Living in Clarion, IA
Clarion is a small town of 2,770 people in Wright County, Iowa. It's about 49 miles from Ames, IA and 156 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 85°F and winter highs 26°F, with about 31 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $116k and rent runs about $763 a month.
2,770people
$116kTypical home
$763/moRent
85° / 26°Summer / winter
31"Snow
233Sunny days
88Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Small town of 2,770
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 825 people per sq mi
- 156 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 49 mi to Ames, IA
- 27 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $116k (≈$733/mo)
- Median rent $763/mo
- Median household income $65k
- Property tax about 1.4% of value
- 2.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 85°F
- Winter highs around 26°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
- 233 sunny days a year (82 totally clear)
- 132 cloudy days a year
- 40 of 90 winter days are gray
- 88 days a year with rain or snow
- 31" of snow a year
- 12 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 51 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Very low violent crime (65 per 100k)
- Very low property crime (265 per 100k)
People
- Median age 41
- 28% of households have kids
- 20% are 65 or older
- 26% have a college degree
- Mixed community
- 2% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 16 min
- 2% walk or take transit to work
- 27 mi to FOD airport
- 83 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 120 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 80% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1965
- 86% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,171 ft
- 828 mi to the ocean
- 202 mi to a big lake
- 67 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 50 mi to the nearest ski area
- 6 mi to the nearest campground
- 10 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 15 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- 3 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 11 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 67 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 15% of Iowa districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 1 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 49 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 10 mi to the nearest vet
- 30 mi to the nearest dog park
- 20 congregations per 10k people
- 37 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Wright County: R+37 in 2024
- Iowa: R+13 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Moderate flood risk
- Low drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk