What it's like to live in Marquette
Marquette is a small city in Michigan with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, crime rates well below the national average, and commutes that run shorter than most cities. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Marquette deals with county unemployment above the national average, household incomes below the national average, a poverty rate above the national average, and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low crime rates
- Short commutes
- Highly educated workforce
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment in the county
- Below-average household incomes
- High poverty rate
- High rent burden for renters
- Cold, harsh winters
- Heavy snowfall — 102" per year
How Marquette compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Marquette
Based on Marquette's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,022
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $40,440 a year
- 54% of Marquette renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$54,940
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $27,470
- Homes cost 4.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 28% below US
$1,011/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $1,011 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $274,700. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $274,700 · 54% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
5.8% county unemployment
Unemployment in Marquette County is 5.8%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Marquette County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 46% below US
177 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 490/100k · Marquette Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 49% below US
13 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 13.2 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 72°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 15°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▲ 33% above US
48% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 48% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
7 public schools inside the boundary
There are 7 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (51 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Marquette's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are county unemployment above the national average and household incomes below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,011/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, anyone prioritizing low crime, and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up, anyone who doesn't drive, and anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
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