Demographics of Clay County, Mississippi

Clay County, Mississippi had 18,238 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: −382 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

18,238
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; −2.1%
Change since July 2020: −382 people.; 39.8 ±1.1
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $43,125 ±$7,209
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, Mississippi's population shrank 2.1% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Clay County, Mississippi'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, Mississippi's population shrank 2.1% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Clay County, Mississippi'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	18,620	100.0	100.0
2021	18,490	99.3	100.2
2022	18,340	98.5	100.7
2023	18,260	98.1	101.6
2024	18,239	98.0	102.5
2025	18,238	97.9	103.1

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Population of Clay County, Mississippi on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	18,620	−13	−19	0	+2
2021	18,490	−130	−43	0	−97
2022	18,340	−150	−51	+4	−92
2023	18,260	−80	−26	0	−51
2024	18,239	−21	−2	0	−18
2025	18,238	−1	−9	−1	+9

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 39.8 ±1.1: for men 38.9 ±2.2 and for women 41.4 ±1.5. 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	Mississippi	United States
Under 5	1,109 ±102	6.0% ±0.6	6.0% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	3,036 ±283	16.5% ±1.5	17.4% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	1,651 ±348	9.0% ±1.9	9.8% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	4,498 ±436	24.5% ±2.4	25.1% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	4,455 ±291	24.2% ±1.6	24.6% ±0.2	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	3,634 ±313	19.8% ±1.7	17.2% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $43,125 ±$7,209, and income per person $27,385 ±$3,055, in 2024 dollars. The median is $56,447 ±$539 in Mississippi 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	Mississippi	United States
Under $25,000	2,197 ±397	28.1% ±5.0	23.1% ±0.4	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	1,931 ±356	24.7% ±4.5	22.0% ±0.4	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	1,450 ±289	18.6% ±3.6	16.5% ±0.3	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	1,085 ±244	13.9% ±3.1	12.0% ±0.3	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	702 ±193	9.0% ±2.5	14.4% ±0.3	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	260 ±105	3.3% ±1.3	6.2% ±0.2	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	180 ±87	2.3% ±1.1	5.8% ±0.2	13.4% ±0.1

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	Mississippi	United States
All ages	3,780 ±801	20.9% ±4.4	18.9% ±0.3	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	1,338 ±327	32.4% ±6.9	26.0% ±0.6	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	1,757 ±438	18.9% ±4.5	17.4% ±0.3	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	685 ±180	14.6% ±3.7	15.2% ±0.4	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Clay County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Clay County	Mississippi	United States
Housing units	9,052 ±15	1,341,114 ±478	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	86.2% ±3.1	85.4% ±0.3	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	13.8% ±3.1	14.6% ±0.3	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	71.3% ±2.9	70.0% ±0.4	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	28.7% ±4.0	30.0% ±0.4	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$129,100 ±$25,890	$169,800 ±$1,198	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$817 ±$115	$954 ±$8	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1983 ±3	1986 ±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	Mississippi	United States
Hispanic or Latino	3 to 69	< 0.1% to 0.4%	3.7% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	6,773 ±134	36.8% ±0.7	55.2% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	11,058 ±144	60.2% ±0.8	36.3% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0 to 46	0% to 0.3%	1.0% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0 to 22	0% to 0.1%	0.4% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 22	0% to 0.1%	< 0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 22	0% to 0.1%	0.3% ±0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	496 ±195	2.7% ±1.1	3.0% ±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	Mississippi	United States
Born in the state	15,641 ±455	85.1% ±2.5	70.8% ±0.3	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	2,674 ±447	14.5% ±2.4	26.1% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	0 to 22	0% to 0.1%	0.7% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	16 to 120	0.1% to 0.7%	2.4% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	10 to 106	0.1% to 0.6%	1.0% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	0 to 27	0% to 0.1%	1.4% ±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 Mississippi

49th of 82 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the Mississippi page.

Counties of Mississippi near Clay County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Grenada County	20,868	−3.3%
Coahoma County	19,849	−6.5%
Wayne County	19,807	> −0.1%
Stone County	19,654	+7.2%
Tishomingo County	18,639	−1.1%
Clay County	18,238	−2.1%
Covington County	17,898	−2.2%
Winston County	17,473	−1.2%
Attala County	17,100	−4.1%
Chickasaw County	16,730	−2.1%
Jasper County	15,785	−3.5%

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