Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Clarion gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $149K, 2.2 years of the county’s $67K median household income. It grades B+ overall, ranked 67th of 140 in Iowa. 39% of working residents work locally in Clarion, where Iowa’s towns sit at 31% and U.S. towns at 8%. Clarion has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Cornelia Lake Bridge and Wright County Courthouse. Clarion's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 84% of U.S. towns.
Where Clarion beats most towns.
Wright County CourthouseEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Clarion is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 37 in 1870, 2,810 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1907 and 2 maps from 1978 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Clarion, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Clarion.
Clarion is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has homes that are cheap against local pay and has seen reported crime fall by about half.
At 2.2 years of the county’s $67K median household income, the typical home (about $149K) costs less against local pay than in 85% of Iowa towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
The median rent in Clarion is $763 a month. The typical Clarion home is worth about $149,000, up 1% in a year, 37% below the Iowa typical home.
| Clarion | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $763 a month | $913 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Community School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 469 | C− |
| Clarion-Goldfield-Dows High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 291 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 22 to 10 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
Clarion’s property crime rate is 2.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Clarion | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Clarion has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 8° and about 31 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Clarion | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hanson Park | — | 8 |
| 2. East Park | — | 4 |
| 3. Gazebo Park | 0.1 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The average commute for its 1,076 working residents takes 13.1 minutes, against 19.8 across Iowa.
About one in 3 of Clarion’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Clarion has lost 372 jobs, to 1,587 in 2023. The top destinations are Belmond (4%), Eagle Grove (2%) and Webster City (2%).
| Clarion | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 62% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Iowa average. 19% of Clarion residents are under 18. 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across Iowa.
| Clarion | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 19% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 41.2 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 19% | 18% |
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.8 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Clarion | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.4% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.9% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.7% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.5% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 6.9% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.9% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.3% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.5% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.9% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.2% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 28.5% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.9% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.5% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,800, single groups can be off by several points
Against the 9,860 U.S. towns with household incomes like Clarion’s, it is healthier than 70%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Clarion beats the Iowa average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 19% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Clarion.
| Clarion | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 32% | 36% |
| What stands out | Clarion | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 10.3% | 7.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Clarion; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Clarion residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
2 places in Clarion on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Clarion.
City in Iowa, United States
Clarion is a city in and the county seat of Wright County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,810 at the time of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Clarion grades B+ overall, better than 68% of U.S. towns and #67 of 140 in Iowa. It grades B− for health, B+ for safety and C for schools.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
6 notable people were born here, including Clifford Joy Rogers and Lee Handley.
