• county
  • FIPS 27027
  • Largest town: Moorhead

Clay County, Minnesota

Clay County had 66,848 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,045.2 square miles of land. It ranks 16th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 19th by land area.

Population
66,848
#16 of 87 in Minnesota · #816 in US
Area
1,045.2 sq mi
#19 of 87 in Minnesota · #624 in US
Density
64 / sq mi
#23 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,254 in US
Median household income
$72,172
#38 of 87 in Minnesota · #841 in US

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

Clay County within Minnesota. Pin: Saint Paul.

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Tools and pages that start from Clay County

Clay County population, land area and income

Clay County had 66,848 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,045.2 square miles of land. It ranks 16th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 19th by land area. That works out to 64.0 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Minnesota has 22,050 residents, so Clay County is 3.0 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $72,172 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

66,848

3144th1st

816th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

1,045 sq mi

3144th1st

624th of 3,144 (US)

Density

64.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

1254th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$72,172

3143rd1st

841st of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Minnesota (87)

Population

66,848

87th1st

16th of 87 (MN)

Land area

1,045 sq mi

87th1st

19th of 87 (MN)

Density

64.0 / sq mi

87th1st

23rd of 87 (MN)

Median household income

$72,172

87th1st

38th of 87 (MN)

How Clay County's population changed since 2020

Clay County gained 1,489 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 2.3%. That ranks 22nd of 87 in Minnesota for growth. The median Minnesota county changed by +0.6%, and the state as a whole by +1.4%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Clay County recorded 2,830 births and 2,411 deaths, a natural change of +419. Net international migration added +697 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +398. The largest single component was international migration, which added 697 people.

65.4k202065.7k202166.0k202266.4k202366.8k2024
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
2,830
Deaths
2,411
Net international migration
+697
Net domestic migration
+398
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+423

Where Clay County is

The Census internal point of Clay County is at 46.898400, -96.494900. It sits in UTM zone 14N. The map shades Minnesota's 87 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.

Cook County: -0.5%Kanabec County: +3.4%Carlton County: +1.5%Becker County: +0.7%Dodge County: +1.7%Douglas County: +2.1%Murray County: -1.5%Pipestone County: -3.3%Rock County: -1.7%Steele County: +0.1%Waseca County: -1.4%Pennington County: -2.1%Red Lake County: -1.5%Stevens County: +1.6%Hubbard County: +3.1%Mahnomen County: -1.8%Fillmore County: +1.2%Otter Tail County: +1.4%Rice County: +2.9%Meeker County: +0.2%Nobles County: -1.1%Swift County: -1.5%Watonwan County: -0.3%Wadena County: +2.2%Polk County: -2.1%Lyon County: +0.6%St. Louis County: +0.4%Todd County: +2.6%Carver County: +5.0%Kandiyohi County: +2.2%Olmsted County: +2.1%Roseau County: -0.3%Dakota County: +2.9%Yellow Medicine County: -1.2%Crow Wing County: +3.6%Sibley County: +2.7%Morrison County: +1.5%Lac qui Parle County: -1.0%Lincoln County: -1.3%Martin County: -2.2%Clay County: +2.3%Houston County: -2.5%Wilkin County: -3.3%Nicollet County: -0.0%Norman County: -2.4%Benton County: +1.3%Anoka County: +3.4%Blue Earth County: +2.2%Traverse County: -6.7%Aitkin County: +4.0%Marshall County: -3.0%Grant County: +0.3%Wabasha County: +0.8%Lake County: -2.0%Cottonwood County: -1.6%Brown County: -0.8%Cass County: +4.2%Lake of the Woods County: +0.7%Scott County: +3.9%Isanti County: +5.5%Stearns County: +3.5%Clearwater County: +0.7%Hennepin County: -0.7%Kittson County: -4.7%Wright County: +9.0%Goodhue County: +0.8%Jackson County: -1.3%Washington County: +5.8%Chippewa County: -2.5%Freeborn County: -1.9%Koochiching County: -3.6%Big Stone County: -1.8%Redwood County: -1.1%Chisago County: +4.2%Faribault County: -0.1%Renville County: -1.6%Itasca County: +0.9%Mower County: +2.1%Sherburne County: +5.6%Mille Lacs County: +4.2%Winona County: +0.6%Ramsey County: -1.8%Pine County: +4.9%McLeod County: +0.1%Pope County: +1.5%Le Sueur County: +2.8%Beltrami County: +1.1%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.7%
  2. < -0.3%
  3. < +1.2%
  4. < +2.8%
  5. ≥ +2.8%
no data

Orange pin: Clay County internal point. Dark pin: Saint Paul.

Internal point

Decimal
46.898400, -96.494900
DMS
46°53'54.24"N 96°29'41.64"W
UTM
14N 690808.4E 5196920.4N
Geohash
cb76u1wdc
Plus code
86R5VGX4+92

Towns in Clay County

5 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Clay County, 56,945 people together, or 85% 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 Moorhead with 45,726.

  1. 01Moorhead45,726
  2. 02Dilworth4,811
  3. 03Barnesville2,765
  4. 04Hawley2,274
  5. 05Glyndon1,369
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Clay County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Clay County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Cass County, ND, with 200,945 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Saint Paul and the nearest big city

Saint Paul is 211.2 miles SE of Clay County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Fargo, ND (population 136,285), 16.0 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Moorhead, MN (population 45,726), 12.0 miles away.

Clay County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Clay County is 27027: state code 27 for Minnesota plus county code 027. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $72,172.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Clay County, Minnesota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 66,848. That is up 1,489 people (2.3%) from the July 2020 estimate of 65,359.

What is the FIPS code of Clay County?

27027. The first two digits (27) are Minnesota; the last three (027) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Clay County?

Moorhead, with 45,726 residents inside Clay County in 2024.

Which counties border Clay County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Cass County, ND; Otter Tail County, MN; Becker County, MN; Richland County, ND; Norman County, MN; Wilkin County, MN.

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.