• county
  • FIPS 28025
  • Largest town: West Point

Clay County, Mississippi

Clay County had 18,213 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 410.1 square miles of land. It ranks 49th of 82 in Mississippi by population and 74th by land area.

Population
18,213
#49 of 82 in Mississippi · #1,922 in US
Area
410.1 sq mi
#74 of 82 in Mississippi · #2,464 in US
Density
44 / sq mi
#35 of 82 in Mississippi · #1,582 in US
Median household income
$52,673
#24 of 82 in Mississippi · #2,505 in US

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

Clay County within Mississippi. Pin: Jackson.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Clay County

Clay County population, land area and income

Clay County had 18,213 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 410.1 square miles of land. It ranks 49th of 82 in Mississippi by population and 74th by land area. That works out to 44.4 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Mississippi has 21,443 residents; Clay County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $52,673 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

18,213

3144th1st

1922nd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

410 sq mi

3144th1st

2464th of 3,144 (US)

Density

44.4 / sq mi

3144th1st

1582nd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$52,673

3143rd1st

2505th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Mississippi (82)

Population

18,213

82nd1st

49th of 82 (MS)

Land area

410 sq mi

82nd1st

74th of 82 (MS)

Density

44.4 / sq mi

82nd1st

35th of 82 (MS)

Median household income

$52,673

82nd1st

24th of 82 (MS)

How Clay County's population changed since 2020

Clay County lost 408 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 2.2%. That ranks 49th of 82 in Mississippi for growth. The median Mississippi county changed by -1.6%, and the state as a whole by -0.5%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Clay County recorded 1,011 births and 1,173 deaths, a natural change of -162. Net international migration added +0 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -259. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 259 people.

18.6k202018.5k202118.3k202218.3k202318.2k2024
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
1,011
Deaths
1,173
Net international migration
+0
Net domestic migration
-259
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-52

Where Clay County is

The Census internal point of Clay County is at 33.659700, -88.782500. It sits in UTM zone 16N. The map shades Mississippi's 82 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.

Itawamba County: +1.4%Tate County: +1.5%Lafayette County: +7.0%Marshall County: +1.7%Leake County: +1.0%Newton County: -0.9%Choctaw County: -1.4%Grenada County: -3.0%Jones County: -2.0%Kemper County: -4.5%Pontotoc County: +2.6%Stone County: +6.8%Jefferson Davis County: -1.9%Covington County: -1.6%Jasper County: -3.4%George County: +6.2%Webster County: +1.4%Panola County: -1.2%Humphreys County: -7.9%Franklin County: -1.9%Oktibbeha County: +0.5%Yalobusha County: +0.2%Alcorn County: -1.5%Perry County: -0.5%Sharkey County: -14.3%Neshoba County: -0.1%Greene County: +1.1%Noxubee County: -3.9%Clarke County: -2.5%Quitman County: -9.9%Forrest County: +0.3%Washington County: -7.8%Holmes County: -7.8%Simpson County: -1.1%Montgomery County: -3.9%Wayne County: -0.3%Lauderdale County: -2.9%Tippah County: -1.4%Scott County: -1.1%Benton County: -1.3%Smith County: -1.1%Hinds County: -6.5%Prentiss County: +2.1%Copiah County: -2.6%Issaquena County: -2.3%Yazoo County: -13.7%Union County: +2.0%Calhoun County: -3.5%Marion County: -1.5%Chickasaw County: -1.8%Wilkinson County: -8.3%Warren County: -5.5%Bolivar County: -7.9%Clay County: -2.2%Lincoln County: +0.3%Lowndes County: -2.7%Harrison County: +2.3%Madison County: +4.6%Lamar County: +3.6%Leflore County: -7.7%Sunflower County: -10.4%Winston County: -1.5%Jefferson County: -4.8%Adams County: -2.6%Hancock County: +0.8%Lee County: -0.4%Pearl River County: +5.0%Attala County: -3.3%Walthall County: -0.2%Monroe County: -1.9%Coahoma County: -5.3%Rankin County: +2.2%Lawrence County: -2.6%Amite County: -2.0%Claiborne County: -10.7%DeSoto County: +5.2%Tallahatchie County: -13.6%Tunica County: -5.9%Jackson County: +2.5%Pike County: -3.0%Carroll County: -5.7%Tishomingo County: -1.6%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -5.3%
  2. < -2.3%
  3. < -1.2%
  4. < +1.1%
  5. ≥ +1.1%
no data

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

Internal point

Decimal
33.659700, -88.782500
DMS
33°39'34.92"N 88°46'57.00"W
UTM
16N 334726.1E 3725850.4N
Geohash
djbz7xw9c
Plus code
865HM658+VX

Towns in Clay County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Clay County, 9,758 people together, or 54% 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 West Point with 9,758.

  1. 01West Point9,758
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. The most populous is Lowndes County, MS, with 57,210 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Jackson and the nearest big city

Jackson is 124.3 miles SW of Clay County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Tuscaloosa, AL (population 114,288), 78.0 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Starkville, MS (population 25,844), 13.8 miles away.

Clay County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Clay County is 28025: state code 28 for Mississippi plus county code 025. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $52,673.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Clay County, Mississippi?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 18,213. That is down 408 people (2.2%) from the July 2020 estimate of 18,621.

What is the FIPS code of Clay County?

28025. The first two digits (28) are Mississippi; the last three (025) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Clay County?

West Point, with 9,758 residents inside Clay County in 2024.

Which counties border Clay County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Lowndes County, MS; Oktibbeha County, MS; Monroe County, MS; Chickasaw County, MS; Webster County, MS.

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.