Chelsea vs Clearfield

Which is the better fit for you?

Chelsea, MA
58
Area Score
Bottom 47% nationally
Clearfield, UT
58
Area Score
Bottom 47% nationally

Want a third or fourth place beside these? Open them in the shortlist and add more.

Chelsea and Clearfield receive effectively the same standardized Area Score. Which fits you better depends on which dimensions you weight — the differences below are where they actually diverge.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Chelsea to Clearfield

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Everyday prices
13% lower
Regional price level 96.1 against 110.4 (US = 100)
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
The median home
24% less
$373,900 in Clearfield against $493,500 in Chelsea.
The weather you would swap
Winters 2°F colder
Normal January lows are 21°F in Clearfield against 23°F in Chelsea; July highs are 91°F against 82°F (summers 9°F hotter).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

25 occupations have a published median wage in both places. Start typing, or choose from the list.

Median wages are the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ metro figures for that occupation, not a job offer, and the price level is the regional index; neither includes taxes, benefits or how senior you are.

Signals

Chelsea
Clearfield
Opportunity: Clearfield is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
44 · Bottom 25%
vs
51 · Bottom 38%
Growth: Chelsea is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
52 · Top 46%
vs
51 · Top 49%
Climate: Chelsea is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
65 · Bottom 36%
vs
60 · Bottom 14%
Physical resilience: Chelsea is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
97 · Top 1%
vs
83 · Top 20%
Housing affordability: Clearfield is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
51 · Bottom 22%
vs
60 · Bottom 35%
Schools: Clearfield is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
23 · Bottom 16%
vs
29 · Bottom 23%
Access
99 · Top 9%
vs
99 · Top 9%
Economic stability: Clearfield is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
46 · Bottom 30%
vs
48 · Bottom 32%

Measured values

MetricChelseaClearfieldSource period
Population39,90833,5232024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$72,179 ±$7,994$75,495 ±$6,3642024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income — the two are too close to separate$32,986 ±$1,948$31,758 ±$2,1252024 ACS 5-Year
Population density17,985/sq mi4,356/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$493,500$373,9002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,956$1,579 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Cost of living index110.496.1 — more favorable2023
Homeownership rate26.0%58.6%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.9%3.9% — more favorableJuly 2026
Employment change (year over year)−1.9%−1.4% — more favorableJuly 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher — the two are too close to separate22.2% ±2%23.2% ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate21.2%13.0% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)804412 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents2.0 — more favorable1.312 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+15.9%+91.3%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high82°F91°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low23°F21°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation43.6"16.4"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport3 mi — more favorable7 miNASR current cycle
Average commute36.2 min23.8 min — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age34.430.32024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools11182024-25 school year
Students per teacher12.2 — more favorable22.22024-25 school year
Math proficiency30.6%42.2%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency33.3%44.6%2018-19 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

3 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Massachusetts and Utah do not give the same test. Each state writes its own assessment and sets its own passing score, so the two proficiency rows above are not directly comparable — the difference between them partly measures which standard is harder. Students per teacher and the school count are unaffected, and each profile ranks its own proficiency within its own state.

Physical risk tradeoff

Chelsea

Elevated or high exposure: hurricane.

Clearfield

No hazard reaches elevated exposure.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Chelsea
—
Chelsea: Your Score
58
Area Score
Clearfield
—
Clearfield: Your Score
58
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Chelsea, MA · Clearfield, UT · How this is calculated: methodology