Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Clearfield gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $144K, 2.3 years of the DuBois area’s $62K median household income. It grades C overall, ranked 848th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $55K, and 20% of residents live below the poverty line, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 83% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 80% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 4 places on the National Register. 20% of residents live below the poverty line in Clearfield, against 7.6% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. On history, just 153 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do better. The biggest park or preserve is Clearfield County Fair Grounds, at 43 acres.
Where Clearfield beats most towns.
Clearfield County Courthouse
Census counts: 503 in 1850, a peak of 9,372 in 1940, 5,962 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1860 and 5 maps from 1929 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Clearfield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Clearfield, 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 Clearfield.
Clearfield is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Pennsylvania (mostly inland flooding).
At 2.3 years of the DuBois area’s $62K median household income, the typical home (about $145K) costs less against local pay than in 86% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living. At about $145K, home values are down 3% in five years, against a rise of 23% across Pennsylvania.
55% of households own their home in Clearfield. Typical home values rose 6.7% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Clearfield is $691 a month.
| Clearfield | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $691 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Francis School PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 149 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 98% of Pennsylvania towns, with expected losses of about $658 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1978, 29 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Clearfield.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 7,312 U.S. towns with household incomes like Clearfield’s, it is healthier than 51%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Clearfield beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 16% of Clearfield adults report frequent physical distress.
| Clearfield | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 19% | 19% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Clearfield | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.5% | 7.7% |
| More uninsured adults | 7.8% | 5.8% |
| More smokers | 20.2% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Clearfield has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Clearfield’s July high is 83°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Clearfield has about as many jobs (2,058) as working residents, but only 396 people both live and work here. Jobs based here fell from 2,575 in 2013 to 2,058.
Most working residents leave Clearfield for work: only 17% work in town. Jobs based in Clearfield fell to 2,058 in 2023, 517 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Lawrence Township (20%), DuBois (4%) and Bradford Township (4%).
| Clearfield | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Clearfield | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.3% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Clearfield County Fair Grounds | 0.2 mi | 43 |
| 2. Lower Witmer Park | — | 2 |
| 3. Riverwalk Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Clearfield; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Clearfield residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
4 places in Clearfield on the National Register of Historic Places.
17 notable people were born in Clearfield.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Clearfield is a borough and the county seat of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 5,962 people, making it the second most populous community in Clearfield County, behind DuBois. The borough is part of the DuBois, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area, as well as the larger State College-DuBois, PA Combined Statistical Area. The settled area surrounding the borough consists of the nearby census-designated places of Hyde and Plymptonville, which combined with Clearfield have a population of approximately 8,237 people.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Clearfield.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearfield | #848 | C | A | — | C | C |
| Plymptonville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Clearfield reports no FBI crime data of its own. Plymptonville isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Clearfield with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Clearfield grades C overall, better than 33% of U.S. towns and #848 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C for health and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
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.
17 notable people were born here, including Edward Scofield and Doug Brocail.
