Richardson-Brinkman Cobblestone House · Photo: Sa magnuson33 · CC BY-SA 3.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Clinton costs more to live in than 52% of U.S. towns
Up 8.5% in a year, 10% below the Wisconsin typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Janesville-Beloit, WI metro area ($76K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 4 sales in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Clinton’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($76K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 23% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 27% of renters.
In dollars
- $303Ktypical home, 10% below the Wisconsin typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,280a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 94prices across the Janesville metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 80)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 2.8 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$76K, Janesville-area income
- 16%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 27%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Wisconsin: 44%Census 2020–24
- 23%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Clinton
What’s behind Clinton’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Clinton is more affordable than 48% of U.S. towns. Property tax pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Values have outpaced Wisconsin: the typical Clinton home is up 42.5% in five years, against 31.4% statewide (Zillow).
Up 42.5% in five years
Faster than Wisconsin (31.4%).
Show as a table
| January | Clinton | Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $142,000 | $178,000 |
| 2018 | $152,000 | $188,000 |
| 2019 | $163,000 | $200,000 |
| 2020 | $173,000 | $213,000 |
| 2021 | $192,000 | $235,000 |
| 2022 | $215,000 | $260,000 |
| 2023 | $233,000 | $279,000 |
| 2024 | $252,000 | $296,000 |
| 2025 | $270,000 | $314,000 |
| 2026 | $291,000 | $330,000 |
| September 2026 | $303,000 | $337,000 |
A typical Clinton home worth $139K in October 2016 is worth about $303K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 2.8 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Clinton’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $47K short of a typical Clinton home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,280 a month here, $820 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Clinton’s typical property tax (2.03% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,280
Renters already here pay a median of $1,010, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Janesville-Beloit, WI MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
12 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 12 new homes in Clinton in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $4.4 million to build. That's 5.9 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Wisconsin (4.3). Over the past 10 years, Clinton has permitted 64 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Clinton gained 67 residents while 6 new homes were permitted: about 11 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. Across Wisconsin: 1.3 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 11 | 11 | 0 | $4.1 million |
| 2025 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $4.4 million |
| 2024 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $5.7 million |
| 2023 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $4.8 million |
| 2022 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $2.8 million |
| 2021 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $2.5 million |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $275,000 |
| 2019 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $230,000 |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $259,000 |
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $176,000 |
| 2015 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $310,000 |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $60,000 |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2007 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $706,000 |
| 2006 | 14 | 8 | 6 | $2.2 million |
| 2005 | 30 | 3 | 27 | $1.8 million |
| 2004 | 59 | 4 | 55 | $3.2 million |
| 2003 | 101 | 3 | 98 | $5.2 million |
| 2002 | 95 | 2 | 93 | $4.4 million |
| 2001 | 81 | 3 | 78 | $3.9 million |
| 2000 | 69 | 2 | 67 | $3.4 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs above the Wisconsin norm
The median bill is $4,241 (Wisconsin: $3,792), 2.03% of a home’s value a year, against 1.42% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Clinton
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Janesville-Beloit, WI metro area, or Wisconsin. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 94 | WI 94 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 94 | WI 94 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 90 | WI 90 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 99 | WI 100 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Clinton and its neighbors
One source per column.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinton | B− | $303K | $209K | 2.03% | $1,280 |
Questions about the cost of living in Clinton
Is Clinton expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Clinton costs more than 52% of U.S. towns: a B− for cost of living. The typical home costs 2.8 years of the median household income of the Janesville-Beloit, WI metro area ($76K).
How much does a house cost in Clinton?
About $303K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 8.5% in a year. The Wisconsin typical home is $337K.
What salary do you need to live in Clinton?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $90,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,100 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $51,000.
How much is rent in Clinton?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,280 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,010 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Clinton?
The median bill is $4,241 a year, 2.03% of the median home value (Wisconsin: $3,792, 1.42%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Clinton going up?
Yes: up 8.5% in the past year and 42.5% in five years, against 31.4% across Wisconsin (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Clinton buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.