• county
  • FIPS 29047
  • Largest town: Kansas City

Clay County, Missouri

Clay County had 263,370 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 397.7 square miles of land. It ranks 6th of 115 in Missouri by population and 111th by land area.

Population
263,370
#6 of 115 in Missouri · #280 in US
Area
397.7 sq mi
#111 of 115 in Missouri · #2,536 in US
Density
662 / sq mi
#5 of 115 in Missouri · #218 in US
Median household income
$84,816
#4 of 115 in Missouri · #330 in US

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

Clay County within Missouri. Pin: Jefferson City.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Clay County

Clay County population, land area and income

Clay County had 263,370 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 397.7 square miles of land. It ranks 6th of 115 in Missouri by population and 111th by land area. That works out to 662.3 people per square mile, 6.9 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top tenth nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Missouri has 19,100 residents, so Clay County is 13.8 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $84,816 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

263,370

3144th1st

280th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

398 sq mi

3144th1st

2536th of 3,144 (US)

Density

662.3 / sq mi

3144th1st

218th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$84,816

3143rd1st

330th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Missouri (115)

Population

263,370

115th1st

6th of 115 (MO)

Land area

398 sq mi

115th1st

111th of 115 (MO)

Density

662.3 / sq mi

115th1st

5th of 115 (MO)

Median household income

$84,816

115th1st

4th of 115 (MO)

How Clay County's population changed since 2020

Clay County gained 9,225 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 3.6%. That ranks 23rd of 115 in Missouri for growth. The median Missouri county changed by +1.4%, and the state as a whole by +1.5%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Clay County recorded 12,686 births and 9,323 deaths, a natural change of +3,363. Net international migration added +2,485 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +4,114. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 4,114 people.

254.1k2020255.9k2021257.0k2022260.2k2023263.4k2024
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
12,686
Deaths
9,323
Net international migration
+2,485
Net domestic migration
+4,114
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+3,220

Where Clay County is

The Census internal point of Clay County is at 39.315600, -94.421500. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Missouri's 115 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.

Pettis County: +1.8%Henry County: +2.7%Texas County: +5.7%Madison County: +1.8%St. Louis city: -6.9%Cole County: +1.3%Washington County: +0.6%Macon County: -0.1%Barton County: +0.8%Grundy County: +0.1%Cedar County: +5.7%Randolph County: -1.6%Ray County: +0.3%Caldwell County: +2.0%Benton County: +6.1%Douglas County: +5.9%Shannon County: +3.4%Dade County: +0.5%Wright County: +7.1%Gentry County: +2.6%Lawrence County: +3.0%Cooper County: +2.9%Hickory County: +5.6%Moniteau County: +0.5%Dent County: +2.3%Monroe County: +2.3%Maries County: +0.7%Bollinger County: +0.5%Clinton County: +2.4%Knox County: +0.0%Webster County: +7.8%Harrison County: +0.4%Pulaski County: -0.1%Adair County: +1.5%Warren County: +7.7%Daviess County: +1.3%Audrain County: -1.9%Howard County: -0.1%Linn County: +0.4%Saline County: -0.1%Miller County: +3.6%Dallas County: +4.3%Morgan County: +6.7%New Madrid County: -6.8%Newton County: +4.8%Oregon County: +1.0%Franklin County: +2.3%Greene County: +2.9%Ralls County: +1.4%Lafayette County: +1.4%Livingston County: +4.8%McDonald County: +3.3%Barry County: +3.1%Cape Girardeau County: +2.2%Carroll County: -0.6%Christian County: +7.6%Vernon County: +0.6%Carter County: +3.0%Andrew County: -0.1%Jasper County: +2.9%Worth County: -4.9%Lincoln County: +10.1%Marion County: -0.2%Holt County: +1.2%Howell County: +2.4%St. Francois County: +1.6%Chariton County: +0.1%Butler County: -0.6%Iron County: -1.0%Perry County: +0.7%Cass County: +5.3%St. Louis County: -1.0%Dunklin County: -4.3%Wayne County: -1.1%Ozark County: +6.7%Laclede County: +1.9%Reynolds County: -2.5%Lewis County: -1.9%Taney County: +1.2%Ripley County: +0.4%Ste. Genevieve County: +0.4%Scotland County: -0.1%Putnam County: -3.1%Schuyler County: +1.5%Shelby County: -2.8%Boone County: +4.4%Mercer County: -1.7%Platte County: +5.6%Camden County: +3.1%Bates County: +2.1%Johnson County: +3.4%Sullivan County: -3.8%Atchison County: -3.1%Scott County: -0.2%Montgomery County: +2.0%Jefferson County: +2.2%Clark County: -0.5%Callaway County: +1.8%St. Clair County: +5.4%Buchanan County: -1.1%Pemiscot County: -7.6%Polk County: +4.6%Phelps County: +2.5%Stone County: +4.6%Osage County: +1.7%Clay County: +3.6%Nodaway County: -2.4%Crawford County: -1.0%Jackson County: +1.4%St. Charles County: +4.3%Mississippi County: -3.1%Pike County: +3.1%Stoddard County: -0.7%Gasconade County: -0.7%DeKalb County: -14.8%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -0.7%
  2. < +0.5%
  3. < +2.0%
  4. < +3.6%
  5. ≥ +3.6%
no data

Orange pin: Clay County internal point. Dark pin: Jefferson City.

Internal point

Decimal
39.315600, -94.421500
DMS
39°18'56.16"N 94°25'17.40"W
UTM
15N 377456.0E 4352763.3N
Geohash
9yuzemhmg
Plus code
86F78H8H+6C

Towns in Clay County

10 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Clay County, 244,531 people together, or 93% 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 Kansas City with 143,075.

  1. 01Kansas City (part)143,075
  2. 02Liberty31,245
  3. 03Gladstone27,579
  4. 04Kearney11,215
  5. 05Smithville (part)10,970
  6. 06Excelsior Springs (part)10,538
  7. 07North Kansas City5,630
  8. 08Pleasant Valley2,750
  9. 09Claycomo1,370
  10. 10Lawson (part)159
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, including 1 across a state line. The most populous is Jackson County, MO, with 727,362 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Jefferson City and the nearest big city

Jefferson City is 131.1 miles ESE of Clay County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Kansas City, MO (population 516,032), 14.9 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Kearney, MO (population 11,215), 4.3 miles away.

Clay County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Clay County is 29047: state code 29 for Missouri plus county code 047. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $84,816.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Clay County, Missouri?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 263,370. That is up 9,225 people (3.6%) from the July 2020 estimate of 254,145.

What is the FIPS code of Clay County?

29047. The first two digits (29) are Missouri; the last three (047) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Clay County?

Kansas City, with 143,075 residents inside Clay County in 2024 (516,032 across all 4 counties it spans).

Which counties border Clay County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Jackson County, MO; Wyandotte County, KS; Platte County, MO; Ray County, MO; Clinton County, MO.

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.