• county
  • FIPS 19043
  • Largest town: Guttenberg

Clayton County, Iowa

Clayton County had 16,931 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 778.5 square miles of land. It ranks 42nd of 99 in Iowa by population and 5th by land area.

Population
16,931
#42 of 99 in Iowa · #1,983 in US
Area
778.5 sq mi
#5 of 99 in Iowa · #1,112 in US
Density
22 / sq mi
#68 of 99 in Iowa · #2,183 in US
Median household income
$65,814
#63 of 99 in Iowa · #1,314 in US

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

Clayton County within Iowa. Pin: Des Moines.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Clayton County

Clayton County population, land area and income

Clayton County had 16,931 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 778.5 square miles of land. It ranks 42nd of 99 in Iowa by population and 5th by land area. That works out to 21.7 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; Clayton County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $65,814 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

16,931

3144th1st

1983rd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

778 sq mi

3144th1st

1112th of 3,144 (US)

Density

21.7 / sq mi

3144th1st

2183rd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$65,814

3143rd1st

1314th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Iowa (99)

Population

16,931

99th1st

42nd of 99 (IA)

Land area

778 sq mi

99th1st

5th of 99 (IA)

Density

21.7 / sq mi

99th1st

68th of 99 (IA)

Median household income

$65,814

99th1st

63rd of 99 (IA)

How Clayton County's population changed since 2020

Clayton County lost 103 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 0.6%. That ranks 49th 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, Clayton County recorded 755 births and 954 deaths, a natural change of -199. Net international migration added +84 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +3. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 199 people.

17.0k202017.1k202117.1k202217.0k202316.9k2024
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
755
Deaths
954
Net international migration
+84
Net domestic migration
+3
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-54

Where Clayton County is

The Census internal point of Clayton County is at 42.841000, -91.323600. 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 Clayton 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: Clayton County internal point. Dark pin: Des Moines.

Internal point

Decimal
42.841000, -91.323600
DMS
42°50'27.60"N 91°19'24.96"W
UTM
15N 636993.9E 4744521.3N
Geohash
9zx59yunv
Plus code
86JCRMRG+CH

Towns in Clayton County

5 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Clayton County, 5,867 people together, or 35% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Clayton County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Guttenberg with 1,804.

  1. 01Guttenberg1,804
  2. 02Monona1,462
  3. 03Elkader1,192
  4. 04Strawberry Point1,141
  5. 05Postville (part)268
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Clayton County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 8 neighbors for Clayton County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Dubuque County, IA, with 99,242 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Des Moines and the nearest big city

Des Moines is 145.2 miles SW of Clayton County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Cedar Rapids, IA (population 137,904), 63.3 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Dubuque, IA (population 58,987), 39.2 miles away.

Clayton County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Clayton County is 19043: state code 19 for Iowa plus county code 043. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $65,814.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Clayton County, Iowa?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 16,931. That is down 103 people (0.6%) from the July 2020 estimate of 17,034.

What is the FIPS code of Clayton County?

19043. The first two digits (19) are Iowa; the last three (043) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Clayton County?

Guttenberg, with 1,804 residents inside Clayton County in 2024.

Which counties border Clayton County?

8 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Dubuque County, IA; Grant County, WI; Buchanan County, IA; Winneshiek County, IA; Fayette County, IA; Delaware County, IA; Crawford County, WI; Allamakee 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.