Marion County, Arkansas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Marion County, AR Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below average
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 77% of counties in Arkansas
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 74% of counties in Arkansas
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Marion County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 17,232 | 3,049,066 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 26.9 | 57.3 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.61% | 0.32% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 53.0 | 36.8 | 37.3 |
| Households | 7,658 | 1,205,703 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Marion County grew by 3.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 17,232 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Marion County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 29.9% of residents. That is 11.8 points above Arkansas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,514 14.6% -6.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,639 15.3% -5.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,830 22.2% +3.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,161 29.9% +11.8 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Arkansas, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.0% of the people living in Marion County and men 49.0%.
- Women 51.0% Arkansas 50.6%
- Men 49.0% Arkansas 49.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Marion County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Marion County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Marion County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $47,961 | $60,940 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.56% | 4.58% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.9% | 4.9% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Marion County is about 21% lower than in Arkansas.
Housing
| Metric | Marion County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $109,943 | $111,957 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $794 | $947 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 81.3% | 66.4% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Marion County is about 11.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $794 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Marion County spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 183 hours, about 7.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Marion County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.9 | 18.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 43.9 | 37.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 183 | 155 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,668 | $4,807 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.2% | 8.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,222 | 6,306 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 288 | 912 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Arkansas:
Arkansas County (11.9 min), Phillips County (13.2 min), Howard County (13.4 min).
Slowest:
Perry County (32.2 min), Newton County (31.6 min), Madison County (31.1 min).
The average commute time in Marion County is 22 minutes, longer than the 19 minutes in Arkansas.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Marion County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Marion County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 14.7% | 22.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.23 | 2.46 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Arkansas:
Pulaski County (0.3), Benton County (0.3), Washington County (0.3).
Lowest:
Lee County (0.2), Lincoln County (0.2), Scott County (0.2).
Health
Marion County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Marion County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.5 | 75.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 22.7% | 22.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.9% | 23.3% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Arkansas:
Benton County (0.8), Washington County (0.8), Newton County (0.8).
Lowest:
Phillips County (0.7), Chicot County (0.7), Desha County (0.8).
Marion County, AR Compared With Nearby Counties
Marion County, AR is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 17,232 residents against a local median of 42,405. Where Marion County, AR breaks from the counties next to it is commute, sitting 35% above the local median of 16.3 min at 21.9 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $109,943 against a local median of $151,138, 27% below it. The counties themselves sit within 2.6 min of each other on commute, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Marion County, AR, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Marion County, AR has the 4th lowest commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County, AR | 17,232 | $47,961 #4/4 | $109,943 #3/4 | 21.9 min #4/4 |
| Baxter County, AR | 42,405 | $48,614 | $244,686 | 16.1 min |
| Boone County, AR | 38,139 | $56,003 | $58,635 | 16.3 min |
| Taney County, MO | 56,523 | $57,745 | $151,138 | 18.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Marion County, Arkansas.
What is the population of Marion County, Arkansas?
About 17,232 people live in Marion County, Arkansas, in 7,658 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 53.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 16 years.
How densely populated is Marion County, Arkansas?
Averaged over its land area, Marion County, Arkansas has 27 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 31% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Marion County, Arkansas?
The median home costs 2.3 times the median household income ($109,943 against $47,961), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $794 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Marion County, Arkansas have a college degree?
14.7% of adults in Marion County, Arkansas hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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