[3][4] Covering an area of 1,196 km2, Clarendon ranks as Jamaica's third largest parish.

[5] Bauxite, Jamaica's major mineral source, can be found extensively in Clarendon.

Most of the island's tobacco is also grown in Clarendon, along with cotton, allspice (colloquially referred to as pimento), ginger, livestock, indigo, bananas, coffee, and cocoa.

May Pen is also an important citrus packing centre, famous for 'Trout Hall' oranges.

Additionally, dairy farming, fish farming, and copper mining have been carried on intermittently, and the sugar-cane production contributes significantly to the amount of sugar exported annually.

Clarendon is the location of the Milk River Bath, a mineral spa famous for the therapeutic value of its waters.