Wright County Courthouse · Photo: Ann Sullivan-Larson · CC BY-SA 3.0Clarion runs its own hospital
Clarion’s city government spent $3.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,299 per resident. It also runs a hospital ($79.6 million), counted separately. Census Bureau figures.
What stands out about how Clarion is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,299 per resident a year, or $3.56 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,233 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Clarion’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,233 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 91 Iowa cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,166, and the middle half spent $1,027–$1,402. Clarion spent more than 56% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($384,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Iowa cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Clarion itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 8% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Clarion reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,233 · 2023: $1,193 · 2024: $1,299.
full-time in March 2025 (hospital, health & welfare left out), up from 19 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,605 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.38% of the home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Clarion’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Clarion’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Clarion →
Who’s in charge in Clarion
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Clarion’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on clarioniowa.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 137 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (2,749).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Community School District
Clarion’s K–12 school district, shared with Dows, Galt, Goldfield. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,707 per pupil, $9,226 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Iowa districts overall: 43% local, 49% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Clarion voted in 2024
Official results for Clarion’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican65.3%731 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat32.7%366 votesOthers: 2.0% (22 votes).
Most votes in Clarion: Donald J Trump
Wright County: Trump 67.5%, Harris 31.0% · Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
of Clarion’s 2,103 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Iowa: 70%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in the district: Randy Feenstra
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Clarion, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarion | 65.3% | 32.7% | 2.0% | 1,119 |
| Wright County | 67.5% | 31.0% | 1.5% | 5,706 |
| Iowa | 55.7% | 42.5% | 1.8% | 1,663,506 |
Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Clarion.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: clarioniowa.com ↗
- 2Iowa HouseState representatives
- 3Iowa SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Iowa
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Clarion’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Clarion’s government
How much does Clarion spend per resident?
About $1,299 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. Clarion also runs a hospital ($79.6 million), counted separately. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,233 was more than 56% of 91 Iowa cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Clarion?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,605 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.38% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see clarioniowa.com.
Who runs Clarion’s government?
See clarioniowa.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Clarion yet.
How did Clarion vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 65.3%, Kamala D Harris 32.7% (1,119 votes, official results). Wright County: Trump 67.5%, Harris 31.0%. Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%.
How many people work for Clarion?
20 full-time and 134 part-time employees in March 2025 (plus 365 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $3.5M (about $41.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Clarion in the state legislature?
State Senate District 28 (Dennis Guth) and State House District 56 (Mark Thompson). The House district also covers 25 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Clarion’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →