City · Marshall County, Iowa

Marshalltown, Iowa

Marshalltown is a city in Marshall County, Iowa, part of the Marshalltown, IA metro area. It has 27,626 residents. Marshalltown, Iowa has a quality-of-life score of 50 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #7,882 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Iowa it ranks #271 of 281 cities and towns. It ranks best on rent-burdened households (low), drought exposure (low) and rent as share of income (low). It ranks worst on new business applications (low), mental health care shortage (high) and adult obesity (high).

50Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #7,882 of 15,651 cities and towns
Iowa: #271 of 281 in IA
Population: 27,626 (2020-2024)
Land area: 19 mi²
Density: 1,441.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 1949755

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety43#8,932/15,637
Economy32#10,552/15,631
Housing94#912/14,977
Health32#10,551/15,609
Healthcare44#8,768/15,650
Environment83#2,677/15,453
Education20#12,448/15,649
Infrastructure31#10,762/15,650
Community74#4,064/15,651
Leisure & amenities44#8,759/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Marshalltown, Iowa ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Marshall County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Rent-burdened households · low33.7%
99/100Iowa 43.9%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Drought exposure · low0%
98/100Iowa 13%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAMarshall County value
Rent as share of income · low23.0%
97/100Iowa 27.4%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Average commute time · low17.2 min
95/100Iowa 19.8 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Home price to income ratio · low1.9×
95/100Iowa 2.8×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Mammography screening · high56.0%
94/100Iowa 57.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMarshall County value

Weaknesses

New business applications · low7.1 /1k
2/100Iowa 10.8 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauMarshall County value
Mental health care shortage · high19.0
4/100Iowa 10.1United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationMarshall County value
Adult obesity · high45.4%
4/100Iowa 39.7%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Pharmacies · low0.8 /10k
7/100Iowa 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMarshall County value
Suicide rate · high25.0 /100k
9/100Iowa 16.9 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataMarshall County value
Primary care shortage · high16.0
14/100Iowa 7.0United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationMarshall County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
75.8% (2015-2019) → 87.5% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
42.0% (2015-2019) → 33.7% (2020-2024)
−8.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
New homes permittedWorsening
0.6 /1k (2021) → 0.4 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−41%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Median household incomeImproving
$52,035 (2015-2019) → $69,068 (2020-2024)
+33%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
High school diploma or higherImproving
78.7% (2015-2019) → 81.8% (2020-2024)
+3 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
25.9% (2015-2019) → 23.0% (2020-2024)
−2.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Marshalltown, Iowa improved on 2 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 12 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Broadband+12 points75.8% → 87.5%
Household income+33%$52,035 → $69,068

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Marshalltown, Iowa between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	16.4 min2015-2019	17.2 min2020-2024	+0.8 min	Within the margin of error	38%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.1%2015-2019	20.9%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Broadband subscriptions	75.8%2015-2019	87.5%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	68%
Child poverty rate	19.7%2015-2019	21.5%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Effective property tax rate	1.60%2015-2019	1.53%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	29%
High school diploma or higher	78.7%2015-2019	81.8%2020-2024	+3 points	Within the margin of error	69%
Home price to income ratio	1.8×2015-2019	1.8×2020-2024	+0.0×	Within the margin of error	77%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4032015-2019	0.3962020-2024	−0.007	Within the margin of error	57%
Median household income	$52,0352015-2019	$69,0682020-2024	+33%	Improved	61%
Poverty rate	14.8%2015-2019	14.3%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Rent as share of income	25.9%2015-2019	23.0%2020-2024	−2.9 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Rent-burdened households	42.0%2015-2019	33.7%2020-2024	−8.3 points	Within the margin of error	79%
Unemployment rate	5.4%2015-2019	5.3%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.1%2015-2019	7.2%2020-2024	−1.9 points	Within the margin of error	68%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Marshalltown, Iowa five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Marshalltown, Iowa in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Marshalltown, Iowa itself moved +3.5 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

27,626 residents (±28)

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

10,135 households (±284)

Marshalltown, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $25k15%1,503
$25k–50k21%2,080
$50k–75k19%1,964

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

10,135 households (±284)

Marshalltown, Iowa
Iowa share

Own69%6,976
Rent31%3,159

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

13,080 workers (±477)

Marshalltown, Iowa
Iowa share

Drive alone76%9,924
Carpool15%1,979
Public transit0.0%0

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Marshalltown, IA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Marshall County, the county holding most of Marshalltown's residents.

Marshall County has 786 employer establishments, 196 for every 10,000 residents (0.79× the US rate of 248; 0.76× Iowa's), with 13,187 paid employees at an average annual pay of $51,421. The Census Bureau also counts 2,132 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 786; 2,132 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 196; US 248 · Iowa 259
Paid employees: 13,187
Average annual pay: $51,421; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Marshall County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	68	17	1.10×About typical	266	$64,248	194
Ambulatory health care services	57	14.2	0.68×Fewer than typical	621	$76,441	47
Restaurants and other eating places	46	11.5	0.62×Fewer than typical	940	$17,277	12
Religious organizations	37	9.2	1.66×More than typical	183	$19,727	—
Full-service restaurants	24	6	0.78×Fewer than typical	417	$16,367	4
Lessors of real estate	24	6	0.49×Fewer than typical	612	$49,658	195
Automotive repair and maintenance	22	5.5	1.09×About typical	102	$49,245	43
Insurance agencies and brokerages	21	5.2	1.19×About typical	84	$61,250	34
Truck transportation	21	5.2	1.04×About typical	120	$57,667	64
Building equipment contractors	20	5	0.83×About typical	137	$57,825	37
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	20	5	1.58×More than typical	47	$63,000	51
Limited-service restaurants	20	5	0.62×Fewer than typical	483	$18,166	5

Rank places for an industry Open Marshall County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 40,087 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $95K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Marshalltown, Iowa: $3.44 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $95K
Per resident: $3.44; US $1,994
Sole-source: 39%; US 30%
Single offer: 2.2%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management$52.8K56%
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences$28.4K30%
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention$4,3424.6%
U.S. Marshals Service$3,4483.6%
Department of the Army$2,6012.7%
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Acquisition and Property Management Division$1,9082.0%
Department of Veterans Affairs$1,5081.6%

Top recipients

MECHDYNE CORPORATION$85.5K90%
RACOM CORPORATION$7,9588.4%
IOWA STATE OF IOWA VETERANS HOME$1,5081.6%

Spending by fiscal year

98.3KFY2017
368.1KFY2018
2.1MFY2019
580.6KFY2020
259.6KFY2021
301.8KFY2022
1.2MFY2023
779.3K

Top industries (NAICS)

Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing · 3341$52.8K56%
Audio and video equipment manufacturing · 3343$28.4K30%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$4,3424.6%
Other telecommunications · 5179$2,6012.7%
Communications equipment manufacturing · 3342$2,0732.2%
Wired telecommunications carriers · 5171$1,908

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Marshalltown, Iowa, so they do not add up across cities.

Marshalltown, Iowa's figures are part of those of Marshall County, IA ($1M in FY2026), never added to them: 9.2% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Marshalltown is mostly in Marshall County.

See federal money in Marshall County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Marshalltown, Iowa is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Randy FeenstraR-IA-4 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 1.6%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Marshall County67100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Marshalltown, IA68

Other cities and towns in Marshall County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1949755

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends