• county
  • FIPS 19041
  • Largest town: Spencer

Clay County, Iowa

Clay County had 16,474 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 567.2 square miles of land. It ranks 44th of 99 in Iowa by population and 56th by land area.

Population
16,474
#44 of 99 in Iowa · #2,006 in US
Area
567.2 sq mi
#56 of 99 in Iowa · #1,805 in US
Density
29 / sq mi
#43 of 99 in Iowa · #1,954 in US
Median household income
$72,021
#39 of 99 in Iowa · #857 in US

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

Clay County within Iowa. Pin: Des Moines.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Clay County

Clay County population, land area and income

Clay County had 16,474 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 567.2 square miles of land. It ranks 44th of 99 in Iowa by population and 56th by land area. That works out to 29.0 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Iowa has 15,008 residents, about the same as Clay County.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $72,021 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

16,474

3144th1st

2006th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

567 sq mi

3144th1st

1805th of 3,144 (US)

Density

29.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

1954th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$72,021

3143rd1st

857th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Iowa (99)

Population

16,474

99th1st

44th of 99 (IA)

Land area

567 sq mi

99th1st

56th of 99 (IA)

Density

29.0 / sq mi

99th1st

43rd of 99 (IA)

Median household income

$72,021

99th1st

39th of 99 (IA)

How Clay County's population changed since 2020

Clay County gained 137 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 0.8%. That ranks 23rd of 99 in Iowa for growth. The median Iowa county changed by -0.6%, and the state as a whole by +1.6%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Clay County recorded 714 births and 825 deaths, a natural change of -111. Net international migration added +27 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +185. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 185 people.

16.3k202016.5k202116.5k202216.5k202316.5k2024
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
714
Deaths
825
Net international migration
+27
Net domestic migration
+185
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-56

Where Clay County is

The Census internal point of Clay County is at 43.081200, -95.149900. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Iowa's 99 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.

Monroe County: -2.9%Worth County: -1.7%Buena Vista County: +0.0%Jasper County: +0.8%Van Buren County: -0.0%Hardin County: -2.2%Ida County: -3.1%Marshall County: +0.8%Fayette County: -1.5%Ringgold County: -0.8%Wapello County: +1.0%Webster County: -0.2%Adams County: -2.8%Buchanan County: +0.6%Cerro Gordo County: -1.2%Lucas County: +1.6%Emmet County: -1.9%Floyd County: -3.8%Crawford County: -0.7%Linn County: +0.6%Montgomery County: -2.6%Polk County: +4.7%Cherokee County: +0.0%Bremer County: +1.3%Grundy County: +0.5%Adair County: -0.8%Cedar County: -1.4%Story County: +3.9%Mahaska County: -0.6%Davis County: +0.9%Clay County: +0.8%Johnson County: +4.6%Greene County: -1.0%Palo Alto County: -2.0%Benton County: +1.0%Cass County: -0.7%Wright County: -1.5%Audubon County: -2.1%Henry County: -5.3%Boone County: +0.1%Appanoose County: -1.4%Washington County: +0.4%Chickasaw County: -2.2%Poweshiek County: -0.9%Osceola County: -2.6%Wayne County: +1.8%Mitchell County: +0.4%Jefferson County: +0.5%Union County: -1.4%Butler County: -1.2%Hancock County: -1.3%Marion County: +1.9%Delaware County: +0.9%Humboldt County: +0.2%Sioux County: +1.8%Des Moines County: -1.1%O'Brien County: +0.8%Clayton County: -0.6%Black Hawk County: +1.0%Winnebago County: -2.6%Harrison County: +0.4%Decatur County: -1.0%Pocahontas County: -0.9%Lyon County: +3.8%Iowa County: -1.4%Franklin County: +0.3%Dickinson County: +2.2%Madison County: +3.2%Allamakee County: +0.8%Jones County: +2.2%Carroll County: -1.6%Kossuth County: -2.6%Hamilton County: -1.0%Howard County: -1.4%Page County: -1.1%Guthrie County: +1.5%Tama County: -1.8%Monona County: -3.6%Clarke County: -2.1%Lee County: -3.4%Mills County: +2.1%Sac County: -2.7%Scott County: +0.6%Keokuk County: -1.6%Jackson County: -0.3%Warren County: +7.1%Calhoun County: -1.9%Shelby County: +0.8%Fremont County: -1.1%Dubuque County: -0.1%Louisa County: -1.8%Taylor County: -0.6%Woodbury County: +1.2%Clinton County: -0.9%Winneshiek County: -1.6%Pottawattamie County: -0.1%Plymouth County: +0.5%Muscatine County: -2.4%Dallas County: +14.7%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.9%
  2. < -1.0%
  3. < +0.0%
  4. < +0.9%
  5. ≥ +0.9%
no data

Orange pin: Clay County internal point. Dark pin: Des Moines.

Internal point

Decimal
43.081200, -95.149900
DMS
43°04'52.32"N 95°08'59.64"W
UTM
15N 324993.3E 4772075.2N
Geohash
9zsm4f9yn
Plus code
86M63VJ2+F2

Towns in Clay County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Clay County, 11,418 people together, or 69% 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 Spencer with 11,418.

  1. 01Spencer11,418
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Clay County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 8 neighbors for Clay County. The most populous is Buena Vista County, IA, with 20,816 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Des Moines and the nearest big city

Des Moines is 129.7 miles SE of Clay County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Sioux Falls, SD (population 209,289), 85.6 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Spencer, IA (population 11,418), 4.5 miles away.

Clay County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Clay County is 19041: state code 19 for Iowa plus county code 041. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $72,021.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Clay County, Iowa?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 16,474. That is up 137 people (0.8%) from the July 2020 estimate of 16,337.

What is the FIPS code of Clay County?

19041. The first two digits (19) are Iowa; the last three (041) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Clay County?

Spencer, with 11,418 residents inside Clay County in 2024.

Which counties border Clay County?

8 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Buena Vista County, IA; Dickinson County, IA; O'Brien County, IA; Cherokee County, IA; Emmet County, IA; Palo Alto County, IA; Pocahontas County, IA; Osceola County, IA.

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.