Cost of Living & Housing in Clarion
Clarion's cost of living pairs a low, confirmed 1% combined local income tax and generally affordable housing with a real, disclosed data-quality tension in one county property-tax citation this record does not treat as authoritative.
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Learn moreGenerally affordable housing, with a real, disclosed wide cross-source spread
Clarion city's median estimated home value ran approximately $179,745, while county-level figures ranged from approximately $133,000 (median single-family price, July 2026) to $171,000 (median AVM value). All cited figures run below the Pennsylvania statewide average of $294,099, though this record flags a separate county sale-price citation (+50% YoY) as likely small-sample volatility rather than a durable trend (base record).
A confirmed, low 1% combined local Earned Income Tax
Clarion Borough's own published ordinance confirms a combined municipal-plus-school-district Earned Income Tax of 1% total, collected by Keystone Collections Group. Pennsylvania's flat 3.07% state income tax and 6% base sales tax apply on top (base record).
A real, disclosed property-tax data-quality question
One Ownwell citation put Clarion County's median effective property tax rate at an implausibly high 8.71%, well above the county's own directly-cited base rate of 2.25% ($22.50 per $1,000 assessed value) plus a $5 per capita tax. This record flags the 8.71% figure as a likely artifact rather than authoritative (base record).
PennWest Clarion's genuine, disclosed institutional uncertainty
PennWest Clarion's enrollment share within the merged PennWest system fell from roughly one-quarter (Fall 2022) to roughly one-seventh (Fall 2025), and mid-2026 local reporting raised real, disclosed questions about the campus's longer-term standing -- a real factor worth weighing for anyone whose move connects to the university (base record).
Key takeaways
- Clarion's housing runs generally affordable relative to the Pennsylvania statewide average, though local figures carry a real, disclosed spread.
- Clarion's confirmed combined local EIT is a low 1%, collected by Keystone Collections Group.
- One county property-tax citation (8.71%) is flagged as a likely data-quality artifact rather than authoritative.
- PennWest Clarion's own declining enrollment share and disclosed institutional uncertainty are worth confirming directly.
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