 The town is within the county of Clackmannanshire, of which it was formerly the county town, until Alloa overtook it in size and importance.According to a 2009 estimate the population of the settlement of Clackmannan is 3,348 residents.The name of the town refers to the Stone of Manau or Stone of Mannan, a pre-Christian monument that can be seen in the town square beside the Tolbooth or Tollbooth Tower, which dates from 1592.Julia Donald

The early growth of the town was due in large part to the port which lay on the banks of the tidal stretch of the River Black Devon at its confluence with the River Forth.