Marion County, Arkansas

AR · FIPS 05089 Republican

Located in Arkansas, Marion County has a population of 17,228 residents and a median age of 51.8 years, making it the #2,025 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 18.0%. The median home value is $163,300, and the median household income is $48,619, which is 35% below the national median.

17,228
Population
#2,025 of 3,222
$48,619
Median Income
-35.3% #2,849 of 3,222
51.8 years
Median Age
+33.2% #142 of 3,222
18.0%
Poverty Rate
+42.7% #2,448 of 3,222

Demographics

Marion County has a population of 17,228, making it the #2,025 most populous county in the US. The median age is 51.8 years, which is 33.2% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

97.6%
Native Born
2.4%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Marion County is $48,619, ranking #2,849 out of 3,222 counties — 35.3% below the national median. The poverty rate is 18.0% and unemployment stands at 4.9%.

Income#2,849
$48,619
-35.3%
vs nation
12th percentile
Per Capita#2,660
$28,435
-31.1%
vs nation
17th percentile
Poverty#2,448
18.0%
+42.7%
vs nation
24th percentile
Unemployment#1,972
4.9%
-6.9%
vs nation
39th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Marion County is $163,300 (-42.1% vs national). Renters pay a median of $795/mo and the homeownership rate is 81.3%.

Home Value#1,953
$163,300
-42.1%
vs nation
39th percentile
Rent#2,133
$795
-31.6%
vs nation
34th percentile
Homeownership#439
81.3%
+26.3%
vs nation
86th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Marion County, 14.9% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 55.8% below the national average, ranking #2,836 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
14.9% −55.8% vs nation
Rank #2,836 of 3,222
12th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Marion County is 73.7 years. 22.5% of adults report poor or fair health and 10.0% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#2,031
73.7
-1.9%
vs nation
34th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#2,328
22.5%
+15.0%
vs nation
26th percentile
Diabetes#2,230
12.3%
+10.5%
vs nation
29th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#2,019
39.0%
+4.5%
vs nation
36th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#2,784
6.4
+13.3%
vs nation
12th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#2,877
5.4
+21.8%
vs nation
9th percentile
Uninsured Rate#1,695
10.0%
-4.6%
vs nation
46th percentile
Physical Inactivity#2,217
29.1%
+10.3%
vs nation
30th percentile
Food Insecurity#2,996
20.6%
+43.0%
vs nation
5th percentile

Substance Use

20.5% of adults in Marion County smoke , 36.8% are obese , and 19.9% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 20.1 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#2,391
20.5%
+14.2%
vs nation
24th percentile
Adult Obesity#1,090
36.8%
-2.9%
vs nation
65th percentile
Excessive Drinking#1,552
19.9%
+0.3%
vs nation
51th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#576
20.1
-38.0%
vs nation
73th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Marion County is 8.5 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 22.8 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 22.2 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#1,045
8.5
+6.6%
vs nation
32th percentile
Suicide Rate#1,895
22.8
+15.5%
vs nation
26th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#2,168
27.2
+52.4%
vs nation
12th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#1,838
22.2
+9.6%
vs nation
35th percentile

Families & Children

26.0% of children in Marion County live in poverty . The teen birth rate is 25.4 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Teen Birth Rate#1,970
25.4
+16.2%
vs nation
34th percentile
Child Poverty#2,581
26.0%
+36.9%
vs nation
18th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Marion County is 55.6%. The mean commute time is 28.4 min, which is 2.7% above the national average.

Voter Turnout
55.6% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
28.4 min +2.7% vs nation
Rank #1,190 of 3,222
63th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Marion County voted Republican with a margin of 60.3%. The vote was 19.1% Dem / 79.4% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 3.6 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +60.3%
19.1% 79.4%
Dem 7,851 votes Rep
2020 REP +56.7%
20.4% 77.1%
Dem 7,503 votes Rep
2016 REP +55.1%
20.5% 75.6%
Dem 6,718 votes Rep
2012 REP +39.1%
28.8% 67.9%
Dem 7,029 votes Rep
2008 REP +29.9%
33.3% 63.2%
Dem 7,162 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Marion County, Arkansas

Marion County, Arkansas has a total population of 17,228, making it the 2,025th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Marion County is 51.8 years, which is 33.2% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Marion County is $48,619, which ranks #2,849 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 35.3% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 18.0%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 4.9%.

The median home value in Marion County is $163,300, 42.1% below the national median. Renters in Marion County pay a median gross rent of $795 per month. The homeownership rate is 81.3%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Marion County, 14.9% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 55.8% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 93.3% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 28.4 min.

Marion County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 91.4% of the population, followed by Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic or Latino (2.7%).

All data for Marion County, Arkansas comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.