Clay County Demographics

A map of Clay County's Population by Race

Clay County, Illinois has an estimated population of 13,052, a slight decrease from the 13,288 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 94.8% White, 2.3% Multiracial, 2.0% Hispanic, 0.3% Black, 0.3% Native American/Other, and 0.2% Asian. 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 less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Illinois 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 11.6% in 2020 and 10.0% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Clay County is ranked the 80th most populous county in Illinois, out of 102 counties. Clay County was ranked the 80th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Clay County's White Population

12,377 residents of Clay County, or 94.8% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Clay County is significantly higher than in Illinois overall, where 58.1% of the population is White. Clay County ranks 19th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Clay County's population has increased from 93.9% to 94.8%.

Clay County is more White than neighboring Effingham County (94.2% White), Richland County (93.4% White), and Marion County (89.1% White). Clay County is less White than neighboring Wayne County (95% White), and Jasper County (96.8% White).

Clay County's Black Population

38 residents of Clay County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Clay County is considerably lower than in Illinois overall, where 13.3% of the population is Black. Clay County ranks 99th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Black population has grown by an estimated 26.7%. Black residents' share of Clay County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Clay County is more Black than neighboring Jasper County (0.1% Black). Clay County is less Black than neighboring Marion County (2.9% Black).

Clay County's Asian Population

28 residents of Clay County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Clay County is lower than in Illinois overall, where 5.9% of the population is Asian. Clay County ranks 43rd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 63.6%. Asian residents' share of Clay County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Clay County is more Asian than neighboring Jasper County (0.1% Asian). Clay County is less Asian than neighboring Effingham County (0.8% Asian), Wayne County (0.6% Asian), Richland County (0.5% Asian), and Marion County (0.7% Asian).

Clay County's Hispanic Population

264 residents of Clay County, or 2.0% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Clay County is significantly lower than in Illinois overall, where 18.8% of the population is Hispanic. Clay County ranks 80th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 18.4%. Hispanic residents' share of Clay County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.0%.

Clay County is more Hispanic than neighboring Jasper County (1.3% Hispanic). Clay County is less Hispanic than neighboring Effingham County (2.8% Hispanic), Wayne County (2.1% Hispanic), and Marion County (2.2% Hispanic).

Clay County's Native American/Other Population

42 residents of Clay County, or 0.3% 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 Illinois overall, where 0.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Clay County ranks 59th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 17.6%. Native American/Other residents' share of Clay County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Clay County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Effingham County (0.2% Native American/Other), Wayne County (0% Native American/Other), and Jasper County (0% Native American/Other). Clay County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Richland County (1% Native American/Other), and Marion County (0.9% Native American/Other).

Clay County's Multiracial Population

303 residents of Clay County, or 2.3% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Clay County is comparable to the share in Illinois overall, where 3.4% of the population is Multiracial. Clay County ranks 60th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 102 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 28.9%. Multiracial residents' share of Clay County's population has decreased from 3.2% to 2.3%.

Clay County is more Multiracial than neighboring Effingham County (1.6% Multiracial), Wayne County (2% Multiracial), and Jasper County (1.6% Multiracial). Clay County is less Multiracial than neighboring Richland County (2.8% Multiracial), and Marion County (4.2% 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.