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Place dossier plate
SheetWA-CLARKSTON-WA · Clarkston, WA 7,240 pop · income 24th pct · 6 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Clarkston
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Clarkston on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Arroyo zona u… · lowest
17,034
Arroyo zona u… · lowest
17,034 median HH income
15.8% of the leader · rank #1
Clarkston · this city
53,092
Clarkston · this city
53,092 median HH income
49.3% of the leader · rank #2
Colwyn · near
53,092
Colwyn · near
53,092 median HH income
49.3% of the leader · rank #3
Clayhatchee · near
53,095
Clayhatchee · near
53,095 median HH income
49.3% of the leader · rank #4
La Presa · near
53,095
La Presa · near
53,095 median HH income
49.3% of the leader · rank #5
Bunker Hill · near
53,098
Bunker Hill · near
53,098 median HH income
49.3% of the leader · rank #6
Fircrest · highest
107,781
Fircrest · highest
107,781 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Clarkston on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 7,240.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Clarkston - the verdict
Nationally, Clarkston sits in the 24th percentile for household income and the 4th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
24th
percentile, household income
47th
percentile, home value
70th
percentile, median rent
4th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Clarkston, WA
Washington's Clarkston is a small town, with 7,240 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Median household income here is $53,092 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 11.9%. Clarkston's housing stock carries a median value of $216,900, and the median resident age is 35.0 years. About 17.6% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 59.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 72 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Rapid Growth), up 33% from five years earlier. Clarkston's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 5013.8 incidents per 100,000 residents, above the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Washington carries a cost-of-living premium: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Washington at 107.0 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Above Average). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,472 per month. Monthly utility costs average around $188 across Washington, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Natural-hazard exposure scores 70.0 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Clarkston's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from work and mobility to reported crime to comparison shortlist to within-city variation to housing and income to population change to schools and households; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Clarkston, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles, local building permits, matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, annual population history.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
1. Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Clarkston?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 79.9%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Clarkston?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 5013.8 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 120% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Which cities make useful reference points for Clarkston?
Within Washington, the closest population matches are Mead (7,184 residents, $76,010 income); Clarkston Heights-Vineland (7,144 residents, $89,628 income); Clover Creek (7,128 residents, $97,581 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are North Patchogue, NY (7,243 residents); Russellville, KY (7,244 residents); Ridley Park, PA (7,245 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Clarkston?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.1 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 11.9%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
Household income
$53,092
Home value
$216,900
Value / income
4.1×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Is Clarkston growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -46 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -0.6% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 72 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
-0.6%
2025 estimate
7,189
2020 estimate
7,235
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
What does the education layer cover for Clarkston?
The NCES join finds 10 public schools within the city match. 17.6% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
10
Bachelor's degree+
17.6%
Poverty estimate
11.9%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Poverty rate F
11.9%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
17.6%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$53,092
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime F
468 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Cost of living F
107.0 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Clarkston profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Poverty rate: 32/100 (F) · 11.9%
Bachelor's+ share: 27/100 (F) · 17.6%
Household income: 24/100 (F) · $53,092
Violent crime: 18/100 (F) · 468 /100k
Cost of living: 15/100 (F) · 107.0 index
Where Clarkston sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Clarkston's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Clarkston highlighted among 25 peers.Read the chart values
Clarkston, WA (this city): home $216,900, crime 5,014/100k
Russellville, KY : home $156,000, crime 1,218/100k
Ridley Park, PA : home $261,900, crime 722/100k
Fircrest, WA : home $554,600, crime 2,086/100k
Pacific, WA : home $437,400, crime 1,992/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Clarkston compare to other US cities?
Clarkston measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income24% higher than other cities
Home value47% pricier than other cities
Median rent70% pricier than other cities
Safety4% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Washington, Clarkston ranks #147 of 156 Washington cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Clarkston against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Washington only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Washington-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Clarkston near the bottom of Washington's cities
Among the 599 Washington cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Clarkston ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Clarkston only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#491 of 565
13th percentile in Washington
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 599
0th percentile in Washington
Median Home Value
#487 of 565
14th percentile in Washington
Poverty Rate
#123 of 598
79th percentile in Washington
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#441 of 599
26th percentile in Washington
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Washington only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
24th percentile nationally for median household income · 4th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Clarkston's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Clarkston's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Clarkston's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$216,900Among the most affordablemore affordable than 53% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Clarkston's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.1×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#10,931 of 15,516
More affordable than 30% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#8,511 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 4.1×, Clarkston sits in the moderate band:
national rank #10,931 of 15,516 and #8,511 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$53,092Clarkston, WA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Clarkston, WA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Clarkston, WA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)17.6%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)11.9%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)59.2%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
7,240
Median Income
$53,092
Median Home Value
$216,900
Median Age
35.0
Poverty Rate
11.9%
Labor force participation
59.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
17.6%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
5013.8
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
468.3
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
4545.5
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
10
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Clarkston's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
7,235 residents
2021
7,226 residents
2022
7,185 residents
2023
7,156 residents
2024
7,140 residents
2025
7,189 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Rapid Growth
Total Permits (2024)
72
housing units authorized
Single-Family
0
detached homes
Multifamily
72
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
9.9
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
54
3
51
$4.7M
2020
73
1
72
$5.9M
2021
0
0
0
-
2022
5
1
4
$0.7M
2023
6
2
4
$0.9M
2024
72
0
72
$6.8M
Permit volume increased 33% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
79.9%
Carpool
9.1%
Public Transit
0.3%
Walk
3.3%
Work from Home
6.8%
Other
0.6%
Based on 3,188 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Washington statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $188
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Washington at $188 (electricity about $85 , water and sewer about $55 ).
These are Washington statewide averages, not a meter reading for Clarkston. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Washington's BEA cost-of-living index is 107.0 (Above Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Clarkston is $1,472/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Washington statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 70.0 / 100 (High).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Washington statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Clarkston sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Clarkston compares to similar-size Washington cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.