Demographics of Clay County, North Carolina

Clay County, North Carolina had 12,239 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +1,098 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

12,239
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +9.9%
Change since July 2020: +1,098 people.; 55.0 ±0.6
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $56,971 ±$8,915
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, North Carolina's population grew 9.9% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Clay County, North Carolina'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, North Carolina's population grew 9.9% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Clay County, North Carolina'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	11,141	100.0	100.0
2021	11,376	102.1	100.2
2022	11,594	104.1	100.7
2023	11,830	106.2	101.6
2024	11,966	107.4	102.5
2025	12,239	109.9	103.1

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Population of Clay County, North Carolina on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	11,141	+58	−15	0	+83
2021	11,376	+235	−64	+2	+322
2022	11,594	+218	−116	+2	+310
2023	11,830	+236	−78	+2	+304
2024	11,966	+136	−68	+5	+195
2025	12,239	+273	−45	−3	+324

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 55.0 ±0.6: for men 53.7 ±0.6 and for women 56.8 ±2.3. 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	North Carolina	United States
Under 5	544 ±112	4.7% ±1.0	5.6% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	1,321 ±181	11.4% ±1.6	16.1% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	718 ±276	6.2% ±2.4	9.5% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	1,911 ±263	16.5% ±2.3	26.2% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	3,310 ±318	28.5% ±2.7	25.4% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	3,806 ±333	32.8% ±2.9	17.2% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $56,971 ±$8,915, and income per person $40,205 ±$4,233, in 2024 dollars. The median is $72,388 ±$324 in North Carolina 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	North Carolina	United States
Under $25,000	1,135 ±289	22.3% ±5.5	15.8% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	1,114 ±288	21.9% ±5.5	19.1% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	676 ±211	13.3% ±4.1	16.8% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	578 ±146	11.4% ±2.8	13.0% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	956 ±261	18.8% ±5.0	16.6% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	402 ±126	7.9% ±2.4	8.3% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	220 ±87	4.3% ±1.7	10.4% ±0.1	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	North Carolina	United States
All ages	1,452 ±390	12.9% ±3.5	13.0% ±0.2	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	35 to 257	2.4% to 15.6%	17.7% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	559 ±254	12.5% ±5.6	12.1% ±0.2	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	747 ±218	14.5% ±4.1	10.9% ±0.2	11.0% ±<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%.

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Clay County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Clay County	North Carolina	United States
Housing units	7,497 ±18	4,895,668 ±642	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	67.8% ±4.3	87.5% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	32.2% ±4.3	12.5% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	81.2% ±3.2	66.6% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	18.8% ±5.2	33.4% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$278,400 ±$32,756	$288,900 ±$1,086	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$804 ±$238	$1,228 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1990 ±3	1991 ±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	North Carolina	United States
Hispanic or Latino	481 ±0	4.1% ±<0.1	11.3% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	10,469 ±123	90.2% ±1.1	60.0% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	254 ±70	2.2% ±0.6	20.0% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0 to 134	0% to 1.2%	3.3% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	1 to 85	< 0.1% to 0.7%	0.8% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 21	0% to 0.2%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 181	0% to 1.6%	0.5% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	211 ±92	1.8% ±0.8	4.1% ±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	North Carolina	United States
Born in the state	3,267 ±399	28.1% ±3.4	53.6% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	7,882 ±397	67.9% ±3.4	35.9% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	0 to 137	0% to 1.2%	1.4% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	168 to 620	1.4% to 5.3%	9.1% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	75 to 467	0.6% to 4.0%	3.8% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	23 to 223	0.2% to 1.9%	5.2% ±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 North Carolina

92nd of 100 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the North Carolina page.

Counties of North Carolina near Clay County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Mitchell County	15,062	+1.1%
Chowan County	14,082	+2.8%
Swain County	14,024	−0.6%
Perquimans County	13,490	+3.6%
Pamlico County	12,758	+3.7%
Clay County	12,239	+9.9%
Alleghany County	11,479	+5.4%
Camden County	11,315	+8.7%
Washington County	10,638	−3.1%
Gates County	10,234	−2.1%
Jones County	9,575	+4.6%

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