Clay County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Clay County, MN 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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B
Health Around averageHealthier than 79% of counties in Minnesota
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B
Income Around average
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C
Education Below averageBetter educated than 88% of counties in Minnesota
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Clay County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 66,074 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 62.8 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.83% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 32.3 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 26,448 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Clay County grew by 19.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 66,074 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Clay County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 26.6% of residents. That is 5.3 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 17,575 26.6% +5.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 14,100 21.3% -0.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 11,199 16.9% -2.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 8,920 13.5% -3.0 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 Minnesota, 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 50.2% of the people living in Clay County and men 49.8%.
- Women 50.2% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 49.8% Minnesota 50.0%
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 B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Clay County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $81,412 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.02% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.1% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Clay County is about 9% lower than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Clay County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $269,567 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,019 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 65.9% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Clay County is about 22.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,019 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Clay County spend about 34 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 143 hours, about 6.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Clay County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.2 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 34.4 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 143 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,446 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.8% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,089 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,007 | 854 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Minnesota:
Brown County (10.6 min), Pennington County (10.8 min), Cottonwood County (10.9 min).
Slowest:
Chisago County (30.9 min), Wright County (28.8 min), Sherburne County (28.8 min).
The average commute time in Clay County is 17 minutes, shorter than the 20 minutes in Minnesota.
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 C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Clay County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 31.4% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.38 | 2.43 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Minnesota:
Hennepin County (0.4), Olmsted County (0.4), Carver County (0.4).
Lowest:
Nobles County (0.2), Mahnomen County (0.2), Watonwan County (0.2).
Health
Clay County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Clay County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.9 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 10.6% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.9% | 18.5% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Minnesota:
Carver County (0.8), Washington County (0.8), Stevens County (0.8).
Lowest:
Mahnomen County (0.8), Clearwater County (0.8), Beltrami County (0.8).
Clay County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
How Clay County, MN compares with the 1 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County, MN | 66,074 | $81,412 #1/2 | $269,567 #2/2 | 17.2 min #2/2 |
| Cass County, ND | 193,305 | $75,698 | $281,320 | 15.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Clay County, Minnesota.
What is the population of Clay County, Minnesota?
About 66,074 people live in Clay County, Minnesota, in 26,448 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 32.3, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Clay County, Minnesota mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Clay County, Minnesota has 63 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Clay County, Minnesota?
The median home costs 3.3 times the median household income ($269,567 against $81,412), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,019 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Clay County, Minnesota?
Unemployment in Clay County, Minnesota is only 4.1%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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