Marion County, Illinois

IL · FIPS 17121 Republican

Located in Illinois, Marion County has a population of 37,000 residents and a median age of 41.5 years, making it the #1,284 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 15.4%. The median home value is $103,000, and the median household income is $61,240, which is 19% below the national median.

37,000
Population
#1,284 of 3,222
$61,240
Median Income
-18.5% #1,961 of 3,222
41.5 years
Median Age
+6.7% #1,643 of 3,222
15.4%
Poverty Rate
+22.0% #2,019 of 3,222

Demographics

Marion County has a population of 37,000, making it the #1,284 most populous county in the US. The median age is 41.5 years, which is 6.7% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

98.5%
Native Born
1.5%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Marion County is $61,240, ranking #1,961 out of 3,222 counties — 18.5% below the national median. The poverty rate is 15.4% and unemployment stands at 5.9%.

Income#1,961
$61,240
-18.5%
vs nation
39th percentile
Per Capita#1,962
$32,825
-20.4%
vs nation
39th percentile
Poverty#2,019
15.4%
+22.0%
vs nation
37th percentile
Unemployment#2,468
5.9%
+10.6%
vs nation
23th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Marion County is $103,000 (-63.5% vs national). Renters pay a median of $794/mo and the homeownership rate is 74.7%.

Home Value#2,949
$103,000
-63.5%
vs nation
8th percentile
Rent#2,144
$794
-31.7%
vs nation
33th percentile
Homeownership#1,590
74.7%
+15.9%
vs nation
51th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Marion County, 16.8% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 50.3% below the national average, ranking #2,541 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
16.8% −50.3% vs nation
Rank #2,541 of 3,222
21th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Marion County is 72.4 years. 19.7% of adults report poor or fair health and 6.5% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#2,404
72.4
-3.6%
vs nation
22th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#1,771
19.7%
+0.7%
vs nation
44th percentile
Diabetes#1,562
10.8%
-3.0%
vs nation
50th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#1,853
38.5%
+3.2%
vs nation
41th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#1,991
5.8
+3.5%
vs nation
37th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#2,015
4.7
+4.5%
vs nation
36th percentile
Uninsured Rate#630
6.5%
-37.7%
vs nation
80th percentile
Physical Inactivity#1,546
25.9%
-1.8%
vs nation
51th percentile
Food Insecurity#1,860
15.1%
+4.8%
vs nation
41th percentile

Substance Use

20.1% of adults in Marion County smoke , 38.5% are obese , and 20.8% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 36.8 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#2,286
20.1%
+11.9%
vs nation
27th percentile
Adult Obesity#1,587
38.5%
+1.6%
vs nation
50th percentile
Excessive Drinking#1,900
20.8%
+4.6%
vs nation
40th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#1,480
36.8
+13.9%
vs nation
30th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Marion County is 4.2 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 23.9 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 18.7 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#466
4.2
-47.9%
vs nation
70th percentile
Suicide Rate#1,993
23.9
+21.1%
vs nation
22th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#413
10.2
-42.9%
vs nation
83th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#1,434
18.7
-7.7%
vs nation
49th percentile

Families & Children

20.6% of children in Marion County live in poverty and the infant mortality rate is 6.5 per 1,000 live births. The teen birth rate is 37.5 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Infant Mortality#690
6.5
-5.0%
vs nation
50th percentile
Teen Birth Rate#2,737
37.5
+71.5%
vs nation
9th percentile
Child Poverty#1,986
20.6%
+8.5%
vs nation
37th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Marion County is 60.8%. The mean commute time is 23.1 min, which is 16.4% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
60.8% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
23.1 min −16.4% vs nation
Rank #2,331 of 3,222
28th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Marion County voted Republican with a margin of 49.5%. The vote was 24.6% Dem / 74.1% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 2.9 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +49.5%
24.6% 74.1%
Dem 16,756 votes Rep
2020 REP +46.6%
25.9% 72.5%
Dem 17,492 votes Rep
2016 REP +44.8%
25.5% 70.3%
Dem 16,600 votes Rep
2012 REP +19.2%
39.5% 58.7%
Dem 15,728 votes Rep
2008 REP +2.0%
48.1% 50.1%
Dem 17,364 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Marion County, Illinois

Marion County, Illinois has a total population of 37,000, making it the 1,284th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Marion County is 41.5 years, which is 6.7% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Marion County is $61,240, which ranks #1,961 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 18.5% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 15.4%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 5.9%.

The median home value in Marion County is $103,000, 63.5% below the national median. Renters in Marion County pay a median gross rent of $794 per month. The homeownership rate is 74.7%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Marion County, 16.8% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 50.3% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 93.6% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 23.1 min.

Marion County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 89.1% of the population, followed by Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (non-Hispanic) (2.9%).

All data for Marion County, Illinois 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.