Clarion is a small town with a large college student population. Because of this, there is a real youthful, hip vibe to the place, and much of the life in the town is centered on the college. This has helped Clarion to buck the trend of other small towns that have suffered declining populations over the past 20 to 30 years. Spending by students, and faculty and staff jobs, are a big part of the local economy.
One of the benefits of Clarion is that there is very little traffic. The average commute to work is 14.82 minutes, which is substantially less than the national average. Not only does this mean that the drive to work is less aggravating, but noise and pollution levels are lower as a result.
The citizens of Clarion are among the most well-educated in the nation: 46.67% of adults in Clarion have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree, whereas the average US city has 21.84% holding at least a bachelor's degree.
The per capita income in Clarion in 2022 was $26,239, which is low income relative to Pennsylvania, and lower middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $104,956 for a family of four. However, Clarion contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Clarion is a somewhat ethnically-diverse borough. The people who call Clarion home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Clarion residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Clarion include German, Irish, Italian, English, and Welsh.
The most common language spoken in Clarion is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.
