Living in Marlin, Texas: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 7.5% below the U.S. average in the Waco metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 1.8 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood13 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 2.3 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 8.2 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town2 public schools: 1 elementary and 1 high school.
A hospital close byFalls Community Hospital and Clinic is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityAustin is about 86 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Marlin meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $66,000U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 0.7%Falls County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $689 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $36,426U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 66%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $1,525 a yearTexas: $4,232
Homes built before 1940: 14%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 4%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 1%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 92.5U.S. average = 100 (the Waco metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 0.7% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Waco metro area, not Marlin alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 5,5992020: 5,438
Median age: 35 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 16%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 23%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 16%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 10%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Retail (18%); government (17%); schools, health care and social services (15%)
Average commute: 24 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 13%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 27%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Falls Community Hospital and Clinic, Marlin, TX, in town. It's a rural emergency hospital (24-hour emergency care and outpatient services, no overnight stays). Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Nearest general hospital: Ascension Providence, Waco, TX, about 23 miles away. Medicare gives it 2 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

2 public schools in Marlin, run by Marlin Isd.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Texas's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 52%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 75%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 34°F
July average high: 94°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 102 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 38 a year
Rain and melted snow: 40.5 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 394 feet

Weather stations: Marlin (1 mile away) and Bremond (16 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Waco, TXCity of 148,00025

Austin, TXMetro of 2.6 million86

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Waco, Austin.

Falls County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Waco Mammoth National Monument26 miles

Read about Marlin's history on Wikipedia.

Know Marlin?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Riesel, TX1,100 people, 12 miles
Mart, TX1,800 people, 17 miles
Rosebud, TX1,300 people, 17 miles
Robinson, TX13,000 people, 17 miles
Lorena, TX1,800 people, 19 miles
Hewitt, TX16,800 people, 20 miles

Smaller places

Chilton, TX (unincorporated)698 people, 10 miles
Lott, TX686 people, 11 miles
Golinda, TX704 people, 11 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.