Clay County, Mississippi Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Clay County, Mississippi, 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, Mississippi. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Clay County, Mississippi. The estimated population of Clay County, Mississippi is 18,768 people, with a median age of 39.6.

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
18,768
 -3.83% -6.11%
2020
19,515
 -0.64% -
2019
19,640
 -0.85% -
2018
19,808
 -0.91% -
2017
19,990
 - -

Population of Clay County, Mississippi 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
38.3%
39.2%
 -2.30%
Black/African American
60%
59%
 +1.69%
Native
0.1%
0.3%
 -66.67%
Hispanic
0.1%
0.6%
 -83.33%
Asian
0.1%
0.7%
 -85.71%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
1.4%
0.2%
 +600.00%
Other
0%
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, Mississippi 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 39.6 +1.02% 37.2 0% 41.8 +0.72%
2020 39.2 -0.76% 37.2 -2.62% 41.5 +1.72%
2019 39.5 0% 38.2 -0.78% 40.8 +0.74%
2018 39.5 +0.25% 38.5 +1.58% 40.5 +1%
2017 39.4 - 37.9 - 40.1 -

The median age of Clay County, Mississippi 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 1,192 -15.52% 1,260 -23.41% 1,012 987
10 to 19 1,328 +16.46% 1,471 -7.36% 1,559 1,361
20 to 29 1,252 -13.12% 1,346 -17.64% 1,095 1,122
30 to 39 1,071 +4.61% 1,272 -3.83% 1,117 1,223
40 to 49 1,112 -12.08% 1,209 -3.3% 982 1,169
50 to 59 1,244 -0.8% 1,503 -26.12% 1,231 1,138
60 to 69 1,152 -27.35% 1,275 +12.7% 848 1,416
70+ 922 +24.32% 1,381 -1.07% 1,148 1,360

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Clay County, Mississippi is $35,638.00.

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
    $0.00
  • 25 to 44
    $44,024.00
  • 45 to 64
    $44,238.00
  • 65 and over
    $27,466.00

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, Mississippi is currently $54,132.00.

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.

2.23% 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
    33.42%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    29.36%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    14.31%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    11.80%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    7.69%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    1.18%
  • $200,000 or more
    2.23%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Clay County is $22,736.00.

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, Mississippi, 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
    10.24%
  • Bachelor's degree
    25.31%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    6.27%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    54.94%
  • Less than high school diploma
    3.23%

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 14,993.

Of those people, a total of 52.10% 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 47.10%.

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 1,144 27.10% 8.70%
20 to 24 years 948 64.90% 16.10%
25 to 29 years 1,269 76.40% 18.50%
30 to 34 years 1,140 81.10% 9.10%
35 to 44 years 2,224 78.50% 9.10%
45 to 54 years 2,187 61.30% 8.70%
55 to 59 years 1,309 68.80% 0.40%
60 to 64 years 1,319 45.80% 10.80%
65 to 74 years 2,122 16.40% 3.70%
75 years and over 1,331 4.30% 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 6,088 51.30% 5.80%
Black or African American 8,638 52.90% 11.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 16 0.00% 0.00%
Asian 12 100.00% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 0 0.00% 0.00%
Two or more races 239 44.40% 57.50%
Hispanic or Latino 24 37.50% 0.00%
Not Hispanic or Latino 6,079 51.20% 5.80%

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 7,069, with median earnings of $31,196.00.

Women in Clay County, Mississippi earning approximately 78.80% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 7,069 $31,196.00
Male 3,494 $36,447.00
Female 3,575 $28,730.00

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 484 $60,000.00
Business and Financial 272 $42,222.00
Computer and Mathematical 175 $65,050.00
Architecture and Engineering 55 $72,014.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 11 $0.00
Community and Social Service 126 $29,722.00
Legal 23 $0.00
Educational and Library 325 $39,650.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 42 $58,125.00
Healthcare Practitioners 321 $53,125.00
Healthcare Support 260 $27,932.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 73 $0.00
Law Enforcement 15 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 498 $14,583.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 370 $25,927.00
Personal Care and Service 76 $23,167.00
Sales 543 $26,639.00
Office and Administrative Support 815 $30,840.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 111 $27,438.00
Construction and Extraction 333 $29,183.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 275 $52,318.00
Production 1,146 $29,395.00
Transportation and Material Moving 348 $42,687.00

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 295 $61,683.00 189 $44,427.00
Business and Financial 160 $46,316.00 112 $31,753.00
Computer and Mathematical 117 $66,017.00 58 $47,803.00
Architecture and Engineering 55 $72,014.00 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 11 $0.00 0 $0.00
Community and Social Service 24 $0.00 102 $30,741.00
Legal 0 $0.00 23 $0.00
Educational and Library 0 $0.00 325 $39,650.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 20 $0.00 22 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 89 $32,099.00 232 $61,500.00
Healthcare Support 0 $0.00 260 $27,932.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 0 $0.00 73 $0.00
Law Enforcement 0 $0.00 15 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 74 $4,400.00 424 $15,645.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 271 $26,792.00 99 $9,299.00
Personal Care and Service 26 $0.00 50 $0.00
Sales 234 $28,750.00 309 $21,510.00
Office and Administrative Support 189 $38,942.00 626 $29,891.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 91 $30,880.00 20 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 333 $29,183.00 0 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 224 $63,413.00 51 $0.00
Production 697 $28,918.00 449 $30,977.00
Transportation and Material Moving 317 $43,265.00 31 $0.00

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 7,489 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 4,761 families in Clay County with an average family size of 3.2 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 3,104 301 1,356 2,728
Average Household Size 3.07 3.21 3.63 1.13
Total Families 3,104 301 1,356 0
Average Household Size 3.05 3.06 3.58 0

Poverty

Of the 4,761 families in Clay County, 19.00% 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 9,008 housing units in Clay County, Mississippi.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 7,489 83.14%
Vacant 1,519 16.86%

21.03% of the total 9,008 housing units in Clay County are rental units. This is approximately 1,894 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 5,263 are occupied by the owner - or 58.43% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Clay County is $655.00.

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
    332
  • Less than $500
    514
  • $500 to $999
    1,078
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    302
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    0
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    0
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    0

Property Value

The median value of a property in Clay County is $100,600.00.

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
    775
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    1,847
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    846
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    680
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    509
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    382
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    162
  • $1,000,000 or more
    62

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
    449
  • 1940 to 1949
    331
  • 1950 to 1959
    881
  • 1960 to 1969
    1,090
  • 1970 to 1979
    2,090
  • 1980 to 1989
    1,108
  • 1990 to 1999
    1,717
  • 2000 to 2009
    681
  • 2010 to 2013
    644
  • 2014 or later
    17

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
    643
  • 1 vehicle available
    2,389
  • 2 vehicles available
    2,485
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    1,972

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.

20.5 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
    93
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    1,045
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    1,572
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    565
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    1,080
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    606
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    677
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    40
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    149
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    324
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    170
  • 90 or more minutes
    77

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Clay County, Mississippi 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, Mississippi

We have data for 6 places in Clay County, Mississippi. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.