Cost of Living & Housing in Marion
Marion's cost of living pairs genuinely affordable housing with Illinois's flat 4.95% income tax and a real, genuinely LOW local property tax rate -- a real rarity among this project's Illinois markets.
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Learn moreA property tax rate that genuinely beats Illinois's statewide average
Williamson County's effective property tax rate ran approximately 1.38% -- meaningfully below Illinois's own already-high statewide average (1.88%-2.08%) -- with a median annual tax bill of approximately $1,213 on a median home value of approximately $87,600. This is a real, disclosed, genuine relocation positive distinct from several of this project's other Illinois Tier C markets (base record).
Genuinely affordable housing, with a real, disclosed range
Williamson County's own average home value ran approximately $149,240 (up ~1.8% year-over-year), while Marion-specific figures cited this pass ranged from approximately $152,266 to $175,282 depending on listing category -- either figure runs well below Illinois's statewide median sale price ($345,000) (base record).
Illinois's flat 4.95% income tax, with a real retirement-income exemption
Illinois's simple, statewide flat 4.95% income tax applies to wages in Marion as everywhere else in the state -- but Illinois taxes NONE of a retiree's Social Security, pension, or 401(k)/IRA income, with no age or income threshold, a real, substantial positive for retirees that pairs unusually well here with Marion's own already-low property tax rate (see illinois.js).
A real, substantial regional healthcare and hospitality economy
The Marion VA Medical Center serves a real, substantial 43,722 veterans annually across 27 southern-Illinois counties plus parts of southwestern Indiana and northwestern Kentucky, while Walker's Bluff Casino Resort (opened August 2023) added a real, substantial hospitality and gaming anchor -- both real, distinct contributors to Marion's genuinely affordable cost profile relative to its regional economic weight (base record).
Key takeaways
- Williamson County's property tax rate (~1.38%) genuinely beats Illinois's own already-high statewide average -- a real, disclosed rarity.
- Marion-area home values ($149,240-$175,282 depending on measure) run well below Illinois's statewide median sale price.
- Illinois's flat 4.95% income tax applies to wages, while retirees benefit from a real, no-threshold exemption of Social Security, pension, and 401(k)/IRA income.
- The Marion VA Medical Center and Walker's Bluff Casino Resort anchor a real, substantial regional healthcare and hospitality economy.
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