Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Clarion gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $163K for a typical one, or 2.6 years of the county’s $63K median household income. It grades B overall, 592nd of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $47K, and 24% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. Clarion’s average trip to work is 11 minutes, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 26 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Clarion is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns. Clarion has 2 places on the National Register.
Where Clarion beats most towns.
Clarion County Courthouse and Jail5,276 counted in 2010 and 3,931 in 2020; an estimated 4,037 in 2025.
The decline has turned around: up 2.7% since 2020, after a 25.5% drop in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Clarion is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for hazard risk (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for jobs and income (better than 6%), so the B overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 719 in 1850, a peak of 6,457 in 1990, 3,931 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1896 and 3 maps from 1906 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 shaped by its college students, draws workers from Clarion Township and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Its public schools are run by Clarion Area SD. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Clarion Area JSHS, with 426 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarion Area El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 352 | B |
| Clarion Area JSHSLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 426 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
2.2 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. Clarion’s trail density is 1.4 miles per square mile.
| Clarion | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.4 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.1% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Student Recreation Area | — | 4 |
| 2. Paul A. Weaver Community Park | — | 1 |
| 3. Veterans Memorial Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1,964 jobs are based in Clarion, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here fell from 2,762 in 2013 to 1,964.
Most working residents leave Clarion for work: only 16% work in town. Since 2013, Clarion has lost 798 jobs, to 1,964 in 2023. The top destinations are Paint Township (8%), Monroe Township (7%) and Clarion Township (5%).
| Clarion | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $47,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The FEMA risk score in Clarion is 2 of 100. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Clarion since 1979.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Clarion has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 17° and about 35 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Clarion sits closer to the middle.
| Clarion | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 6.8 per 1,000 residents | 6.7 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Against the 4,723 U.S. towns with household incomes like Clarion’s, it is healthier than 92%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Clarion beats the Pennsylvania average on 7 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 22% of Clarion adults report frequent mental distress. Among 1,035 Pennsylvania towns, just 8 have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Clarion.
| Clarion | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 24% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 34% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| What stands out | Clarion | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.7% | 8.8% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 9.2% | 11.6% |
| More adults in frequent mental distress | 22.4% | 16.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Clarion; the nearest are
College town 29 of every 100 Clarion residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where Clarion’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Clarion on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Clarion.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Clarion is a borough in Clarion County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 3,931 at the 2020 census. It is located 77 miles (124 km) north-northeast of Pittsburgh along the Clarion River and is part of the Pittsburgh DMA. Clarion was settled in 1839 and incorporated in 1841. In the past, the surrounding area produced natural gas, oil, lumber and coal. It is home to the annual Autumn Leaf Festival and PennWest Clarion. The county courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Clarion.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarion · Clarion Township | #592 | B | B+ | B | C+ | B− |
| Highland Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Highland Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Clarion Township and Clarion are one community, graded once. Compare Clarion with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Clarion grades B overall, better than 59% of U.S. towns and #592 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B− for health, B for safety and C+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Clarion sits nearer the middle.
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 B+.
4 notable people were born here, including Chris Kirkpatrick and Ernest M. Skinner.
