Clay County, Alabama Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Clay County, AL Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 73% of counties in Alabama
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D
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below averageAmong the 5 least educated counties in Alabama
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Clay County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 14,192 | 5,083,438 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 23.4 | 97.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.67% | 0.62% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.6 | 38.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 5,820 | 1,996,169 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Clay County grew by 3.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14,192 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Clay County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.2% of residents. That is 2.3 points above Alabama as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,618 18.4% -3.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,673 18.8% -1.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,154 22.2% +2.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,929 20.6% +2.6 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Alabama, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 52.0% of the people living in Clay County and men 48.0%.
- Women 52.0% Alabama 51.5%
- Men 48.0% Alabama 48.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Clay County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Clay County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Clay County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $55,445 | $64,544 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.60% | 4.68% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.4% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Clay County is about 14% lower than in Alabama.
Housing
| Metric | Clay County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $47,380 | $160,474 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $618 | $1,007 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 79.4% | 70.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Clay County is about 6.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $618 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Clay County spend about 46 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 190 hours, about 7.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Clay County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.8 | 22.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 45.6 | 44.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 190 | 184 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,888 | $5,717 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 5.6% | 8.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,167 | 8,636 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 650 | 1,193 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Alabama:
Pike County (16.4 min), Houston County (18.3 min), Escambia County (18.5 min).
Slowest:
Blount County (33.2 min), Pickens County (32.5 min), Lowndes County (31.9 min).
The average commute time in Clay County is 23 minutes, longer than the 22 minutes in Alabama.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Clay County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Clay County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 11.7% | 24.9% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.40 | 2.48 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Alabama:
Madison County (0.4), Shelby County (0.3), Lee County (0.3).
Lowest:
Bibb County (0.2), Barbour County (0.2), Wilcox County (0.2).
Health
Clay County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Clay County | Alabama Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.6 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 25.1% | 23.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 25.3% | 22.1% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Alabama:
Shelby County (0.8), Lee County (0.8), Baldwin County (0.8).
Lowest:
Greene County (0.7), Wilcox County (0.7), Perry County (0.7).
Clay County, AL Compared With Nearby Counties
Clay County, AL is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 14,192 residents against a local median of 60,979. The measure that sets Clay County, AL apart most is median home price: $47,380, 75% below the local median of $188,030.
The counties themselves spread $106,352 on median home price, so Clay County, AL sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Clay County, AL has the 5th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County, AL | 14,192 | $55,445 #3/5 | $47,380 #5/5 | 22.8 min #5/5 |
| Talladega County, AL | 81,021 | $56,834 | $198,717 | 21.8 min |
| Randolph County, AL | 22,510 | $54,086 | $238,792 | 22.4 min |
| Tallapoosa County, AL | 40,938 | $59,380 | $177,344 | 20.3 min |
| Calhoun County, AL | 116,090 | $55,107 | $132,440 | 21.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Clay County, Alabama.
How many people live in Clay County, Alabama?
About 14,192 people live in Clay County, Alabama, in 5,820 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 43.6, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
Is Clay County, Alabama mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Clay County, Alabama has 23 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 27% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Clay County, Alabama?
The median home costs 0.9 times the median household income ($47,380 against $55,445), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $618 a month takes about 13% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Clay County, Alabama?
Unemployment in Clay County, Alabama is only 2.4%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
What share of adults in Clay County, Alabama have a college degree?
11.7% of adults in Clay County, Alabama hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 9), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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