Marshalltown, Iowa


Marshalltown is a city in Marshall County, Iowa, United States and the county seat of the county. The population was 27,591 at the 2020 census, and was estimated at 27,886 in 2024, making it the 17th-most populous city in Iowa. Marshalltown is home to the Iowa Veterans Home and Marshalltown Community College.
WWW ci.marshalltown.ia.usR/ Marshalltown

History

Henry Anson was the first European settler in what is now called Marshalltown. In April 1851, Anson found what he described as “the prettiest place in Iowa.” On a high point between the Iowa River and Linn Creek, Anson built a log cabin. A plaque at 112 West Main Street marks the site of the cabin. In 1853 Anson named the town Marshall, after Marshall, Michigan, a former residence of his.
The town became Marshalltown in 1862 because another Marshall already existed in Henry County. With the help of Potawatomi chief Johnny Green, Anson persuaded early settlers to stay in the area. In the mid-1850s, Anson donated land for a county courthouse. Residents donated money for the building's construction.
In 1863 the title of county seat transferred from the village of Marietta to Marshalltown. This event was the result of a considerable amount of political wrangling bordering on warfare. The determining factor was the location of the east/west railroad across Iowa and the winning company was the Cedar Rapids & Missouri River railroad under lease by the pioneer parent of the Chicago Northwestern Railway.
The young town then began growing. By 1900, Marshalltown had 10,000 residents. Many industries began developing in Marshalltown, like Fisher Controls, Lennox International and Marshalltown Company.
Marshalltown plays a small but significant role in the life of Ebe Dolliver, a main character in MacKinlay Kantor's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "Andersonville".

Baseball

Adrian Constantine "Cap" Anson, son of Henry and Jennette Anson, was the first European child born in the new pioneer town and is today known as Marshalltown's “first son.” Adrian became a Major League Baseball player and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. He was regarded as one of the greatest players of his era and one of the first superstars of the game.
Baseball steadily became popular as Marshalltown grew in the mid-1800s. Adrian's brother Sturgis also became a talented baseball player and both went to play on intra-school teams at the University of Notre Dame. Both later returned to Marshalltown to play baseball for the town team. Along with their father Henry, the town's founder, they put together a team and became the most prominent team in the state of Iowa. The Marshalltown team, with Henry Anson at third base, Adrian's brother Sturgis in center field, and Adrian at second base, won the Iowa state championship in 1868. In 1870 Marshalltown played an exhibition game with the talented Rockford Forest Citys. Although Marshalltown lost the game, Rockford's management offered contracts to all three of the Ansons. Adrian accepted the contract, which began his professional career in baseball in 1871.
Baseball continued its popularity in Marshalltown. In the early 1880s Billy Sunday played for the town baseball team. In 1882, with Sunday in left field, the Marshalltown team defeated the state champion Des Moines team 13–4. Marshalltown later formed a minor league team naming it after the Anson family, the Marshalltown Ansons. From 1914 to 1928 the team played in the Central Association and Mississippi Valley League.

Natural disasters

Tornado history

On April 23, 1961, the south side of town was hit by an F3 tornado. It damaged numerous structures in the area, causing $1 million in the town alone. It killed one person and injured 12. Marshalltown would be hit again on July 19, 2018, when another EF3 tornado with peak winds of 145 mph moved directly through downtown at 4:37 p.m. local time, which prompted the National Weather Service to issue a Tornado Emergency for eastern Marshall and southwestern Tama counties It destroyed the spire from the top of the courthouse, while heavily damaging or destroying several homes, businesses, and historic downtown buildings. It was on the ground for 23 minutes along a path of destruction up to wide. Although there were no fatalities, 23 people were injured.

2020 derecho

On August 10, 2020, Marshalltown was hit by a powerful derecho, which caused extensive damage throughout the city. Over a hundred cars parked near a factory had their windows blown out. Reports described winds, roofs being ripped off, and loose wood debris embedded in the sides of buildings. One week after the storm, nearly 7,000 residents of the city were still waiting for power restoration; 99 percent restoration was achieved on August 23. The damage to public parks in the city and surrounding Marshall County was "extensive", particularly to trees.

Immigration

Marshalltown's Hispanic population in particular boomed in the 1990s and 2000s with immigrants mostly from Mexico, just like in many other Midwestern towns with meat-packing plants. Another smaller wave of Burmese refugees later arrived in the 2010s.
Federal law enforcement have twice raided the Swift & Company meatpacking plant, first in 1996 and again in 2006, arresting suspected undocumented immigrants for alleged identity theft. One study estimated the 2006 raid caused a 6-month to 1-year economic recession in the area. Explaining the 2006 raid's effect on the community, Police Chief Michael Tupper told The Washington Post in 2018 that “I think that there’s just a lot of fear that it could happen again. It was a very traumatic experience for our community. Not just for the families and people that were directly impacted, but for our school system, for our local economy, for our community as a whole. It was, in many ways, a devastating experience.”

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and is water. Neighboring counties include Hardin and Grundy to the north, Tama to the east, Jasper to the south, and Story to the west.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Marshalltown has a hot-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

According to realtor website Zillow, the average price of a home as of November 30, 2025, in Marshalltown is $169,711.
As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 10,127 estimated households in Marshalltown with an average of 2.59 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $68,854. Approximately 14.0% of the city's population lives at or below the poverty line. Marshalltown has an estimated 63.5% employment rate, with 19.7% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 82.1% holding a high school diploma. There were 10,893 housing units at an average density of.
The top five reported languages were English, Spanish, Indo-European, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Other.
The median age in the city was 35.7 years.
Race / ethnicity Pop. 1990Pop. 2000Pop. 2010% 1990% 2000% 2010
White alone 24,32321,75419,36015,89296.60%83.64%70.27%57.60%
Black or African American alone 2523315687081.00%1.27%2.06%2.57%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 7990791320.31%0.35%0.29%0.48%
Asian alone 2662704571,4701.06%1.04%1.66%5.33%
Pacific Islander alone —123430—0.05%0.12%0.11%
Other race alone 103524490.04%0.13%0.09%0.18%
Mixed race or multiracial —252398676—0.97%1.44%2.45%
Hispanic or Latino 2483,2656,6328,6340.98%12.55%24.07%31.29%
Total25,17826,00927,55227,591100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 27,591 people, 10,275 households, and 6,588 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 11,248 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 64.81% White, 2.67% African American, 1.08% Native American, 5.33% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 14.40% from some other races and 11.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 31.29% of the population.
There were 10,275 households, 33.2% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 7.0% were cohabitating couples, 27.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 19.5% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 35.9% of all households were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals, 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older.
The median age in the city was 36.7 years. 29.0% of the residents were under the age of 20; 6.3% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 24.0% were from 25 and 44; 22.2% were from 45 and 64; and 18.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.2% male and 49.8% female.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 27,552 people, 10,335 households, and 6,629 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 11,171 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 84.83% White, 2.21% African American, 0.58% Native American, 1.69% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 7.94% from some other races and 2.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 24.07% of the population.
There were 10,335 households 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.9% were non-families. 29.8% of households were one person and 12.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.18.
The median age was 37.3 years. 26.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.1% were from 25 to 44; 24.9% were from 45 to 64; and 16.7% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.8% male and 50.2% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 26,009 people, 10,175 households, and 6,593 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 10,857 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 86.79% White, 1.34% African American, 0.37% Native American, 1.04% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 8.57% from some other races and 1.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 12.55% of the population.
There were 10,175 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,688, and the median income for a family was $45,315. Males had a median income of $32,800 versus $23,835 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,113. About 8.8% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.5% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Local businesses

  • Marshalltown Company, a manufacturer of American tools for many construction and archaeological applications, is based in Marshalltown.

Top employers

According to the city's 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:
NumberEmployerIndustryNumber of employees
1' Swift & CompanyPork processors2,700
2Emerson Electric Process Management/Fisher ControlsValves and regulators manufacturer1,100
3Marshalltown Community School DistrictEducation900
4Lennox Industries, Inc.Furnace and air conditioning manufacturer750
5Iowa Veteran's HomeHospital care facility750
6UnityPoint HealthHospital317
7WalmartRetail300
8HyVee Food StoresGrocery store286
9Marshalltown Community CollegeEducation282
10YMCA-YWCASports and Fitness207
11Marshalltown CompanyTool manufacturing200
12City of MarshalltownMunicipal government173
13Marshall CountyCounty government171
14McFarland Clinic PCMedical clinic170
——Total8,306'''

Education

Marshalltown Community School District serves Marshalltown.
The first schoolhouse in Marshalltown was a log cabin built in 1853. The building stood on Main Street between Third and Fourth Streets. Neary Hoxie served as the first teacher.
In 1874, high school classes were held in an old building on North Center Street. The high school had 45 students and C. P. Rogers served as the school's superintendent.
As of 2020, there are multiple schools in Marshalltown. There are six elementary schools, one intermediate school, a Catholic school and Christian school, and a middle school. There is also Marshalltown High School, with over 1,000 students.
East Marshall Community School District serves small portions of the Marshalltown city limits. The district was established on July 1, 1992, by the merger of the LDF and SEMCO school districts. The BCLUW Community School District serves some rural areas nearby Marshalltown.

Infrastructure

Transportation

U.S. Route 30 bypasses the town to the south, while Iowa Highway 14 runs through the center of town. An expressway, Iowa Highway 330 connects Marshalltown to Des Moines.
Marshalltown has bus and taxicab services. It is also served by Trailways Coach Nationwide.
A municipal airport serves the county, approximately four miles north of town. The closest commercial airport is Des Moines International Airport, miles to the southwest.
Construction of the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad reached Marshalltown in 1862. This railroad was sold to the Chicago and North Western Railway in 1884, which itself was sold to Union Pacific Railroad in 1995. There has been no passenger rail service in Marshalltown since the last services there were discontinued in the early 1960s.

Notable people

Sister city relations