City · Marion County, South Carolina

Marion, South Carolina

Marion is a city in Marion County, South Carolina. It has 6,206 residents. Marion, South Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 3 out of 100 (very low), ranking #15,203 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within South Carolina it ranks #252 of 268 cities and towns. It ranks best on grocery stores (high), pharmacies (high) and public libraries (high). It ranks worst on reading scores (low), job growth (low) and primary care shortage (high).

3Very low

Quality-of-life score: #15,203 of 15,651 cities and towns
South Carolina: #252 of 268 in SC
Population: 6,206 (2020-2024)
Land area: 4 mi²
Density: 1,386.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 4544575

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.

Safety0#15,592/15,637
Economy3#15,141/15,631
Housing32#10,178/14,977
Health4#14,934/15,609
Healthcare15#13,244/15,650
Environment50#7,688/15,453
Education9#14,179/15,649
Infrastructure2#15,408/15,650
Community31#10,832/15,651
Leisure & amenities21#12,343/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Marion, South Carolina ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Marion 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

Grocery stores · high2.8 /10k
93/100South Carolina 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMarion County value
Pharmacies · high2.5 /10k
89/100South Carolina 2.1 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMarion County value
Public libraries · high1.8 /10k
89/100South Carolina 0.4 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesMarion County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low118 min
88/100South Carolina 163 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesMarion County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100South Carolina 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMarion County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.53%
85/100South Carolina 0.49%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090

Weaknesses

Reading scores · low2.09
0/100South Carolina 2.93United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMarion County value
Job growth · low-10.2%
0/100South Carolina 0.7%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataMarion County value
Primary care shortage · high22.0
0/100South Carolina 9.3United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationMarion County value
Math scores · low2.04
0/100South Carolina 2.92United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMarion County value
Homicide rate · high22.6 /100k
1/100South Carolina 8.4 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataMarion County value
Property crime rate · high3,492 /100k
1/100South Carolina 1,676 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationMarion County value

Trends

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

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
50.1% (2015-2019) → 71.2% (2020-2024)
+21 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Unemployment rateImproving
16.4% (2015-2019) → 4.7% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.2× (2015-2019) → 4.5× (2020-2024)
+40%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
New homes permittedWorsening
1.4 /1k (2021) → 1.1 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−19%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
15.6% (2015-2019) → 12.9% (2020-2024)
−2.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Child poverty rateWorsening
37.1% (2015-2019) → 39.6% (2020-2024)
+2.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

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, Marion, South Carolina improved on 1 of 13 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.

Improved1

Broadband+21 points50.1% → 71.2%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Marion, South Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	23.9 min2015-2019	26.4 min2020-2024	+2.4 min	Within the margin of error	24%
Bachelor's degree or higher	20.4%2015-2019	19.8%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	24%
Broadband subscriptions	50.1%2015-2019	71.2%2020-2024	+21 points	Improved	92%
Child poverty rate	37.1%2015-2019	39.6%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Effective property tax rate	0.64%2015-2019	0.53%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	38%
High school diploma or higher	86.2%2015-2019	88.1%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	58%
Home price to income ratio	3.2×2015-2019	4.5×2020-2024	+1.3×	Within the margin of error	14%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5062015-2019	0.4992020-2024	−0.007	Within the margin of error	56%
Median household income	$33,3102015-2019	$30,6622020-2024	−7.9%	Within the margin of error	4%
Poverty rate	24.9%2015-2019	26.8%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Rent as share of income	25.2%2015-2019	26.3%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Rent-burdened households	45.9%2015-2019	48.3%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	15.6%2015-2019	12.9%2020-2024	−2.7 points	Within the margin of error	75%

“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 Marion, South Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Marion, South Carolina 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, Marion, South Carolina itself moved −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

6,206 residents (±20)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 60–69 women (+4.7 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

6,206 residents (±20)

Marion, South Carolina
South Carolina share

White30%1,873
Black67%4,137
Hispanic or Latino0.5%†30

Education

4,628 residents (±367)

Marion, South Carolina
South Carolina share

No high school diploma12%†549
High school or GED46%2,122
Some college16%†724

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

2,520 households (±338)

Marion, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $25k41%†1,038
$25k–50k26%†658
$50k–75k16%†413
$75k–100k6.1%†153
$100k–150k5.1%†128
$150k–200k0.3%†7
$200k or more4.9%†123

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

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

2,520 households (±338)

Marion, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Own48%1,205
Rent52%1,315

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

917 households (±227)

Marion, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $75066%†602
$750–1,00019%†176
$1,000–1,5006.4%†

Home values

1,205 homes (±275)

Marion, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under $150k55%†657
$150k–250k29%†352
$250k–400k5.6%†67

Age of homes

2,952 homes (±354)

Marion, South Carolina
South Carolina share

2010 or later4.2%†124
2000–20096.4%†188
1980–199916%†467

Size of homes

2,952 homes (±354)

Marion, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Studio7.2%†213
1 bedroom6.0%†177
2 bedrooms25%†738

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

1,998 workers (±283)

Marion, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Drive alone89%1,776
Carpool3.8%†76
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home5.1%†102
Other2.2%†44

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Carpool (−20.9 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,896 workers (±318)

Marion, South Carolina
South Carolina share

Under 15 min23%†444
15–29 min15%†282
30–44 min54%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Marion County, the county holding most of Marion's residents.

Marion County has 489 employer establishments, 171 for every 10,000 residents (0.69× the US rate of 248; 0.75× South Carolina's), with 4,965 paid employees at an average annual pay of $34,742. The Census Bureau also counts 2,000 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 489; 2,000 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 171; US 248 · South Carolina 228
Paid employees: 4,965
Average annual pay: $34,742; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	41	14.4	0.78×Fewer than typical	584	$14,442	12
Religious organizations	32	11.2	2.02×More than typical	179	$17,989	—
Ambulatory health care services	29	10.2	0.49×Fewer than typical	437	$37,577	92
Specialty trade contractors	25	8.8	0.57×Fewer than typical	93	$52,882	121
Limited-service restaurants	23	8.1	1.00×About typical	451	$14,789	4
Gasoline stations	15	5.3	1.62×More than typical	117	$26,974	—
General merchandise stores	15	5.3	2.97×More than typical	351	$26,650	14
Full-service restaurants	14	4.9	0.64×Fewer than typical	118	$13,661	—
Grocery and convenience stores	14	4.9	1.65×More than typical	178	$20,921	14
Building equipment contractors	13	4.6	0.76×Fewer than typical	51	$56,784	25
Lessors of real estate	13	4.6	0.37×Fewer than typical	25	$31,160	95
Banks and credit unions	12	4.2	1.30×More than typical	240	$65,342	—

Rank places for an industry Open Marion County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 28,544 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Marion 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.

Marion, South Carolina is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Russell FryR-SC-7 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 0.6%

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.

Marion County7100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Marion 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

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