Why look at Marion?
- Moderately priced housing. Median home is $275k.
- Stable market. Home values +3.3% year-over-year — neither overheated nor falling.
- Growing population. ~0.6%/yr — typically signals jobs + investment.
Where Marion stands
At or near all-time high. rents up 8.6% in the last year.
Home value trajectory · last 10 years
Zillow ZHVI · monthlyLifestyle scores
Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.
Rent trajectory · last 5 years
Zillow ZORI · monthlyHome value vs rent · indexed to 100
Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)Rent vs buy
At a 17.9 price-to-rent ratio, Marion is in the 'depends on horizon' zone. Buy if you'll be there 5+ years and value flexibility on the home; rent if you might move, want zero maintenance friction, or expect rates to drop.
How the momentum score breaks down
methodology →About Marion (Wikipedia)
Marion is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States. The population was 26,294 at the 2000 census and was 41,535 in 2020, an increase of 58%. The city is located next to Cedar Rapids and part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area. Marion was designated as the first Linn County seat before it was moved to the larger neighbor Cedar Rapids in 1919. Today, Marion is a primarily suburban community with a historic downtown center, and is one of the fastest-growing cities in Iowa.
Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Local safety & alerts
No active National Weather Service alerts for Linn County right now.
Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Linn County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.
Run the numbers for Marion
Iowa context
Schools
Marion is served by 16 public schools enrolling about 8,945 students, with a student-teacher ratio of 14.6:1 — about the same as the US average of ~15:1. Public-school facts are from the NCES Common Core of Data; check ratings and attendance boundaries by exact address below.
Ratings, districts & boundaries:
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.
Climate & natural-disaster risk
State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.
Current weather
Find rentals & listings
Open current Marion listings on the major real-estate sites.
Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.
Local news & community
Latest news in Marion
1 from local press- Marion’s Central Plaza earns top Main Street Iowa honorLOCALCorridor Business Journal1w ago
- Two injured, one cited after driver crosses median on Highway 100 in Linn CountyKCRG1w ago
- Marion Arts Festival, races and kite event to bring Saturday road closuresKGAN1w ago
- Marion High School (IA) BaseballMaxPreps5d ago
- Vinton TodayVinton Today4d ago
- Bookkeeper's 'cold, calculated' theft costs her 41 months in prisonKWWL6d ago
Updated 2026-05-28 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Filtered for Marion-specific coverage. Headlines link to original sources.
Local sports teams
Major professional teams the Cedar Rapids area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.
Local economy & environment
Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.
Find more cities like Marion
Open the matchmaker pre-filled to match Marion’s price band, region, and size — refine to taste.
Find more like Marion →Cities similar to Marion
Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.
Cost-of-ownership at the median
Snapshot assumes a $150k single earner buying at the median home. Your real numbers depend on bracket, deductions, school district, and HOA. Use the affordability calculator and net-pay calculator for your specific case.
Schools & crime context
School quality is district-by-district and varies dramatically within a city. Check GreatSchools or your state DOE rankings for specific schools before deciding. City-level school data coming soon.
Iowa: 248 violent crimes per 100K residents (state avg, FBI UCR). Neighborhood-level rates can vary 10× within one city — research specific areas via CrimeGrade or local police data.
Compare to where you live now
Set your current city once and we’ll show the cost delta on every city profile.
Jobs & hiring
In Marion, unemployment is low at 3.6%, and hiring momentum has been steady. The strongest local sectors are tech, healthcare and skilled trades & manufacturing.
Search current openings: