Demographics of Clay County, Kentucky

Clay County, Kentucky had 19,465 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: −843 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Clay County, in four figures

19,465
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; −4.2%
Change since July 2020: −843 people.; 40.2 ±1.1
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $40,900 ±$7,504
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Clay County, Kentucky's population shrank 4.2% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Clay County, Kentucky's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

U.S. Census Bureau — Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change

About this chart

The figures

Clay County, Kentucky's population shrank 4.2% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Clay County, Kentucky's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	20,308	100.0	100.0
2021	20,162	99.3	100.2
2022	19,882	97.9	100.7
2023	19,660	96.8	101.6
2024	19,555	96.3	102.5
2025	19,465	95.8	103.1

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Population of Clay County, Kentucky on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	20,308	−28	−9	0	−22
2021	20,162	−146	−137	0	−28
2022	19,882	−280	−152	+5	−128
2023	19,660	−222	−82	+3	−142
2024	19,555	−105	−101	+3	−6
2025	19,465	−90	−97	−2	+7

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 40.2 ±1.1: for men 39.2 ±1.2 and for women 41.4 ±0.8. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Clay County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Kentucky	United States
Under 5	1,120 ±50	5.6% ±0.2	5.9% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	2,976 ±215	14.9% ±1.1	16.7% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	1,379 ±253	6.9% ±1.3	9.1% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	5,811 ±337	29.2% ±1.7	25.7% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	5,455 ±326	27.4% ±1.6	25.3% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	3,180 ±348	16.0% ±1.7	17.3% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $40,900 ±$7,504, and income per person $21,846 ±$1,882, in 2024 dollars. The median is $63,726 ±$429 in Kentucky and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Clay County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Kentucky	United States
Under $25,000	2,509 ±368	34.4% ±4.9	19.6% ±0.3	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	1,789 ±323	24.5% ±4.3	20.4% ±0.3	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	1,034 ±278	14.2% ±3.8	17.1% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	835 ±247	11.5% ±3.4	12.8% ±0.2	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	756 ±204	10.4% ±2.8	15.9% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	131 to 419	1.8% to 5.7%	7.1% ±0.2	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	24 to 156	0.3% to 2.1%	7.2% ±0.1	13.4% ±0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Clay County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Kentucky	United States
All ages	5,933 ±831	32.4% ±4.5	16.1% ±0.3	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	1,853 ±299	46.7% ±5.2	20.3% ±0.4	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	3,004 ±436	30.4% ±4.0	15.4% ±0.3	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	1,076 ±248	23.9% ±5.1	13.4% ±0.3	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Clay County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Clay County	Kentucky	United States
Housing units	8,664 ±36	2,023,116 ±474	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	84.1% ±3.3	89.7% ±0.3	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	15.9% ±3.3	10.3% ±0.3	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	76.4% ±3.2	68.3% ±0.4	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	23.6% ±3.9	31.7% ±0.3	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$90,700 ±$13,106	$205,600 ±$1,096	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$724 ±$55	$967 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1989 ±3	1982 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Clay County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Kentucky	United States
Hispanic or Latino	421 ±0	2.1% ±<0.1	5.0% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	18,179 ±365	91.3% ±1.8	81.5% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	769 ±86	3.9% ±0.4	7.6% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0 to 37	0% to 0.2%	1.6% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0 to 35	0% to 0.2%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 20	0% to 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 54	0% to 0.3%	0.3% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	121 to 881	0.6% to 4.4%	3.9% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Clay County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Kentucky	United States
Born in the state	16,023 ±445	80.4% ±2.2	67.3% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	3,688 ±445	18.5% ±2.2	27.1% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	2 to 76	< 0.1% to 0.4%	0.9% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	171 ±79	0.9% ±0.4	4.7% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	0 to 57	0% to 0.3%	1.9% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	145 ±70	0.7% ±0.4	2.8% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Clay County among the counties of Kentucky

63rd of 120 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the Kentucky page.

Counties of Kentucky near Clay County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Hart County	20,117	+4.3%
Marion County	20,115	+2.7%
Letcher County	19,952	−7.0%
Harrison County	19,627	+4.9%
Wayne County	19,597	+0.3%
Clay County	19,465	−4.2%
Adair County	19,423	+2.8%
Russell County	18,608	+3.4%
Garrard County	18,207	+7.3%
McCreary County	17,124	+1.7%
Mason County	16,936	−1.2%

Elsewhere on the site

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Data retrieved September 25, 2026