Living in Clinton, IA
Clinton County
Clinton is a real, distinct Clinton County city (population approximately 23,965) directly on the Mississippi River, with a real, specifically documented 19th-century lumber-industry boomtown history this record verifies rather than treats as vague color: between 1865 and 1900, Clinton (with neighboring Lyons and Camanche) was genuinely regarded as the sawmill capital of the nation, production growing to 195+ million board feet annually by 1892. Today, Clinton hosts a real, current Archer Daniels Midland corn wet mill -- one of the largest in the world, 750+ employees, undergoing a $196 million modernization -- and a real, in-city hospital, MercyOne Clinton Medical Center (249 beds). Housing runs genuinely, substantially affordable: cross-source-cited median home values ($115,400-$129,168) run well below Iowa's own statewide average (~$241,255). This record discloses Clinton's real, elevated crime rate directly (more than 98% of Iowa communities have a lower rate, per NeighborhoodScout) alongside a real, meaningful flood-protection contrast with neighboring Davenport: Clinton maintains an active Mississippi River levee system, built after a documented 1965 flood, rather than Davenport's deliberate no-permanent-floodwall choice. This record also corrects a common misconception: the Clinton LumberKings baseball team has been unaffiliated with MLB since 2021, now playing in the collegiate-summer Prospect League.
Explore Clinton in depth
- Moving to Clinton: Pros, Cons & What to Know
- Cost of Living in Clinton
- Housing Market in Clinton
- Buying a Home in Clinton
- Renting in Clinton
- Taxes in Clinton
- Homeowners Insurance & Natural Hazard Costs in Clinton
- Climate & Weather in Clinton
- Jobs & Economy in Clinton
- Schools in Clinton
- Crime & Safety in Clinton
- Healthcare in Clinton
- Traffic & Transportation in Clinton
- Best Areas to Live in Clinton
- Pros and Cons of Living in Clinton
- Retiring in Clinton
- Who Should / Shouldn’t Move to Clinton
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Learn moreHousing
Taxes
Not independently sourced at the Clinton County level this session. Iowa's top state income tax rate is 3.80%. See the Iowa hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Clinton-specific.
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Get local guidanceThe tradeoffs
Pros
Genuinely, substantially affordable housing well below Iowa's statewide average; a real, in-city hospital (MercyOne Clinton, 249 beds); a real, current major employer (ADM's corn wet mill, 750+ employees, $196M modernization underway); a real, distinct historic lumber-boomtown identity (the Sawmill Museum, Curtis Mansion); and Iowa's real flat 3.8% income tax plus full retirement/Social Security exemption.
Cons
A real, notably elevated crime rate (higher than more than 98% of Iowa communities per NeighborhoodScout); a real, documented, gradual population decline; a real, elevated Clinton County effective property tax rate (1.59%); and genuine Mississippi River flood exposure, even with the city's active levee protection.
Who this fits
Best for: Best fits affordability-focused movers and first-time homebuyers, plus workers in food/corn processing given ADM's real, substantial local presence, who value a real, in-city hospital and distinct historic river-town identity.
Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for safety-first buyers wanting a crime rate near the Iowa average, or anyone seeking a growing rather than a gradually declining population base.
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