County vs Iowa. Source: ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates.
Marshalltown Marshall County Iowa
Hispanic or Latino 34.2% 24.6% 7.3%
Mexican 29.7% 21.2% 5%
Puerto Rican 0.6% 0.4% 0.3%
Cuban 0.3% 0.2% 0.1%
Other Hispanic / Latino 3.6% 2.9% 1.8%
Not Hispanic or Latino 65.8% 75.4% 92.7%
One race 61.8% 72.2% 89.2%
White 54.1% 66% 82.3%
Black or African American 2.1% 1.6% 3.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.3% 0.2% 0.2%
Asian 4.9% 4.1% 2.5%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0.2%
Some Other Race 0.5% 0.4% 0.3%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 4% 3.2% 3.5%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

60.9% family
Family 60.9%
Non family 39.1%
% family households
Marshalltown 60.9%
Marshall County 63.2%
Iowa 61.6%

Average household size

2.62
persons per household
Marshalltown
2.62
Marshall County
2.51
Iowa
2.36

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Marshalltown population
Marshalltown Marshall County Iowa
Total households 10,135 15,496 1,315,707
Average houshold size 2.62 2.51 2.36
Family households 6,171 9,801 809,836
Average family size 3.42 3.18 2.98
Married couple family 4,831 7,898 635,347
Other families 1,340 1,903 174,489
Male householder 471 766 56,457
Female householder 869 1,137 118,032
Non-family households 3,964 5,695 505,871
One-person households 3,068 4,570 406,436
Male householder 1,260 2,161 193,582
Senior (65+) living alone 381 651 58,028
Female householder 1,808 2,409 212,854
Senior (65+) living alone 996 1,429 111,645
Other living arrangements 896 1,125 99,435

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

11,046
housing units
Marshalltown 11,046
Marshall County 16,937
Iowa 1,437,699

Occupancy status

91.8% occupied
Occupied 91.8%
Vacant 8.2%
vacancy rate
Marshalltown 8.2%
Marshall County 8.5%
Iowa 8.5%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

75.1%
Single family houses
Single family houses
75.1%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
21.8%
Mobile homes
3%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0.1%

Median Year Built

1959
Half of houses were built before 1959, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
29.8%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
34.1%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
26.4%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
9.6%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Marshalltown Marshall County Iowa
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 5.4 5.7 5.9
1–3 rooms 12.3% 9.7% 11.8%
4–6 rooms 54.9% 51.8% 47.4%
7+ rooms 32.8% 38.4% 40.7%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 0.5% 0.6% 1.7%
1 bedroom 11.4% 9.1% 9.2%
2 bedrooms 30.3% 26.9% 27%
3 bedrooms 39.7% 41.3% 37.3%
4+ bedrooms 18.1% 22.1% 24.7%
At a glance
Median year built 1959 1959 1972
Total housing units 11,046 16,937 1,437,699
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

68.8% owners
Renter-occupied 31.2%
Owner-occupied 68.8%
homeownership rate
Marshalltown 68.8%
Marshall County 75%
Iowa 71.7%

Average household size

2.74
Owner-occupied
2.34
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Marshalltown 2.74
Marshall County 2.6
Iowa 2.5

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Marshalltown Marshall County Iowa
Total occupied units 10,135 15,496 1,315,707
Year moved in
2020 or later 25.4% 21.8% 24.3%
2010 to 2019 41.2% 39.7% 38.7%
2000 to 2009 15% 16.4% 16.4%
1999 or earlier 18.5% 22.1% 20.7%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 94.7% 96.3% 98.4%
1.01 to 1.50 4% 2.8% 1.1%
1.51 or more 1.2% 0.9% 0.5%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 7.2% 5.5% 5.4%
1 vehicle 33.4% 29.5% 30.5%
2 vehicles 35.7% 35.1% 37.8%
3 or more vehicles 23.7% 29.9% 26.3%
House heating fuel used
Gas 72.4% 75.8% 72.8%
Electricity 26% 21.8% 24.4%
Solar 0% 0.1% 0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0% 0.1% 0.3%
All other fuels 1.1% 1.6% 1.8%
No fuel used 0.6% 0.5% 0.6%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0.3% 0.2% 0.3%
Lacking complete kitchen 0.4% 0.3% 0.8%
No telephone service available 1.9% 1.3% 0.8%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$127,700
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Marshalltown
$127,700
Marshall County
$145,500
Iowa
$208,000

Housing Cost Burden

22.2%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
22.2%
Owners without a mortgage
20%
Renters
33.7%
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Marshalltown Marshall County Iowa
Property value
Median Value $127,700 $145,500 $208,000
Under $100,000 35.8% 30% 17.8%
$100,000 - $200,000 42% 40% 30%
$200,000 - $300,000 13.9% 15.8% 23.1%
$300,000 - $500,000 6.8% 11.2% 21.3%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 0.9% 2.3% 6.8%
$1,000,000 and more 0.5% 0.6% 1.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 54% 54.9% 59.4%
Without a mortgage 46% 45.1% 40.6%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,287 $1,332 $1,533
Without a mortgage $577 $579 $616
Gross rent
Median rent $891 $885 $972

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

20.9%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Marshalltown 20.9%
Marshall County 22.6%
Iowa 31.4%

Adults without a high school diploma

18.3%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Marshalltown 18.3%
Marshall County 13.1%
Iowa 6.7%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

7,027
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
4.9%
K–12
83.2%
College / Undergraduate
9.3%
Graduate / Professional
2.6%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

17.5%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Marshalltown
17.5%
Marshall County
16.4%
Iowa
42.3%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Marshalltown Marshall County Iowa
Total enrolled (age 3+) 7,027 9,416 784,322
Nursery / preschool 4.9% 5.8% 6.2%
K–12 83.2% 82.7% 68.4%
Kindergarten 7.5% 7.3% 5.2%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 21.1% 20.9% 20.3%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 26.8% 26.6% 21.3%
High School: Grades 9–12 27.8% 27.8% 21.6%
College or graduate school 11.9% 11.5% 25.4%
College, undergraduate 9.3% 9.4% 20.8%
Graduate, professional school 2.6% 2.1% 4.6%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 17.5% 16.4% 42.3%
School type
Public school 88.4% 88.1% 84.4%
Private school 11.6% 11.9% 15.6%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

17,501
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
11.3%
9th-12th, no diploma
7%
HS graduate
31.2%
Some college no degree
19.2%
Associates degree
10.5%
Bachelors degree
13.3%
Graduate or professional degree
7.5%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
46.3% · 53.7%
9th-12th, no diploma
61.1% · 38.9%
HS graduate
55.7% · 44.3%
Some college no degree
46.8% · 53.2%
Associates degree
42.5% · 57.5%
Bachelors degree
44% · 56%
Graduate or professional degree
59.5% · 40.5%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Marshalltown Marshall County Iowa
Population (25+) 17,501 26,501 2,154,149
Less than 9th grade 11.3% 7.7% 2.7%
9th–12th, no diploma 7% 5.4% 4%
High school diploma or GED 31.2% 33.4% 30%
Some college, no degree 19.2% 19.7% 19.7%
Associate's degree 10.5% 11.3% 12.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher 20.9% 22.6% 31.4%
Bachelor's degree 13.3% 15.1% 20.9%
Graduate or professional 7.5% 7.4% 10.5%
High School or higher 81.8% 86.9% 93.3%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$42,292
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$40,134
HS graduate
$40,877
Some college or associates
$42,887
Bachelors degree
$49,671
Graduate or professional degree
$66,643

Poverty Rate

5%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
18.8%
HS graduate
14.1%
Some college or associates
9.2%
Bachelors degree or higher
5%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Marshalltown Marshall County Iowa
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $42,292 $44,300 $51,106
Less than high school graduate $40,134 $39,359 $35,996
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $40,877 $41,685 $41,528
Some college or associate's degree $42,887 $44,155 $47,635
Bachelor's degree $49,671 $57,240 $62,744
Graduate or professional degree $66,643 $66,983 $80,022
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 18.8% 18.7% 21.5%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 14.1% 10.7% 12.4%
Some college or associate's degree 9.2% 7.6% 8.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher 5% 3.3% 3.8%

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