What it's like to live in Marshall
Marshall is a small city in Missouri with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, county unemployment below the national average, and crime rates well below 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 winters, fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment in the county
- Low crime rates
- Short commutes
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Cold winters
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
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
$1,522
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $30,440 a year
- 48% of Marshall renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$29,580
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $14,790
- Homes cost 2.7× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 46% below US
$761/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $761 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 $147,900. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $147,900 · 48% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.6% county unemployment
Unemployment in Saline County is 3.6%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Saline County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 69% below US
102 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 595/100k · Marshall Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 44% below US
15 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 14.5 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.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 86°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 22°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 2.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 29% below US
25% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 25%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
9 public schools inside the boundary
There are 9 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. 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 Harry S Truman National Historic Site (72 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 winters. A year of median rent ($761/mo) equals 17% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, anyone prioritizing low crime, and people who want short commutes.
Other places near Marshall
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