What it's like to live in Marshall
Marshall is a small city in Minnesota 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. Marshall deals with household incomes below the national average, cold, harsh winters, snowy 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
- Below-average household incomes
- Cold, harsh winters
- Snowy winters — 44" per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Marshall compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Marshall
Based on Marshall's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,558
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $31,160 a year
- 41% of Marshall renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$42,060
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $21,030
- Homes cost 3.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 45% below US
$779/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $779 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 $210,300. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $210,300 · 41% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.9% county unemployment
Unemployment in Lyon County is 3.9%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Lyon County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 13% below US
285 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 534/100k · Marshall Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 59% below US
11 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 10.7 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; 12% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 83°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 7°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforceNear US average
36% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 36% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
8 public schools inside the boundary
There are 8 public schools inside the boundary and 4 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13:1, 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 Pipestone National Monument (40 miles away).
Bottom line
Marshall's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and cold, harsh winters. A year of median rent ($779/mo) equals 14% 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 who dislikes long, cold winters.
Other places near Marshall
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