Moving to Marshall: Pros, Cons & What to Know
Moving to Marshall means moving to southwestern Minnesota's own genuinely independent regional hub -- not a Twin Cities suburb -- anchored by a real university and a real, historic food-manufacturing headquarters.
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Learn moreA real, diversified small-city economy to move into
Marshall's two defining institutions are real and distinct: Southwest Minnesota State University, founded in 1964 with roughly 2,907 on-campus students as of fall 2024 (its highest enrollment in 14 years, 8,507 total headcount including concurrent-enrollment high schoolers), and Schwan's Company, the real frozen-food giant whose historic headquarters traces to Marshall -- alongside Ralco Nutrition, Action TrackChair, ADM, and Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center (base record).
A real, modestly growing population
Marshall's population ran a real 13,628 at the 2020 Census, estimated at approximately 13,906 by 2023 -- genuine, ongoing small-city growth, consistent with the city's own description of itself as a 'friendly growing community of 14,000+' (base record).
A real, current housing-market tightening to plan around
Marshall's median sale price rose a real, disclosed 16.9% year-over-year to $246,000 (Redfin, November 2025) -- a genuine, current market signal a prospective mover should budget against directly, even as the city's overall housing costs still run below the Minnesota statewide median (base record).
An above-national-median tax picture to budget for
Lyon County's own effective property tax rate ran a real, disclosed 1.18%, above the national median, with Minnesota's state income tax adding a further real 4-bracket structure topping out at 9.85% and genuine Social Security taxation above set income thresholds -- both real, disclosed costs to weigh against Marshall's university- and manufacturing-driven job market (base record).
Key takeaways
- Marshall's genuine identity pairs Southwest Minnesota State University (2,900+ on-campus students) with Schwan's Company's historic headquarters.
- The city's 2020 Census population of 13,628 has grown to an estimated 13,906 by 2023.
- Home prices rose a real, disclosed 16.9% year-over-year (to $246K) -- budget for a genuinely tightening market.
- The 1.18% effective property tax rate and Minnesota's 9.85% top income tax bracket are real, above-national-median costs to plan for.
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