Clay County, Indiana Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Clay County, Indiana, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Clay County, Indiana. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Clay County, Indiana. The estimated population of Clay County, Indiana is 26,397 people, with a median age of 41.6.

We can look at the total population in Clay County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
26,397
+0.63%
+0.08%
2020
26,231
 -0.01% -
2019
26,234
 -0.13% -
2018
26,268
 -0.41% -
2017
26,375
 - -

Population of Clay County, Indiana by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
95.2%
96.4%
 -1.24%
Black/African American
0.6%
0.4%
 +50.00%
Native
0%
0.1%
 -100.00%
Hispanic
1.6%
1.3%
 +23.08%
Asian
0.2%
0.3%
 -33.33%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
2.2%
1.6%
 +37.50%
Other
0.2%
0%
 0.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Clay County, Indiana by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 41.6 -1.19% 41.1 0% 42 -1.64%
2020 42.1 +1.45% 41.1 +1.48% 42.7 +1.18%
2019 41.5 +1.47% 40.5 +1.5% 42.2 +0.72%
2018 40.9 0% 39.9 -1.24% 41.9 +0.96%
2017 40.9 - 40.4 - 41.5 -

The median age of Clay County, Indiana gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 1,747 -10.04% 1,662 -3.87% 1,570 1,595
10 to 19 1,593 +10.69% 1,661 +6.84% 1,764 1,777
20 to 29 1,542 -3.79% 1,620 -12.16% 1,483 1,431
30 to 39 1,478 -0.55% 1,554 -4.87% 1,450 1,466
40 to 49 1,745 +8.02% 1,691 +4.32% 1,877 1,762
50 to 59 1,886 -4.24% 1,796 +1.44% 1,807 1,810
60 to 69 1,577 +9.61% 1,683 +3.82% 1,733 1,741
70+ 1,335 +1.69% 1,805 -1.55% 1,357 1,774

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Clay County, Indiana is $63,361.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Clay County.

  • Under 25
    $37,841.00
  • 25 to 44
    $76,503.00
  • 45 to 64
    $72,027.00
  • 65 and over
    $42,671.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Clay County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Clay County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Clay County, Indiana is currently $77,956.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

2.87% of households in Clay County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Clay County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    16.05%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    23.95%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    17.70%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    18.44%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    15.46%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    5.52%
  • $200,000 or more
    2.87%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Clay County is $30,634.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Clay County by the total population of Clay County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Clay County, Indiana, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Clay County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    5.77%
  • Bachelor's degree
    18.89%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    14.07%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    59.73%
  • Less than high school diploma
    1.54%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Clay County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Clay County over the age of 16 is 20,810.

Of those people, a total of 60.10% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Clay County is 57.20%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 1,119 46.90% 13.10%
20 to 24 years 1,369 76.10% 12.70%
25 to 29 years 1,545 75.10% 1.40%
30 to 34 years 1,602 82.60% 5.00%
35 to 44 years 3,257 86.50% 4.10%
45 to 54 years 3,363 75.70% 4.00%
55 to 59 years 1,950 70.20% 2.30%
60 to 64 years 1,806 55.40% 2.10%
65 to 74 years 2,888 21.40% 6.60%
75 years and over 1,911 6.10% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Clay County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 20,052 60.10% 4.70%
Black or African American 125 52.00% 9.20%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1 0.00% 0.00%
Asian 47 85.10% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 6 0.00% 0.00%
Other 118 11.90% 0.00%
Two or more races 461 76.80% 7.40%
Hispanic or Latino 314 60.20% 28.60%
Not Hispanic or Latino 19,949 60.10% 4.40%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Clay County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Clay County is 11,906, with median earnings of $39,449.00.

Women in Clay County, Indiana earning approximately 66.60% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 11,906 $39,449.00
Male 6,443 $46,413.00
Female 5,463 $30,893.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 936 $61,842.00
Business and Financial 391 $50,260.00
Computer and Mathematical 92 $61,786.00
Architecture and Engineering 166 $83,800.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 80 $74,706.00
Community and Social Service 187 $40,947.00
Legal 16 $0.00
Educational and Library 530 $38,523.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 175 $61,012.00
Healthcare Practitioners 774 $70,476.00
Healthcare Support 403 $12,208.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 121 $52,607.00
Law Enforcement 147 $44,482.00
Food Preparation and Serving 849 $15,089.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 400 $27,188.00
Personal Care and Service 208 $23,571.00
Sales 803 $29,276.00
Office and Administrative Support 1,071 $34,645.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 27 $26,964.00
Construction and Extraction 774 $40,729.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 515 $51,534.00
Production 2,042 $43,210.00
Transportation and Material Moving 524 $33,333.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 626 $72,931.00 310 $47,212.00
Business and Financial 123 $70,774.00 268 $43,125.00
Computer and Mathematical 68 $102,778.00 24 $12,000.00
Architecture and Engineering 146 $84,800.00 20 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 17 $0.00 63 $74,632.00
Community and Social Service 65 $14,338.00 122 $42,024.00
Legal 0 $0.00 16 $0.00
Educational and Library 91 $55,781.00 439 $36,165.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 111 $170,066.00 64 $28,971.00
Healthcare Practitioners 144 $70,595.00 630 $69,444.00
Healthcare Support 55 $11,306.00 348 $13,295.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 96 $52,929.00 25 $36,838.00
Law Enforcement 137 $44,177.00 10 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 209 $8,125.00 640 $15,911.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 272 $26,667.00 128 $30,255.00
Personal Care and Service 32 $24,643.00 176 $20,625.00
Sales 432 $48,462.00 371 $19,276.00
Office and Administrative Support 194 $43,583.00 877 $33,388.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 27 $26,964.00 0 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 723 $42,607.00 51 $10,991.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 513 $51,648.00 2 $0.00
Production 1,481 $50,232.00 561 $29,759.00
Transportation and Material Moving 441 $37,958.00 83 $31,115.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 10,478 households in Clay County, with an average household size of 2.47 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 7,497 families in Clay County with an average family size of 2.87 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 5,550 523 1,424 2,981
Average Household Size 3.01 2.59 2.89 1.24
Total Families 5,550 523 1,424 0
Average Household Size 2.99 2.2 2.68 0

Poverty

Of the 7,497 families in Clay County, 7.00% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Clay County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 11,657 housing units in Clay County, Indiana.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 10,478 89.89%
Vacant 1,179 10.11%

17.71% of the total 11,657 housing units in Clay County are rental units. This is approximately 2,065 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 8,179 are occupied by the owner - or 70.16% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Clay County is $712.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Clay County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    234
  • Less than $500
    266
  • $500 to $999
    1,437
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    214
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    81
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    0
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    67

Property Value

The median value of a property in Clay County is $108,900.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Clay County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    898
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    2,768
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    2,130
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    911
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    773
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    569
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    86
  • $1,000,000 or more
    44

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Clay County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Clay County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    2,852
  • 1940 to 1949
    727
  • 1950 to 1959
    980
  • 1960 to 1969
    952
  • 1970 to 1979
    1,453
  • 1980 to 1989
    982
  • 1990 to 1999
    1,723
  • 2000 to 2009
    1,411
  • 2010 to 2013
    510
  • 2014 or later
    67

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Clay County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    422
  • 1 vehicle available
    3,146
  • 2 vehicles available
    3,548
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    3,362

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Clay County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Clay County that commute to work in a particular way.

29.4 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Clay County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    503
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    1,262
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    1,098
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    1,281
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    816
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    1,347
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    1,641
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    540
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    855
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    1,038
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    612
  • 90 or more minutes
    433

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Clay County, Indiana in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Clay County, Indiana

We have data for 18 places in Clay County, Indiana. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.