• county
  • FIPS 21051
  • Largest town: Manchester

Clay County, Kentucky

Clay County had 19,592 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 469.3 square miles of land. It ranks 62nd of 120 in Kentucky by population and 15th by land area.

Population
19,592
#62 of 120 in Kentucky · #1,851 in US
Area
469.3 sq mi
#15 of 120 in Kentucky · #2,194 in US
Density
42 / sq mi
#81 of 120 in Kentucky · #1,636 in US
Median household income
$36,330
#117 of 120 in Kentucky · #3,123 in US

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

Clay County within Kentucky. Pin: Frankfort.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Clay County

Clay County population, land area and income

Clay County had 19,592 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 469.3 square miles of land. It ranks 62nd of 120 in Kentucky by population and 15th by land area. That works out to 41.7 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Kentucky has 19,740 residents, about the same as Clay County.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $36,330 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

19,592

3144th1st

1851st of 3,144 (US)

Land area

469 sq mi

3144th1st

2194th of 3,144 (US)

Density

41.7 / sq mi

3144th1st

1636th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$36,330

3143rd1st

3123rd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Kentucky (120)

Population

19,592

120th1st

62nd of 120 (KY)

Land area

469 sq mi

120th1st

15th of 120 (KY)

Density

41.7 / sq mi

120th1st

81st of 120 (KY)

Median household income

$36,330

120th1st

117th of 120 (KY)

How Clay County's population changed since 2020

Clay County lost 717 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 3.5%. That ranks 109th of 120 in Kentucky for growth. The median Kentucky county changed by +1.4%, and the state as a whole by +1.8%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Clay County recorded 955 births and 1,403 deaths, a natural change of -448. Net international migration added +21 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -333. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 448 people.

20.3k202020.2k202119.9k202219.7k202319.6k2024
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
955
Deaths
1,403
Net international migration
+21
Net domestic migration
-333
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-66

Where Clay County is

The Census internal point of Clay County is at 37.164300, -83.715500. It sits in UTM zone 17N. The map shades Kentucky's 120 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.

Adair County: +1.9%Kenton County: +3.3%Owen County: +1.2%Morgan County: +4.1%Bracken County: +1.1%Edmonson County: +4.0%Trigg County: +3.4%Jackson County: +3.0%Spencer County: +6.8%Clark County: +1.7%Jessamine County: +6.6%Green County: +3.8%Henry County: +3.2%Graves County: +0.8%Webster County: -1.3%Washington County: +1.9%Ohio County: +0.8%Knott County: -5.1%Meade County: +1.4%Carroll County: +2.5%Scott County: +7.2%Lincoln County: +2.7%Greenup County: -1.7%Boyle County: +2.1%Hardin County: +1.8%Nelson County: +4.1%Hart County: +3.2%Christian County: -2.4%Carlisle County: -0.6%Crittenden County: -0.2%Elliott County: -1.0%Garrard County: +6.3%Larue County: +1.7%Lee County: -0.7%Leslie County: -7.1%Hancock County: -1.0%Lewis County: -1.6%Lyon County: +4.6%McLean County: -0.1%Magoffin County: -4.2%Martin County: -4.9%Mason County: -1.1%Rockcastle County: +1.0%Menifee County: +3.2%Russell County: +2.6%Whitley County: +1.5%Todd County: +3.9%Union County: -3.5%Wolfe County: -2.9%Bell County: -3.9%Boyd County: -0.9%Butler County: +1.9%Metcalfe County: +2.7%Grant County: +2.8%Simpson County: +3.7%Pike County: -5.2%Gallatin County: +1.5%Harlan County: -6.4%Fayette County: +2.1%Logan County: +3.5%Muhlenberg County: -1.2%Bath County: +1.8%Mercer County: +3.8%Barren County: +2.5%Franklin County: +1.6%Bullitt County: +4.2%Boone County: +5.6%Campbell County: +0.9%Jefferson County: +1.4%Wayne County: +0.4%Ballard County: -1.1%Anderson County: +4.1%Pulaski County: +2.7%Knox County: -1.7%Laurel County: +1.0%Breckinridge County: +3.8%Oldham County: +4.2%Letcher County: -6.2%Lawrence County: -3.1%McCracken County: -0.6%Nicholas County: +3.7%Owsley County: -2.6%Powell County: -1.3%Bourbon County: +0.2%Calloway County: +3.7%Henderson County: -1.1%Clinton County: -0.5%Warren County: +9.6%Montgomery County: +2.4%Floyd County: -3.5%Woodford County: +3.1%Hopkins County: -0.3%Johnson County: -2.4%Marshall County: +0.1%Estill County: -1.1%Cumberland County: +3.2%Fleming County: +3.3%Madison County: +7.1%Carter County: -1.9%Allen County: +7.1%Daviess County: +1.0%Harrison County: +4.3%Perry County: -5.7%Fulton County: -3.5%Clay County: -3.5%Robertson County: +9.1%Trimble County: +1.5%Taylor County: +3.1%Shelby County: +3.9%McCreary County: -0.2%Breathitt County: -6.5%Livingston County: -0.6%Hickman County: -3.0%Rowan County: -0.2%Casey County: +0.2%Monroe County: -1.4%Marion County: +1.3%Grayson County: +2.3%Caldwell County: -0.2%Pendleton County: +1.3%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.6%
  2. < +0.2%
  3. < +1.9%
  4. < +3.7%
  5. ≥ +3.7%
no data

Orange pin: Clay County internal point. Dark pin: Frankfort.

Internal point

Decimal
37.164300, -83.715500
DMS
37°09'51.48"N 83°42'55.80"W
UTM
17N 258881.7E 4116552.2N
Geohash
dns7rj81x
Plus code
869R577M+PQ

Towns in Clay County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Clay County, 1,433 people together, or 7% 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 Manchester with 1,433.

  1. 01Manchester1,433
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Clay County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Clay County. The most populous is Laurel County, KY, with 63,353 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Frankfort and the nearest big city

Frankfort is 94.9 miles NW of Clay County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Lexington-Fayette, KY (population 329,437), 72.9 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Berea, KY (population 16,436), 43.2 miles away.

Clay County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Clay County is 21051: state code 21 for Kentucky plus county code 051. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $36,330.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Clay County, Kentucky?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 19,592. That is down 717 people (3.5%) from the July 2020 estimate of 20,309.

What is the FIPS code of Clay County?

21051. The first two digits (21) are Kentucky; the last three (051) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Clay County?

Manchester, with 1,433 residents inside Clay County in 2024.

Which counties border Clay County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Laurel County, KY; Knox County, KY; Perry County, KY; Bell County, KY; Jackson County, KY; Leslie County, KY; Owsley County, KY.

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.