CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

40.74° N · 95.03° W · GEOID 1913575

Clarinda

Page County, Iowa

IowaClarinda, IAClarindaClarinda

The short answer

Clarinda is home to 5,353 people. Median household income is $46,348 a year and median rent is $660 a month, 17.1% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $114,200, about 2.5x annual median household income.

Clarinda is defined by its growth. Household income growth is -1.5% a year, against 4.1% a year in its closest peers. Also notable: The median household earns $46,348 a year, less than in 90% of places its size. It is the lowest of 86 Iowa places we track.

51OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Average

Clarinda scores better than 51% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 75th of 85 in Iowa.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%84
Economy 20%15
Safety 20%58
Amenities 15%56
Education 10%7
Commute 10%95
Growth 5%3
Median gross rent
$660
52% below the median place
Median household income
$46,348
42% below the median place
Median home value
$114,200
64% below the median place
Unemployment
6.5%
32% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Clarinda

  • Who lives here2% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 92% of the 1,842 places under 10,000 people we track.
01

Moving to Clarinda

Page County gains about 8.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in581
Moved out484
Net+97

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Fremont County, IA7842+36
Taylor County, IA36

Within Iowa, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within IowaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$49K
Leavers$46K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Page County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
13.6% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 4.4% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Page County report $48,900 a year in income on average; those leaving, $46,400, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$26,400 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $660 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,113 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $114,200.
Getting to work
16 minutes each way on average; 5.4% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Cherokee, IA matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
13.6%
137% above the median place
Moved from another state1
4.4%
120% above the median place
Income of households moving out7
$46,433
34% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureClarindaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year113.6%137% above
Moved from another state14.4%120% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure8.5above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$48,94531% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$46,43334% below
02

What it costs to live here

Median gross rent is $660, 52% below the median place.

Clarinda17.1%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$26,400
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
17.1%
16% below the median place
Home price to income
2.5x
35% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
17%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$38,100
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Clarinda, $660 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Clarinda, but easier on the budget

Places that match Clarinda on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Cherokee, IA9414.1% vs 17.1%n/aCompare
Jacksonville, IL9113.0% vs 17.1%n/aCompare
Napoleon, OH9112.8% vs 17.1%n/aCompare
Carroll, IA9012.4% vs 17.1%n/aCompare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Clarinda.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Clarinda? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,113
41% below the median place
Median home value1
$114,200
64% below the median place
Renters paying 30%+1
34.6%
32% below the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureClarindaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$66052% below
Rent to income117.1%16% below
Property tax rate11.5%67% above
Home price to income12.5x35% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$92743% below
HUD area median income3County figure$84,30021% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,73647% below
Median home value1$114,20064% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure2.7%14% below
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure48.4%6% below
Homeownership169.4%5% above
Renters paying 30%+134.6%32% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,11341% below
Vacant homes111.8%68% above
Median year built119601% below
03

Work and pay

Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 115 hours a year commuting, less than in 88% of the 2,101 places under 10,000 people we track.

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Mean commute1
16 min
35% below the median place
Median household income1
$46,348
42% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Income per person$25,868 −35%
Works from home5.4% −56%
Unemployment6.5% +32%
Poverty rate12.1% +12%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureClarindaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$46,34842% below
Income per person1$25,86835% below
Unemployment16.5%32% above
Average annual pay5County figure$53,06920% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure5.2%41% above
Jobs5County figure6,24396% below
Poverty rate112.1%12% above
Mean commute116 min35% below
Works from home15.4%56% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

14% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a smaller share than in 90% of the 2,473 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 3rd-lowest of 86 Iowa places we track.

Bachelor's or higher1
13.8%
57% below the median place
Born abroad1
2.3%
74% below the median place
No health insurance1
3.1%
52% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size2.1 −14%
Homes with broadband88.4% −4%
Median age40.1 +3%
High school or higher91.2% −1%
All 9 people measures
MeasureClarindaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population15,3536381st largest
Population change since 20206-1.9%below (median 1.1%)
Median age140.13% above
Bachelor's or higher113.8%57% below
High school or higher191.2%1% below
Household size12.114% below
Born abroad12.3%74% below
No health insurance13.1%52% below
Homes with broadband188.4%4% below
05

Life in Clarinda

OpenStreetMap shows 7.5 grocery stores per 10,000 residents, more than in 92% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track.

5 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark. Its history on Wikipedia

  • Hepburn, Col. William Peters, House listed 1973Landmark
  • Page County Courthouse listed 1981
  • Goldenrod Schoolhouse listed 1994
  • White, W. T. S., House and Carriage House listed 1994
  • Clarinda Carnegie Library listed 2014

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents13.1 +29%
Playgrounds per 10k44.8 4.8×
Grocery stores per 10k7.5 3.5×
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k22.4 2.0×
Libraries per 10k3.7 4.3×
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Homestead National Historical Park 99 miles
  • Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park 122 miles
  • Harry S. Truman National Historic Site 130 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars21.8 +5%
Shops40.3 +33%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.3 −20%
Doctors' offices and clinics15.9 −21%
Child care centers2.0 −13%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public schools13
2
78% below the median place
Nearest National Park Service site10
99.0
221% above the median place
Public school students13
1,084
78% below the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureClarindaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools13278% below
Public school students131,08478% below
Students per teacher1314.18% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure21.85% above
Shops per 10k8County figure40.333% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure3.320% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure15.921% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.013% below
Parks per 10k913.129% above
Playgrounds per 10k944.8376% above
Grocery stores per 10k97.5252% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k922.4101% above
Libraries per 10k93.7330% above
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1099.0221% above
National Park Service sites within 60 miles100below (median 2)
National Register listings11562% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 244, 27% above the median place.

Violent crime per 100k
244
27% above the median place
Property crime per 100k
695
43% below the median place
Months reported
12 of 12
by the city police department to the FBI

Counts only offenses reported by the city police department. Sheriff, state and campus police are not included, and some departments do not report to the FBI at all, so compare with care.

Hurricane risk15
0.0
below the median place (median 70.7)
Natural hazard risk15
40.2
57% below the median place
January average low14
14°F
43% below the median place
All 9 weather and risk measures
MeasureClarindaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high14County figure86°F1% below
January average low14County figure14°F43% below
Average temperature14County figure51°F7% below
Annual precipitation14County figure35.9 in18% below
Natural hazard risk15County figure40.257% below
Hurricane risk15County figure0.0below (median 70.7)
Tornado risk15County figure69.614% below
Wildfire risk15County figure34.643% below
Heat wave risk15County figure85.75% below
08

Clarinda in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 17% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 17% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Clarinda does better than 83% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 8%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$660/mo (2024)$830/mo$680 to $1,010/mo+3.8%
Median household income$46,348 (2024)$57,000$48,500 to $67,500+3.6%
Median home value$114,200 (2024)$158,000$115,000 to $218,000+5.6%
Population5,273 (2025)5,2605,040 to 5,480−0.1%

The median home would be worth 2.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.5 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Clarinda

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Connellsville, PA$683$45,721Compare
Henryetta, OK$695$45,259Compare
Hillsboro, IL$715$50,158Compare
Hamlet, NC$640$41,590Compare
Hamlet, NCHillsboro, ILHenryetta, OKConnellsville, PAClarinda, IAClarindaConnellsvilleHenryettaHillsboroHamletClarindaConnellsvilleHenryettaHillsboroHamlet

Places built like Clarinda

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Clarinda performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Clarinda, IA17.1%-1.5%/yr-1.9%
Charles City, IA14.9%7.6%/yr-5.2%Compare
Estherville, IA16.7%3.1%/yr-1.7%Compare
Montevideo, MN14.9%8.0%/yr-1.4%Compare
Trenton, MO16.9%4.1%/yr-0.7%Compare
Chillicothe, MO17.2%5.9%/yr-0.2%Compare
McCook, NE17.4%3.4%/yr-3.6%Compare

Common questions

Is Clarinda a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 51 out of 100, better than 51% of the places we rate and 75th of 85 in Iowa. 2% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 92% of the 1,842 places under 10,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 67 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Clarinda expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 17.1% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $114,200.

What salary do you need to live in Clarinda?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $26,400 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is Clarinda safe?

There were 244 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to Clarinda?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Connellsville, PA, Henryetta, OK, Hillsboro, IL and Hamlet, NC.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  3. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  13. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  14. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  15. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Clarinda with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Clarinda itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/clarinda-iowa

Citytistics. “Clarinda, Iowa.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/clarinda-iowa/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.