Clay County, Arkansas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Clay County, AR 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 average
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D
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 74% of counties in Arkansas
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Clay County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 14,278 | 3,049,066 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 22.3 | 57.3 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.78% | 0.32% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.2 | 36.8 | 37.3 |
| Households | 6,020 | 1,205,703 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Clay County declined by 11.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14,278 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Clay County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 21.2% of residents. That is 3.1 points above Arkansas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,640 18.5% -3.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,707 19.0% -2.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,979 20.9% +1.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,033 21.2% +3.1 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 Arkansas, 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 51.5% of the people living in Clay County and men 48.5%.
- Women 51.5% Arkansas 50.6%
- Men 48.5% Arkansas 49.4%
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 | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $51,698 | $60,940 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.96% | 4.58% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.3% | 4.9% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Clay County is about 15% lower than in Arkansas.
Housing
| Metric | Clay County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $47,513 | $111,957 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $707 | $947 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 74.7% | 66.4% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Clay County is about 5.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $707 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Clay County spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 169 hours, about 7.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Clay County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.3 | 18.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 40.7 | 37.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 169 | 155 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,252 | $4,807 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.0% | 8.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,190 | 6,306 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 409 | 912 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Arkansas:
Arkansas County (11.9 min), Phillips County (13.2 min), Howard County (13.4 min).
Slowest:
Perry County (32.2 min), Newton County (31.6 min), Madison County (31.1 min).
The average commute time in Clay County is 20 minutes, longer than the 19 minutes in Arkansas.
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 | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 14.5% | 22.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.35 | 2.46 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Arkansas:
Pulaski County (0.3), Benton County (0.3), Washington County (0.3).
Lowest:
Lee County (0.2), Lincoln County (0.2), Scott County (0.2).
Health
Clay County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Clay County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 73.7 | 75.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 23.6% | 22.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 24.0% | 23.3% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Arkansas:
Benton County (0.8), Washington County (0.8), Newton County (0.8).
Lowest:
Phillips County (0.7), Chicot County (0.7), Desha County (0.8).
Clay County, AR Compared With Nearby Counties
Clay County, AR is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 14,278 residents against a local median of 44,226. The measure that sets Clay County, AR apart most is median home price: $47,513, 68% below the local median of $147,356.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 20.3 min against a local median of 17.3 min, 18% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 18% above the local median it puts Clay County, AR at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $168,596 on median home price, so Clay County, AR sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Clay County, AR has the 5th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County, AR | 14,278 | $51,698 #3/5 | $47,513 #5/5 | 20.3 min #5/5 |
| Greene County, AR | 46,432 | $58,818 | $137,502 | 17.3 min |
| Dunklin County, MO | 23,538 | $48,339 | $157,211 | 18.4 min |
| Butler County, MO | 42,020 | $48,932 | $53,750 | 15.4 min |
| Craighead County, AR | 113,245 | $59,696 | $222,346 | 17.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Clay County, Arkansas.
How many people live in Clay County, Arkansas?
About 14,278 people live in Clay County, Arkansas, in 6,020 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 40.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is Clay County, Arkansas mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Clay County, Arkansas has 22 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 26% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Clay County, Arkansas an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 0.9 times the median household income ($47,513 against $51,698), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $707 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Clay County, Arkansas?
14.5% of adults in Clay County, Arkansas hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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