Clay County Demographics

A map of Clay County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	7,583	7,651	96.8%	95.0%
Multiracial	226	294	2.9%	3.7%
Hispanic	18	52	0.2%	0.6%
Black	4	11	0.1%	0.1%
Native American/Other	4	30	0.1%	0.4%
Asian	0	13	0.0%	0.2%

Clay County, West Virginia has an estimated population of 7,835, a slight decrease from the 8,051 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 96.8% White, 2.9% Multiracial, 0.2% Hispanic, 0.1% Black, 0.1% Native American/Other, and 0.0% 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 West Virginia 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 9.6% in 2020 and 6.3% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Clay County is ranked the 47th most populous county in West Virginia, out of 55 counties. Clay County was ranked the 47th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Clay County's White Population

7,583 residents of Clay County, or 96.8% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Clay County is higher than in West Virginia overall, where 89.7% of the population is White. Clay County ranks 15th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 55 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 95.0% to 96.8%.

Clay County is more White than neighboring Nicholas County (96.3% White), Roane County (95% White), Calhoun County (95.6% White), Braxton County (86.5% White), and Fayette County (91.4% White).

Clay County's Black Population

4 residents of Clay County, or 0.1% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Clay County is slightly lower than in West Virginia overall, where 3.1% of the population is Black. Clay County ranks 52nd statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Black population has declined by an estimated 63.6%. Black residents' share of Clay County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

Clay County is more Black than neighboring Roane County (0% Black). Clay County is less Black than neighboring Nicholas County (0.5% Black), Braxton County (0.6% Black), and Fayette County (4.1% Black).

Clay County's Asian Population

0 residents of Clay County, or 0.0% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Clay County is comparable to the share in West Virginia overall, where 0.8% of the population is Asian. Clay County ranks 43rd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 100.0%. Asian residents' share of Clay County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.0%.

Clay County is less Asian than neighboring Nicholas County (0.2% Asian), Roane County (0.2% Asian), Braxton County (0.1% Asian), and Fayette County (0.1% 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 comparable to the share in West Virginia overall, where 2.1% of the population is Hispanic. Clay County ranks 51st statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Hispanic population has declined by an estimated 65.4%. Hispanic residents' share of Clay County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Clay County is less Hispanic than neighboring Nicholas County (1.1% Hispanic), Roane County (1.2% Hispanic), Calhoun County (0.6% Hispanic), Braxton County (0.6% Hispanic), and Fayette County (1.4% Hispanic).

Clay County's Native American/Other Population

4 residents of Clay County, or 0.1% 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 West Virginia overall, where 0.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Clay County ranks 27th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 86.7%. Native American/Other residents' share of Clay County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

Clay County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Roane County (0.2% Native American/Other), Calhoun County (0.7% Native American/Other), Braxton County (0.2% Native American/Other), and Fayette County (0.3% Native American/Other).

Clay County's Multiracial Population

226 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 West Virginia overall, where 3.9% of the population is Multiracial. Clay County ranks 20th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clay County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 23.1%. Multiracial residents' share of Clay County's population has decreased from 3.7% to 2.9%.

Clay County is more Multiracial than neighboring Nicholas County (1.8% Multiracial), and Fayette County (2.6% Multiracial). Clay County is less Multiracial than neighboring Roane County (3.3% Multiracial), and Braxton County (12.1% 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.