City · Calhoun County, Michigan

Marshall, Michigan

Marshall is a city in Calhoun County, Michigan, part of the Battle Creek, MI metro area. It has 6,804 residents. Marshall, Michigan has a quality-of-life score of 43 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #8,919 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Michigan it ranks #214 of 444 cities and towns. It ranks best on distance to an Amtrak station (low), job growth (high) and drought exposure (low). It ranks worst on violent crime rate (high), math scores (low) and reading scores (low).

43Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #8,919 of 15,651 cities and towns
Michigan: #214 of 444 in MI
Population: 6,804 (2020-2024)
Land area: 9 mi²
Density: 770.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 2651940

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.

Safety12#13,804/15,637
Economy66#5,265/15,631
Housing61#5,901/14,977
Health39#9,595/15,609
Healthcare38#9,742/15,650
Environment35#9,973/15,453
Education35#10,148/15,649
Infrastructure87#2,080/15,650
Community56#6,829/15,651
Leisure & amenities29#11,116/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Marshall, Michigan ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Calhoun 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

Distance to an Amtrak station · low5 mi
97/100Michigan 25 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauCalhoun County value
Job growth · high4.0%
97/100Michigan 0.3%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataCalhoun County value
Drought exposure · low4%
87/100Michigan 13%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAACalhoun County value
Home price to income ratio · low2.3×
86/100Michigan 3.2×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Hot days · low7 days
81/100Michigan 5 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationCalhoun County value
Average commute time · low20.8 min
80/100Michigan 24.2 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013

Weaknesses

Violent crime rate · high725 /100k
2/100Michigan 416 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCalhoun County value
Math scores · low2.57
7/100Michigan 2.85United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCalhoun County value
Reading scores · low2.72
10/100Michigan 2.99United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCalhoun County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high9.1 µg/m³
11/100Michigan 8.6 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyCalhoun County value
Effective property tax rate · high1.75%
13/100Michigan 1.19%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Depression · high27.8%
14/100Michigan 26.5%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate

Trends

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

New homes permittedImproving
0.9 /1k (2021) → 2.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+235%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateImproving
18.2% (2015-2019) → 3.7% (2020-2024)
−14 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
80.7% (2015-2019) → 94.4% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$50,969 (2015-2019) → $76,050 (2020-2024)
+49%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Poverty rateImproving
13.2% (2015-2019) → 5.7% (2020-2024)
−7.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
35.0% (2015-2019) → 42.1% (2020-2024)
+7.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

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, Marshall, Michigan improved on 3 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 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.

Improved3

Poverty−7.5 points13.2% → 5.7%
Household income+49%$50,969 → $76,050
Broadband+14 points80.7% → 94.4%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Marshall, Michigan between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	19.5 min2015-2019	20.8 min2020-2024	+1.2 min	Within the margin of error	34%
Bachelor's degree or higher	35.0%2015-2019	42.1%2020-2024	+7.1 points	Within the margin of error	80%
Broadband subscriptions	80.7%2015-2019	94.4%2020-2024	+14 points	Improved	76%
Effective property tax rate	2.13%2015-2019	1.75%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	82%
High school diploma or higher	92.6%2015-2019	96.1%2020-2024	+3.5 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	2.3×2020-2024	−0.2×	Within the margin of error	86%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4512015-2019	0.4352020-2024	−0.017	Within the margin of error	65%
Median household income	$50,9692015-2019	$76,0502020-2024	+49%	Improved	84%
Poverty rate	13.2%2015-2019	5.7%2020-2024	−7.5 points	Improved	88%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	26.6%2015-2019	22.8%2020-2024	−3.8 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Rent-burdened households	40.4%2015-2019	39.9%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	58%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.6%2015-2019	10.3%2020-2024	+3.7 points	Within the margin of error	15%

“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 Marshall, Michigan five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Marshall, Michigan 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, Marshall, Michigan itself moved +10.8 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

6,804 residents (±19)

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

3,206 households (±202)

Marshall, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $25k11%†349
$25k–50k23%733
$50k–75k16%500

Homes

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

Owners and renters

3,206 households (±202)

Marshall, Michigan
Michigan share

Own66%2,130
Rent34%1,076

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

3,234 workers (±287)

Marshall, Michigan
Michigan share

Drive alone80%2,575
Carpool3.9%†125
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 Battle Creek, MI

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 Calhoun County, the county holding most of Marshall's residents.

Calhoun County has 2,482 employer establishments, 186 for every 10,000 residents (0.75× the US rate of 248; 0.82× Michigan's), with 48,331 paid employees at an average annual pay of $60,396. The Census Bureau also counts 7,363 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,482; 7,363 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 186; US 248 · Michigan 228
Paid employees: 48,331
Average annual pay: $60,396; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	196	14.7	0.71×Fewer than typical	2,216	$65,907	352
Restaurants and other eating places	193	14.5	0.79×Fewer than typical	3,964	$19,971	29
Specialty trade contractors	128	9.6	0.62×Fewer than typical	1,183	$79,864	498
Limited-service restaurants	106	8	0.99×About typical	2,156	$18,360	13
Religious organizations	94	7.1	1.27×More than typical	595	$23,607	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	86	6.5	1.28×More than typical	388	$44,603	88
Full-service restaurants	72	5.4	0.70×Fewer than typical	1,448	$23,233	11
Gasoline stations	69	5.2	1.60×More than typical	640	$30,945	5
Lessors of real estate	69	5.2	0.42×Fewer than typical	308	$43,938	535
Offices of physicians	63	4.7	0.73×Fewer than typical	609	$89,122	37
Offices of other health practitioners	60	4.5	0.74×Fewer than typical	383	$49,859	171
Building equipment contractors	59	4.4	0.74×Fewer than typical	512	$72,570	80

Rank places for an industry Open Calhoun County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 133,331 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 $384 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Marshall, Michigan: $0.06 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $384; −97% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.06; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Department of the Army$384100%

Top recipients

GREENFIELD INTERNATIONAL CORP.$384100%

Spending by fiscal year

0FY2017
17.8KFY2018
43.1KFY2019
37.8KFY2020
26.4KFY2021
72.3KFY2024
11.5KFY2025
383.8FY2026

Top industries (NAICS)

Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$384100%

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 Marshall, Michigan, so they do not add up across cities.

Marshall, Michigan's figures are part of those of Calhoun County, MI ($97.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Calhoun 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.

Marshall, Michigan is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

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

Calhoun County42100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Battle Creek, MI39

Other cities and towns in Calhoun 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/2651940

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends