Clay County, Texas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Clay County, TX 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 87% of counties in Texas
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C
Income Below averageWealthier than 74% of counties in Texas
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 77% of counties in Texas
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Clay County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 10,495 | 30,160,889 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 9.4 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.16% | 1.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 48.6 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 4,289 | 10,982,153 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Clay County declined by 5.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 10,495 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Clay County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 23.1% of residents. That is 3.7 points above Texas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,807 17.2% -6.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,923 18.3% -4.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,428 23.1% +3.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,373 22.6% +9.4 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 Texas, 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 50.4% of the people living in Clay County and men 49.6%.
- Women 50.4% Texas 50.1%
- Men 49.6% Texas 49.9%
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 C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Clay County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $80,953 | $78,939 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 7.64% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.0% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Clay County is about 3% higher than in Texas.
Housing
| Metric | Clay County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $34,614 | $258,873 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $811 | $1,402 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 84.0% | 62.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Clay County is about 3.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $811 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Clay County spend about 52 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 216 hours, about 9.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Clay County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 25.9 | 22.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 51.8 | 45.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 216 | 190 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,697 | $5,888 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.2% | 14.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,505 | 9,879 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 373 | 1,441 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Texas:
Loving County (3.2 min), King County (5.8 min), Terrell County (6.5 min).
Slowest:
Bandera County (38.6 min), San Jacinto County (35.9 min), Liberty County (33.6 min).
The average commute time in Clay County is 26 minutes, longer than the 23 minutes in Texas.
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 D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Clay County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 21.8% | 29.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.43 | 2.69 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Texas:
Collin County (0.4), Travis County (0.4), Fort Bend County (0.4).
Lowest:
Kenedy County (0.0), Hudspeth County (0.1), La Salle County (0.1).
Health
Clay County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Clay County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.7 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.6% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.4% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Texas:
Collin County (0.8), Travis County (0.8), Denton County (0.8).
Lowest:
Starr County (0.7), Brooks County (0.7), Presidio County (0.7).
Clay County, TX Compared With Nearby Counties
How Clay County, TX compares with the 2 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County, TX | 10,495 | $80,953 #1/3 | $34,614 #3/3 | 25.9 min #2/3 |
| Montague County, TX | 21,046 | $64,187 | $218,000 | 30.0 min |
| Wichita County, TX | 129,995 | $64,006 | $118,747 | 13.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Clay County, Texas.
How many people live in Clay County, Texas?
About 10,495 people live in Clay County, Texas, in 4,289 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 48.6, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 11 years.
Is Clay County, Texas mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Clay County, Texas has 9 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 11% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Clay County, Texas an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 0.4 times the median household income ($34,614 against $80,953), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $811 a month takes about 12% 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, Texas?
Unemployment in Clay County, Texas is only 2.0%, 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, Texas have a college degree?
21.8% of adults in Clay County, Texas hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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