Photo: Iowahwyman (Uploads) · CC BY-SA 3.0Household incomes in Clive are higher than in 92% of U.S. towns
For jobs and income Clive is better than 85% of U.S. towns (A); for walkability it is more walkable than 69% of U.S. towns (B+). 7.3% of residents are in poverty, next to 11.1% for Iowa as a whole. 28% of workers work from home, against 11% across Iowa.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Clive
Home offices are common in Clive
28% of Clive workers work from home, against 11% across Iowa. Time on the road ↓
A lot of Clive works one town over
36% of working residents work in a town that borders Clive: West Des Moines (24%), Urbandale (8%) and Waukee (4%). Next door ↓
Most Clive residents work close to home
67% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about two in three. How far ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
The four measures behind Clive’s grade
Household income is its strongest input ($132,121, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (4.0%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Clive could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
The trip to work from Clive: about 21 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Clive workers work from home, vs 11% across Iowa. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 6,988 commuters (the 28% who work from home are left out). Across Iowa: 86% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Where in the region Clive works
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
How a workday changes Clive
On a workday 7,889 residents head out to work, 559 work right here, and 11,209 people come in from elsewhere.
About 23,000 people are in Clive on a workday afternoon, 17% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.39 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
25% of working residents work in Des Moines
Where Clive clocks in
24% of workers
8% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Inside Clive’s 11,768 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Clive, 2013 → 2023: 11,541 → 11,768. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Clive’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Clive is a driving town
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 4.4% across Iowa.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 9,683 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 55% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 12% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 3.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 77% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 4.2% of Clive households have no vehicle (Iowa 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Clive’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 1,860 U.S. towns of 14,000 to 27,000, Clive comes 496th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ada Township MI | 14,769 | $168K | 2.0% | 0.7% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 112 | Grimes IA | 17,405 | $120K | 4.4% | 1.9% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 385 | Norwalk IA | 15,004 | $103K | 4.2% | 3.4% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 479 | Johnston IA | 25,065 | $107K | 10.2% | 2.1% | 14% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 494 | Bon Air VA | 16,904 | $102K | 6.7% | 3.5% | 4% | A |
| 495 | Firestone CO | 20,129 | $120K | 4.6% | 4.2% | 4% | A |
| 496 | Clive IA | 19,861 | $132K | 7.3% | 4.0% | 7% | A |
| 497 | Stillwater MN | 19,354 | $106K | 7.3% | 3.5% | 15% | A |
| 498 | Simsbury CT | 25,582 | $158K | 4.8% | 5.0% | 15% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,860 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Clive, the top three, the last and three more from Iowa.
36% of Clive works in a town next door
The biggest share goes to West Des Moines (24%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Clive workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clive | – | A | B+ | 21 min | $132,121 |
| Waukee | 4% | A− | C+ | 20 min | $101,029 |
| Windsor Heights | under 2% | A | B | 14 min | $91,707 |
| West Des Moines | 24% | A− | B+ | 18 min | $86,594 |
| Urbandale | 8% | A | B | 19 min | $112,795 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Clive’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Clive: questions
What is the median household income in Clive?
$132,121 (±$9,130) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,059 across Iowa and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Clive?
7.3%, against 11.1% across Iowa and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Clive?
21 minutes each way on average, against 20 across Iowa and 26 nationally. 28% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Clive work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Des Moines (25%, 10 mi), West Des Moines (24%, 4 mi), Urbandale (8%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Clive walkable?
Clive is more walkable than 69% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 11.7 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Clive without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 12% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Clive, from the people who make the trip.
More of Clive
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.