Clinton vs Winfield

Which is the better fit for you?

Clinton, IA
50
Area Score
Bottom 21% nationally
Winfield, KS
47
Area Score
Bottom 13% nationally

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Clinton receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

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 Clinton to Winfield

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Everyday prices
The Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes no regional price index for Clinton or Winfield, so nothing here is estimated in its place.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Needs a price index for both places.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$79 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $877 in Winfield against $956 in Clinton.
The median home
12% more
$132,700 in Winfield against $118,200 in Clinton.
The weather you would swap
Winters 10°F milder
Normal January lows are 24°F in Winfield against 14°F in Clinton; July highs are 92°F against 84°F (summers 8°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.

Signals

Clinton
Winfield
Opportunity: Clinton is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
40 · Bottom 17%
vs
28 · Bottom 5%
Growth
26 · Bottom 10%
vs
26 · Bottom 11%
Climate: Winfield is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
59 · Bottom 12%
vs
65 · Bottom 34%
Physical resilience: Clinton is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
62 · Top 46%
vs
53 · Bottom 46%
Housing affordability: Winfield is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
70 · Top 40%
vs
72 · Top 35%
Schools
43 · Bottom 41%
vs
43 · Bottom 42%
Access: Clinton is the more favorable of the two.
Access
84 · Bottom 26%
vs
83 · Bottom 25%
Economic stability: Clinton is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
32 · Bottom 11%
vs
27 · Bottom 7%

Measured values

MetricClintonWinfieldSource period
Population24,32211,7112024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$60,230 ±$5,314$56,656 ±$7,9082024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income — the two are too close to separate$35,122 ±$2,504$35,969 ±$10,0792024 ACS 5-Year
Population density683/sq mi1,051/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$118,200$132,7002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent — the two are too close to separate$791 ±$90$786 ±$1142024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$956$877 — more favorableFY2026
Homeownership rate69.1%64.7%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.5% — more favorable5.0%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)−1.1% — more favorable−2.1%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher20.8%27.8% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate18.3% ±3%15.3% ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)91012 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents0.40.9 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−76.3%−16.7%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high84°F92°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low14°F24°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation36.2"34.9"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport30 mi — more favorable34 miNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate20.2 min ±1.5 min21.5 min ±2.4 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age44.038.92024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools682024-25 school year
Students per teacher13.112.5 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency63.2%25.0%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency65.4%30.7%2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility52.6%56.0%2024-25 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.

5 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.

Iowa and Kansas 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

Clinton

Elevated or high exposure: strong wind, hail, tornado.

Winfield

Elevated or high exposure: wildfire, strong wind, hail.

Your best match

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

Clinton
—
Clinton: Your Score
50
Area Score
Winfield
—
Winfield: Your Score
47
Area Score

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

Full profiles: Clinton, IA · Winfield, KS · How this is calculated: methodology