A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Clinton$940/mo

Typical home $160K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.75% · or rent about $759/mo · Housing →

Marion$1,370/mo

Typical home $239K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.56% · or rent about $762/mo · Housing →

The difference: $430 a month, about $5,200 a year, between Marion and Clinton.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Marion places higher on 13 of 22 NC lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every North Carolina ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

DClintonSafer than 7% of U.S. towns C−MarionSafer than 15% of U.S. towns

Schools

C+ClintonBetter than 42% of districts in the state C+MarionBetter than 43% of districts in the state

Health

DClintonHealthier than 14% of U.S. towns CMarionHealthier than 27% of U.S. towns

8Clinton

13Marion

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Lowest depressionHealth · 296 towns #28#139 Most conserved landOutdoors · 276 towns #140#47 Lowest obesityHealth · 296 towns #264#167 Lowest property taxCost of living · 297 towns #108#12 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 297 towns #279#194 Most remote workersWork · 285 towns #194#272 Most trailsOutdoors · 177 towns #157#112 Highest graduation rateSchools · 284 towns #245#173

Left end = #1 in North Carolina. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Clinton’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

ClintonMarion

Snow a year2″7″

January low32°F 28°F

July high90°F 85°F

Growing season (days)226d 209d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)84th 16th

Outdoors & history

ClintonMarion

Trails1 mi 2 mi

Conserved land3.2%9.9%

Settled1740 1844

National Register places13 10

Archive photos12 —

Famous people born here26 —

Community

ClintonMarion

Library hours a week44 hrs 44 hrs

Colleges in town1 1

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 1

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

212 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

ClintonNC MarionNC

Clinton ↔ Marion212 miles apart

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs North Carolina average

ClintonMarion

People

Population 8,304Highest 7,579Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -3%Lowest NC: +9.5% -1.5%Highest NC: +9.5%

Median age 39.9±2.5Highest about the NC average 39.1±2.4Lowest about the NC average

Clinton and Marion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 22.9%±3.3Highest NC: 21.8% 19.1%±3.2Lowest NC: 21.8%

Clinton and Marion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 24.3%±3Highest NC: 17.2% 16.5%±3.3Lowest NC: 17.2%

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 23.8%Highest NC: 35.7% 15.6%Lowest NC: 35.7%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.1%±1.4Highest NC: 6.4% 3.4%±1.6Lowest NC: 6.4%

Clinton and Marion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $44,953±$4kLowest 38% below NC $51,314±$16kHighest 29% below NC

Marion and Clinton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $212,000±$16kHighest 27% below NC $163,500±$10kLowest 43% below NC

Rentmedian gross, monthly $759±$56Lowest 38% below NC $762±$120Highest 38% below NC

Marion and Clinton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,590Highest 16% below NC $922Lowest 51% below NC

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 38.4%±6.4Lowest NC: 48.9% 43.4%±10.5Highest NC: 48.9%

Marion and Clinton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 23.6%Highest NC: 13% 23.5%Lowest NC: 13%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 48.6%Lowest NC: 66.6% 51.3%Highest NC: 66.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1975Highest 16 yrs older than NC 1968Lowest 23 yrs older than NC

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 20 minLowest 22% below NC 22 minHighest 14% below NC

Work from home 8%±4.1Highest NC: 16.3% 2.6%±2.9Lowest NC: 16.3%

Clinton and Marion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 25.6%Highest 20.7%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 27.3 miHighest 20.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.54Highest 2.03Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Raleigh (4%)Asheville (8%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in MarionFew work in Clinton

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 3.2%Lowest 9.9%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 1.2 miLowest 2.1 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miLowest 0.3 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2 2

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 59.7Highest 53.6Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #102 of 252 in NC #85 of 252 in NC

School district Clinton City Schools · Sampson County SchoolsMcDowell County Schools

High school in town Clinton HighMcDowell Early College

Students per teacherat that high school 18.9Lowest 19.8Highest

North Carolina average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Clinton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Clinton’s Town Square.

Marion neighborsTown Square →

1 neighbor in Marion can answer.

Add a town

Set another town beside Clinton and Marion

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Towns like Clinton

+ Compare

Lincolnton11,783 people · $249K homes

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Oxford8,914 people · $196K homes

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Dunn8,559 people · $194K homes

+ Compare

Nashville5,729 people · $205K homes

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks North Carolina towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Clinton vs Marion

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $430 more a month in Marion

Marion places higher on 13 of 22 NC lists

What daily life feels like in each

212 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Clinton and Marion

Towns like Clinton

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