Housing Market Overview
The median home price (often called the average home price), rent costs, affordability metrics, and housing stock characteristics for this housing market.
Median Home Price Map: Nearby Counties
Housing Market Overview
| Metric | Clay County | Nebraska Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $46,249 | $167,658 | $242,182 |
| Price Trend (Annual %) | -5.8% | 8.2% | 8.2% |
| Median Gross Rent | $701 | $1,035 | $1,342 |
| Rent Trend (Annual %) | 3.4% | 4.8% | 5.1% |
| Household Income Trend (Annual %) | — | — | — |
The median home price in Clay County is about 72% lower than in Nebraska. Rent is about 32% lower than the Nebraska average.
Median Home and Rent Price Trends
Median Home Prices, 2015-2022
Median Rent Prices, 2015-2023
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Clay County: home prices fell about 5.8% a year while rent rose about 3.4% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
Median rent in Clay County rose about 24.7% between 2015 and 2023, from $562 to $701. Over the same span, rent in Nebraska rose about 42.6%.
Affordability
On average, housing unit costs 0.6 yearly household incomes in Clay County.
Buying the median-priced home in Clay County costs roughly 5.5 years of rent at the median monthly rate. That is a relatively low price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor buying over renting in Clay County. The price-to-rent ratio in Nebraska is about 13.5.
| Metric | Clay County | Nebraska Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $46,249 | $167,658 | $242,182 |
| Median Household Income | $75,817 | $74,987 | $78,145 |
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 0.6 | 2.2 | 3.1 |
Home Prices vs Income Over Time
Between 2015 and 2022, the median home price in Clay County fell about 26.4%, while median household income rose about 92.3% between 2009 and 2023 — income grew faster than the home price.
Income Growth vs Housing Cost Growth (Year-over-Year %)
Compare income and housing cost trends.
Occupancy & Tenure
| Metric | Clay County | Nebraska Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership Rate | 70.9% | 61.2% | 58.2% |
| Rental Rate | 17.0% | 30.8% | 31.3% |
| Vacancy Rate | 12.1% | 8.0% | 10.6% |
| Median Tenure (years) | 16.0 | 14.0 | 15.0 |
| Median Year Moved In | 2010 | 2012 | 2011 |
Clay County has a homeownership rate of 70.9%, higher than the Nebraska average of 61.2%. Its housing vacancy rate is 12.1%, compared with 8.0% in Nebraska.
Housing Stock
| Metric | Clay County | Nebraska Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | 2.42 people | 2.43 people | 2.54 people |
| Median Structure Built Year | 1960 | 1973 | 1978 |
| Median Number of Rooms | 7.0 | 6.1 | 5.5 |
The typical housing unit in Clay County was built around 1960. On average, 2.4 people live in a home with about 7.0 rooms, staying for about 16.0 years on average.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the housing market in Clay County, Nebraska.
What is the median home price in Clay County, Nebraska?
The median home price in Clay County, Nebraska is $46,249, lower than the Nebraska average of $167,658.
What is the average home price in Clay County, Nebraska?
The typical home price in %s, reported as the median sale price, is %s. The median is used instead of a mathematical average because it is not skewed by a small number of very expensive or very cheap homes, so it better reflects what a typical buyer pays.
What is the median rent in Clay County, Nebraska?
The median gross rent in Clay County, Nebraska is $701 per month, lower than the Nebraska average of $1,035.
What was the median gross rent in Clay County in 2020?
In 2020, the median gross rent in Clay County, Nebraska was $586 per month.
What is the price-to-rent ratio in Clay County, Nebraska?
The price-to-rent ratio in Clay County, Nebraska is about 5.5, meaning it would take roughly 5.5 years of rent payments at the median rent to equal the median home price. That is a relatively low price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor buying over renting in Clay County.
Are home prices or rent rising faster in Clay County, Nebraska?
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Clay County: home prices fell about 5.8% a year while rent rose about 3.4% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
What is the homeownership rate in Clay County, Nebraska?
70.9% of households in Clay County, Nebraska own their home, higher than the Nebraska average of 61.2%.
What is the vacancy rate in Clay County, Nebraska?
The housing vacancy rate in Clay County, Nebraska is 12.1%, higher than the Nebraska average of 8.0%.