The settled area surrounding the borough consists of the nearby census-designated places of Hyde and Plymptonville, which combined with Clearfield have a population of approximately 8,237 people.

[5][6] However, on August 1, 2017, Lawrence Township supervisors voted 2 to 1 against consolidation with Clearfield.

There were many trade routes and paths for Native Americans living and passing through Clearfield County up to the 1600s.

One major Indian path at the time was the Great Shamokin Path, which started near the Indian village of Shamokin (now Sunbury) on the Susquehanna River and continued west past Lock Haven, to Chinklacamoose,[8] now the borough of Clearfield.

Finally the path ended at the village of Kittanning on the Allegheny River, which is now the modern town of the same name.

The other nine cities included in the top ten list in 1966 were Pinellas County, Florida; Malden, Massachusetts; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Detroit, Michigan; Cohoes, New York; Greensboro, North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; and Seattle, Washington.

Clearfield Creek joins the West Branch 2 miles (3 km) to the east (downstream) of town.

Clearfield receives television programming from the Johnstown-Altoona-State College, Pennsylvania media market.