Demographics of Clay County, South Dakota

Clay County, South Dakota had 15,031 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +27 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

15,031
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +0.2%
Change since July 2020: +27 people.; 24.9 ±0.7
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $56,850 ±$5,165
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, South Dakota's population grew 0.2% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Clay County, South Dakota'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, South Dakota's population grew 0.2% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Clay County, South Dakota'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	15,004	100.0	100.0
2021	15,170	101.1	100.2
2022	15,268	101.8	100.7
2023	15,342	102.3	101.6
2024	15,190	101.2	102.5
2025	15,031	100.2	103.1

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Population of Clay County, South Dakota on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	15,004	+31	+5	0	+21
2021	15,170	+166	+20	+19	+119
2022	15,268	+98	+8	+33	+59
2023	15,342	+74	−14	+11	+80
2024	15,190	−152	−44	+79	−189
2025	15,031	−159	−41	+63	−182

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 24.9 ±0.7: for men 26.5 ±1.4 and for women 24.1 ±0.5. 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	South Dakota	United States
Under 5	708 ±66	4.7% ±0.4	6.3% ±0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	1,937 ±224	12.7% ±1.5	17.9% ±0.2	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	4,980 ±524	32.7% ±3.4	9.3% ±0.4	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	3,284 ±263	21.6% ±1.7	25.2% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	2,454 ±254	16.1% ±1.7	23.3% ±0.2	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	1,856 ±225	12.2% ±1.5	18.0% ±0.3	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $56,850 ±$5,165, and income per person $30,824 ±$2,649, in 2024 dollars. The median is $75,081 ±$888 in South Dakota 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	South Dakota	United States
Under $25,000	1,360 ±317	24.5% ±5.6	14.0% ±0.4	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	1,039 ±263	18.7% ±4.7	18.5% ±0.5	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	897 ±183	16.2% ±3.2	17.4% ±0.4	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	717 ±200	12.9% ±3.6	14.6% ±0.4	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	831 ±201	15.0% ±3.6	18.9% ±0.5	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	350 ±98	6.3% ±1.7	8.5% ±0.3	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	353 ±101	6.4% ±1.8	8.1% ±0.4	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	South Dakota	United States
All ages	2,514 ±372	19.7% ±2.9	11.9% ±0.4	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	77 to 283	3.1% to 10.8%	14.3% ±0.6	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	2,043 ±324	26.1% ±3.8	11.8% ±0.5	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	291 ±137	12.5% ±5.7	9.7% ±0.4	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	South Dakota	United States
Housing units	6,262 ±38	408,584 ±422	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	88.6% ±3.4	89.5% ±0.4	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	11.4% ±3.4	10.5% ±0.4	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	50.8% ±3.0	68.6% ±0.5	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	49.2% ±4.6	31.4% ±0.5	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$232,300 ±$23,314	$257,400 ±$3,051	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$770 ±$55	$946 ±$11	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1976 ±3	1980 ±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	South Dakota	United States
Hispanic or Latino	504 ±0	3.3% ±<0.1	4.8% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	12,807 ±262	84.2% ±1.7	79.8% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	278 ±65	1.8% ±0.4	2.1% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	452 ±17	3.0% ±0.1	1.4% ±0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	392 ±116	2.6% ±0.8	7.1% ±0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 16	0% to 0.1%	< 0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 15	0% to 0.1%	0.3% ±0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	780 ±277	5.1% ±1.8	4.4% ±0.2	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	South Dakota	United States
Born in the state	8,371 ±528	55.0% ±3.5	62.4% ±0.4	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	6,202 ±519	40.8% ±3.4	32.9% ±0.4	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	31 to 111	0.2% to 0.7%	0.7% ±0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	575 ±161	3.8% ±1.1	4.0% ±0.2	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	177 ±76	1.2% ±0.5	1.7% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	398 ±174	2.6% ±1.1	2.3% ±0.2	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 South Dakota

14th of 66 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the South Dakota page.

Counties of South Dakota near Clay County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Yankton County	23,635	+1.5%
Davison County	20,069	+0.5%
Beadle County	19,624	+2.4%
Hughes County	17,570	−0.9%
Union County	17,402	+3.2%
Clay County	15,031	+0.2%
Oglala Lakota County	13,338	−2.3%
Lake County	10,993	−0.2%
Butte County	10,856	+5.5%
Roberts County	10,255	−0.1%
Custer County	9,431	+13.2%

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