What it's like to live in Marshalltown
Marshalltown is a small city in Iowa with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, commutes that run shorter than most cities, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Marshalltown deals with unemployment above the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, cold, harsh winters, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Short commutes
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment
- Low college degree attainment
- Cold, harsh winters
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Marshalltown compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Marshalltown
Based on Marshalltown's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,782
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $35,640 a year
- 32% of Marshalltown renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$25,540
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $12,770
- Homes cost 1.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 37% below US
$891/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $891 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $127,700. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $127,700 · 32% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 70% above US
7.3% unemployment
Unemployment here is 7.3%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 14% below US
283 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 1302/100k · Marshalltown Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 34% below US
17 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 17.2 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 6% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 82°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 13°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 3.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 42% below US
21% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 21%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
10 public schools inside the boundary
There are 10 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Herbert Hoover National Historic Site (84 miles away).
Bottom line
Marshalltown's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are unemployment above the national average and college degree attainment below the national average. A year of median rent ($891/mo) equals 15% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up and anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
Other places near Marshalltown
All Iowa guides →Moving to Altoona →
40 mi away · pop. 21,495
Rent $1,235/mo · Income $86,114
Compare with Marshalltown →Moving to Cedar Falls →
41 mi away · pop. 40,888
Rent $1,203/mo · Income $76,987
Compare with Marshalltown →Not sure Marshalltown is the one?
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