• county
  • FIPS 05021
  • Largest town: Piggott

Clay County, Arkansas

Clay County had 14,112 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 639.2 square miles of land. It ranks 52nd of 75 in Arkansas by population and 39th by land area.

Population
14,112
#52 of 75 in Arkansas · #2,155 in US
Area
639.2 sq mi
#39 of 75 in Arkansas · #1,487 in US
Density
22 / sq mi
#47 of 75 in Arkansas · #2,168 in US
Median household income
$47,663
#54 of 75 in Arkansas · #2,855 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Clay County within Arkansas. Pin: Little Rock.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Clay County

Clay County population, land area and income

Clay County had 14,112 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 639.2 square miles of land. It ranks 52nd of 75 in Arkansas by population and 39th by land area. That works out to 22.1 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Arkansas has 18,130 residents; Clay County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $47,663 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

14,112

3144th1st

2155th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

639 sq mi

3144th1st

1487th of 3,144 (US)

Density

22.1 / sq mi

3144th1st

2168th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$47,663

3143rd1st

2855th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Arkansas (75)

Population

14,112

75th1st

52nd of 75 (AR)

Land area

639 sq mi

75th1st

39th of 75 (AR)

Density

22.1 / sq mi

75th1st

47th of 75 (AR)

Median household income

$47,663

75th1st

54th of 75 (AR)

How Clay County's population changed since 2020

Clay County lost 422 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 2.9%. That ranks 52nd of 75 in Arkansas for growth. The median Arkansas county changed by -0.2%, and the state as a whole by +2.4%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Clay County recorded 652 births and 1,059 deaths, a natural change of -407. Net international migration added +15 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -41. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 407 people.

14.5k202014.3k202114.2k202214.2k202314.1k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
652
Deaths
1,059
Net international migration
+15
Net domestic migration
-41
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-79

Where Clay County is

The Census internal point of Clay County is at 36.367300, -90.418700. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Arkansas's 75 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Clay County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Lincoln County: -0.2%Cleveland County: -2.5%St. Francis County: -5.2%Howard County: -2.9%Drew County: -2.2%Van Buren County: +2.2%Searcy County: -0.1%Poinsett County: -2.9%Hot Spring County: +0.7%Izard County: +5.0%Cross County: -3.6%Garland County: -0.4%Nevada County: -3.4%Washington County: +7.9%Union County: -5.0%Pope County: +2.2%Columbia County: -3.2%Conway County: +3.3%Faulkner County: +6.3%Miller County: -1.5%Arkansas County: -6.2%Clay County: -2.9%Saline County: +6.0%Yell County: -0.4%Craighead County: +3.8%Monroe County: -5.3%Calhoun County: -1.0%Marion County: +4.3%Carroll County: +2.6%Mississippi County: -6.0%Ashley County: -5.2%Independence County: +1.1%Stone County: +3.5%Madison County: +7.9%Johnson County: +1.7%Little River County: -2.9%Montgomery County: +0.3%Perry County: +2.5%Pike County: -1.3%Lee County: -5.0%Randolph County: +2.4%Woodruff County: -6.6%Lafayette County: -4.4%Grant County: +2.9%Greene County: +2.3%Jefferson County: -4.7%Franklin County: +2.6%Dallas County: -5.7%Crittenden County: -3.0%White County: +2.9%Lonoke County: +3.1%Bradley County: -5.3%Benton County: +12.2%Fulton County: +4.1%Desha County: -8.8%Pulaski County: +0.5%Newton County: -2.4%Logan County: +1.6%Scott County: +0.1%Prairie County: -3.8%Phillips County: -10.8%Ouachita County: -4.1%Polk County: +1.3%Cleburne County: +3.8%Sebastian County: +1.7%Clark County: -2.3%Sevier County: -0.3%Hempstead County: -4.4%Jackson County: -0.5%Chicot County: -8.7%Sharp County: +4.7%Crawford County: +3.5%Boone County: +3.3%Baxter County: +3.1%Lawrence County: +0.5%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -4.4%
  2. < -2.2%
  3. < +1.1%
  4. < +3.1%
  5. ≥ +3.1%
no data

Orange pin: Clay County internal point. Dark pin: Little Rock.

Internal point

Decimal
36.367300, -90.418700
DMS
36°22'2.28"N 90°25'7.32"W
UTM
15N 731586.3E 4027783.2N
Geohash
9yrwykrng
Plus code
868F9H8J+WG

Towns in Clay County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Clay County, 8,398 people together, or 60% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Clay County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Piggott with 3,521.

  1. 01Piggott3,521
  2. 02Corning3,086
  3. 03Rector1,791
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Clay County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Clay County, including 3 across a state line. The most populous is Greene County, AR, with 46,928 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Little Rock and the nearest big city

Little Rock is 153.6 miles SW of Clay County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Memphis, TN (population 610,919), 90.5 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Paragould, AR (population 30,680), 22.4 miles away.

Clay County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Clay County is 05021: state code 05 for Arkansas plus county code 021. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $47,663.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Clay County, Arkansas?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 14,112. That is down 422 people (2.9%) from the July 2020 estimate of 14,534.

What is the FIPS code of Clay County?

05021. The first two digits (05) are Arkansas; the last three (021) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Clay County?

Piggott, with 3,521 residents inside Clay County in 2024.

Which counties border Clay County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Greene County, AR; Butler County, MO; Dunklin County, MO; Randolph County, AR; Ripley County, MO.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.