Clay County Demographics

A map of Clay County's Population by Race

Clay County, Iowa has an estimated population of 16,461, a less than 1% change from the 16,384 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 91.1% White, 4.7% Hispanic, 2.9% Multiracial, 0.8% Asian, 0.3% Black, and 0.2% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Clay County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Clay has become more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Iowa overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Clay County, that probability was 15.7% in 2020 and 16.7% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Clay County is ranked the 46th most populous county in Iowa, out of 99 counties. Clay County was ranked the 47th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Clay County's White Population

14,994 residents of Clay County, or 91.1% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Clay County is higher than in Iowa overall, where 82.3% of the population is White. Clay County ranks 51st statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Clay County's population has decreased from 91.7% to 91.1%.

Clay County is more White than neighboring Buena Vista County (52.1% White), O'Brien County (87% White), and Emmet County (85.2% White). Clay County is less White than neighboring Dickinson County (93.4% White), and Palo Alto County (91.3% White).

Clay County's Black Population

45 residents of Clay County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Clay County is slightly lower than in Iowa overall, where 3.8% of the population is Black. Clay County ranks 57th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Black population has declined by an estimated 54.5%. Black residents' share of Clay County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Clay County is more Black than neighboring Dickinson County (0% Black). Clay County is less Black than neighboring Buena Vista County (3.3% Black), Palo Alto County (1.6% Black), O'Brien County (1.7% Black), and Emmet County (1.6% Black).

Clay County's Asian Population

124 residents of Clay County, or 0.8% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Clay County is comparable to the share in Iowa overall, where 2.5% of the population is Asian. Clay County ranks 33rd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 18.1%. Asian residents' share of Clay County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.8%.

Clay County is more Asian than neighboring Dickinson County (0.5% Asian), Palo Alto County (0.6% Asian), O'Brien County (0.7% Asian), and Emmet County (0.2% Asian). Clay County is less Asian than neighboring Buena Vista County (9.5% Asian).

Clay County's Hispanic Population

781 residents of Clay County, or 4.7% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Clay County is slightly lower than in Iowa overall, where 7.3% of the population is Hispanic. Clay County ranks 37th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 10.9%. Hispanic residents' share of Clay County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 4.7%.

Clay County is more Hispanic than neighboring Dickinson County (2.9% Hispanic), and Palo Alto County (3.5% Hispanic). Clay County is less Hispanic than neighboring Buena Vista County (29.4% Hispanic), O'Brien County (7.6% Hispanic), and Emmet County (10.2% Hispanic).

Clay County's Native American/Other Population

41 residents of Clay County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Clay County is comparable to the share in Iowa overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. Clay County ranks 75th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 19.6%. Native American/Other residents' share of Clay County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Clay County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Dickinson County (0.1% Native American/Other). Clay County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Buena Vista County (3.4% Native American/Other), O'Brien County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Emmet County (0.6% Native American/Other).

Clay County's Multiracial Population

476 residents of Clay County, or 2.9% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Clay County is comparable to the share in Iowa overall, where 3.5% of the population is Multiracial. Clay County ranks 53rd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 19.0%. Multiracial residents' share of Clay County's population has increased from 2.4% to 2.9%.

Clay County is more Multiracial than neighboring Buena Vista County (2.4% Multiracial), Palo Alto County (2.8% Multiracial), O'Brien County (2.6% Multiracial), and Emmet County (2.1% Multiracial). Clay County is less Multiracial than neighboring Dickinson County (3.2% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.