Clay County Demographics

A map of Clay County's Population by Race

Clay County, Tennessee has an estimated population of 7,670, a slight increase from the 7,581 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 93.8% White, 3.3% Black, 1.8% Multiracial, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% Native American/Other, and 0.2% Hispanic. 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 Tennessee 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 9.7% in 2020 and 11.8% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Clay County is ranked the 90th most populous county in Tennessee, out of 95 counties. Clay County was ranked the 90th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Clay County's White Population

7,196 residents of Clay County, or 93.8% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Clay County is significantly higher than in Tennessee overall, where 71% of the population is White. Clay County ranks 5th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 95 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 95.0% to 93.8%.

Clay County is more White than neighboring Jackson County (92.2% White), Monroe County (91.3% White), Cumberland County (92.5% White), and Putnam County (85% White). Clay County is less White than neighboring Overton County (94.2% White).

Clay County's Black Population

256 residents of Clay County, or 3.3% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Clay County is considerably lower than in Tennessee overall, where 15.4% of the population is Black. Clay County ranks 77th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Black population has grown by an estimated 236.8%. Black residents' share of Clay County's population has increased from 1.0% to 3.3%.

Clay County is more Black than neighboring Jackson County (0.4% Black), Monroe County (1.8% Black), Cumberland County (1.5% Black), Overton County (1.4% Black), and Putnam County (2.4% Black).

Clay County's Asian Population

41 residents of Clay County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Clay County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 1.9% of the population is Asian. Clay County ranks 94th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 720.0%. Asian residents' share of Clay County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Clay County is more Asian than neighboring Jackson County (0% Asian), Monroe County (0% Asian), Cumberland County (0.3% Asian), and Overton County (0.2% Asian). Clay County is less Asian than neighboring Putnam County (1.1% Asian).

Clay County's Hispanic Population

18 residents of Clay County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Clay County is lower than in Tennessee overall, where 7.4% of the population is Hispanic. Clay County ranks 80th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Hispanic population has declined by an estimated 86.2%. Hispanic residents' share of Clay County's population has decreased from 1.7% to 0.2%.

Clay County is less Hispanic than neighboring Jackson County (2.8% Hispanic), Monroe County (4.6% Hispanic), Cumberland County (2% Hispanic), Overton County (2.2% Hispanic), and Putnam County (8.4% Hispanic).

Clay County's Native American/Other Population

20 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 Tennessee overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. Clay County ranks 89th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 9.1%. 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 Jackson County (0.2% Native American/Other), Monroe County (0.1% Native American/Other), and Putnam County (0.2% Native American/Other). Clay County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Cumberland County (0.7% Native American/Other).

Clay County's Multiracial Population

139 residents of Clay County, or 1.8% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Clay County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 3.7% of the population is Multiracial. Clay County ranks 94th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 4.8%. Multiracial residents' share of Clay County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.8%.

Clay County is more Multiracial than neighboring Overton County (1.7% Multiracial). Clay County is less Multiracial than neighboring Jackson County (4.3% Multiracial), Monroe County (2.2% Multiracial), Cumberland County (3.1% Multiracial), and Putnam County (2.8% 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.