Clarion is a small town where college students really create the town feel and character. So many small towns have lost population over the last 20-30 years that having the local college presence in the Clarion area, with all of the energy of the students filling area dorms and apartments each fall, really helps Clarion maintain a good economy.
One of the benefits of Clarion is that there is very little traffic. The average commute to work is 14.78 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 education level of Clarion ranks among the highest in the nation. Of the 25-and-older adult population in Clarion, 46.60% have at least a bachelor's degree. The typical US community has just 21.84% of its adults holding a bachelor's degree or graduate degree.
The per capita income in Clarion in 2018 was $25,864, 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 $103,456 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, English, Polish, and Italian.
The most common language spoken in Clarion is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.
