Official Federal Data
Marion County, Iowa
FIPS 19125 · Pella, IA · Population 33,642
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$78,680 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
2.8% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$2.9B ▲
GDP
32.1% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$78,680 ▲
Per Capita
$40,274 ▲
Mean Household
$100,547 ▲
Poverty Rate
8.2% ▲
Median Income Comparison
Marion County$78,680
Iowa$75,059
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 23.1%
18-34 · 20.7%
35-54 · 23.5%
55-64 · 13.4%
65+ · 19.4%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
94.8%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +5.2 pts
32.1%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 3.6 pts
9.7%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 4.4 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
33,642
Population
17,587
Labor Force
Employed
17,166
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
2.8% ▲ +0.3 pts YoY
Mean Commute 5 min below national avg
21.0 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
10.2%
Key Takeaways
- Broadly in line with U.S. norms across income, poverty, and education.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Manufacturing employs 8,416 workers (61.2% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $88,432.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $2.9B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Wholesale Trade averages $94,016 while Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation averages $14,201, a 6.6x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Goods-Producing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
9,131
Cluster Employment
3.22x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Machinery Manufacturing
32.82x 4,474
3.22x 9,131
Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
1.62x 694
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
1.54x 202
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.25x
Administrative and Support Services
270 employed
0.27x
Insurance Carriers and Related Activities
89 employed
0.34x
Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries
82 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Machinery Manufacturing concentrates at 32.82x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 4 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$233,000 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$884 ▲
Rent/Mo
77.7% ▲
Owner-Occ
7.4% ▲
Vacancy
3.0x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$701/mo
1 Bedroom
$808/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,016/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,218/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,356/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,967/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.0x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- High home ownership: 77.7% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,967/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
19,358 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 5 min below national avg
21.0 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
10.2%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
89.7%
of prime-age population
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
32.1% ▲
HS Diploma+
94.8% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
28,295/yr
9,271/yr
8,469/yr
4,028/yr
2,755/yr
2,365/yr
1,407/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
23.3%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
40.1%
Service
14.1%
Sales & Office
17.3%
Construction / Maint.
9.2%
Production / Transport
19.2%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 17,166 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 23.3% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Short commutes: 21.0-minute mean commute is a quality-of-life and labor-access advantage worth surfacing for site selectors.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 21,768 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Marion County shows strong potential for machinery manufacturing attraction, with a 32.82x concentration and 4,474 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 23.3% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
The interconnected base across machinery manufacturing, , and nursing and residential care facilities creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Marion County, Iowa, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Marion County, Iowa?
33,642 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Marion County, Iowa?
$78,680 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Marion County, Iowa?
2.8% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Marion County, Iowa?
$2.9B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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