Clay County Demographics

A map of Clay County's Population by Race

Clay County, Kentucky has an estimated population of 19,921, a slight decrease from the 20,345 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 91.3% White, 3.9% Black, 2.5% Multiracial, 2.1% Hispanic, 0.2% Native American/Other, and 0.1% 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 more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Kentucky 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 15.4% in 2020 and 16.5% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Clay County is ranked the 59th most populous county in Kentucky, out of 120 counties. Clay County was ranked the 56th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Clay County's White Population

18,179 residents of Clay County, or 91.3% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Clay County is higher than in Kentucky overall, where 81.5% of the population is White. Clay County ranks 55th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's White population has declined by an estimated 2.7%. White residents' share of Clay County's population has decreased from 91.8% to 91.3%.

Clay County is less White than neighboring Owsley County (95.5% White), Knox County (95% White), Leslie County (96.5% White), Jackson County (96.2% White), and Laurel County (94.8% White).

Clay County's Black Population

769 residents of Clay County, or 3.9% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Clay County is slightly lower than in Kentucky overall, where 7.6% of the population is Black. Clay County ranks 38th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Black population has declined by an estimated 5.8%. Black residents' share of Clay County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.9%.

Clay County is more Black than neighboring Owsley County (0% Black), Knox County (1% Black), Leslie County (0.2% Black), Jackson County (0.2% Black), and Laurel County (0.6% Black).

Clay County's Asian Population

14 residents of Clay County, or 0.1% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Clay County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 1.6% of the population is Asian. Clay County ranks 108th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 33.3%. Asian residents' share of Clay County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

Clay County is more Asian than neighboring Jackson County (0% Asian). Clay County is less Asian than neighboring Owsley County (0.2% Asian), Knox County (0.2% Asian), and Laurel County (0.3% Asian).

Clay County's Hispanic Population

421 residents of Clay County, or 2.1% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Clay County is slightly lower than in Kentucky overall, where 5% of the population is Hispanic. Clay County ranks 78th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 19.3%. Hispanic residents' share of Clay County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.1%.

Clay County is more Hispanic than neighboring Owsley County (0.1% Hispanic), Knox County (1.3% Hispanic), Leslie County (0.1% Hispanic), Jackson County (1.1% Hispanic), and Laurel County (1.7% Hispanic).

Clay County's Native American/Other Population

37 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 Kentucky overall, where 0.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Clay County ranks 96th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 36.2%. 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 Owsley County (0% Native American/Other), Knox County (0% Native American/Other), Leslie County (0% Native American/Other), and Jackson County (0.1% Native American/Other). Clay County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Laurel County (0.3% Native American/Other).

Clay County's Multiracial Population

501 residents of Clay County, or 2.5% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Clay County is comparable to the share in Kentucky overall, where 3.9% of the population is Multiracial. Clay County ranks 109th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 120 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 21.9%. Multiracial residents' share of Clay County's population has increased from 2.0% to 2.5%.

Clay County is more Multiracial than neighboring Knox County (2.4% Multiracial), Jackson County (2.4% Multiracial), and Laurel County (2.3% Multiracial). Clay County is less Multiracial than neighboring Owsley County (4.3% Multiracial), and Leslie County (3.1% 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.