Clay County is a county of 16,461 people in Iowa. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $178,600. The foreign-born share is 2%. There are 29 people per square mile. At a median age of 42.3, this is an older place than the country as a whole. 28% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $65,428, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 42.3
US median: 38.9
Less educated
28% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 30%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Clay County
What changed most since 1990
White share99.2% → 91.1%(−8.1 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Homes owned by their occupants65.4% → 73.3%(+8.0 pts)US over the same years: +0.9 pts
Hispanic share0.2% → 4.7%(+4.6 pts)US over the same years: +9.9 pts
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)18.3%(174)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)8.7%(83)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era41.9%(398)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War9.4%(89)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II3.4%(32)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 951 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Clay County, decade by decade
Clay County population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
17,585
$60,069
$98,643
14.5%
1.9
2000
17,372
$65,213
$137,899
16.3%
6.6
2010
16,667
$62,638
$141,699
18.5%
11.9
2020
16,384
$62,128
$157,201
23.9%
19.6
2024
16,461
$65,428
$178,600
27.5%
20.9
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
