Clay County, Missouri Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Clay County, MO 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 averageAmong the top 5 healthiest counties in Missouri
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B
Income Around averageAmong the top 5 wealthiest counties in Missouri
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 95% of counties in Missouri
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Clay County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 258,122 | 6,186,340 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 631.9 | 88.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.26% | 0.28% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.8 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 102,171 | 2,507,647 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Clay County grew by 13.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 258,122 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Clay County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 23.7% of residents. That is 2.5 points above Missouri as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 54,224 21.0% -0.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 61,288 23.7% +2.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 52,450 20.3% +0.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 38,277 14.8% -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 Missouri, 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 50.6% of the people living in Clay County and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% Missouri 50.7%
- Men 49.4% Missouri 49.3%
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 | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $87,903 | $70,801 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.09% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.8% | 4.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Clay County is about 24% higher than in Missouri.
Housing
| Metric | Clay County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $218,653 | $145,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,242 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 69.5% | 68.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Clay County is about 14.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,242 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Clay County spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 175 hours, about 7.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Clay County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.0 | 21.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.9 | 41.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 175 | 175 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,413 | $5,415 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 15.9% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 10,343 | 7,545 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,894 | 923 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Missouri:
Saline County (11.9 min), Adair County (12.0 min), Nodaway County (12.1 min).
Slowest:
Bollinger County (33.1 min), Ray County (32.2 min), Maries County (31.9 min).
The average commute time in Clay County is about the same as in Missouri.
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 B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Clay County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 32.2% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.50 | 2.40 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Missouri:
St. Louis County (0.4), Platte County (0.4), Boone County (0.4).
Lowest:
Bollinger County (0.2), Wayne County (0.2), Ripley County (0.2).
Health
Clay County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Clay County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.4 | 76.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.4% | 19.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.4% | 22.8% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Missouri:
St. Charles County (0.8), Platte County (0.8), Boone County (0.8).
Lowest:
Scotland County (0.7), Ripley County (0.7), Pemiscot County (0.8).
Clay County, MO Compared With Nearby Counties
Clay County, MO is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 258,122 residents against a local median of 110,371. Where Clay County, MO breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 224% above the local median of $67,499 at $218,653.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $87,903 against a local median of $71,052, 24% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is median household income, and at 24% above the local median it puts Clay County, MO at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $116,909 on median home price, so Clay County, MO sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Clay County, MO has the highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County, MO | 258,122 | $87,903 #2/6 | $218,653 #1/6 | 21.0 min #1/6 |
| Clinton County, MO | 21,414 | $71,052 | $61,709 | 27.2 min |
| Jackson County, MO | 719,648 | $68,888 | $119,553 | 22.0 min |
| Platte County, MO | 110,371 | $96,388 | $67,499 | 22.1 min |
| Wyandotte County, KS | 167,620 | $64,473 | $140,630 | 21.2 min |
| Ray County, MO | 23,145 | $74,607 | $23,721 | 32.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Clay County, Missouri.
How many people live in Clay County, Missouri?
About 258,122 people live in Clay County, Missouri, in 102,171 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 35.8, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
How densely populated is Clay County, Missouri?
Averaged over its land area, Clay County, Missouri has 632 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 7.3 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Clay County, Missouri?
The median home costs 2.5 times the median household income ($218,653 against $87,903), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,242 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Clay County, Missouri?
Unemployment in Clay County, Missouri is only 3.8%, 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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