• county
  • FIPS 37043

Clay County, North Carolina

Clay County had 12,042 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 215.0 square miles of land. It ranks 92nd of 100 in North Carolina by population and 98th by land area.

Population
12,042
#92 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,280 in US
Area
215.0 sq mi
#98 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,975 in US
Density
56 / sq mi
#77 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,365 in US
Median household income
$53,229
#74 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,463 in US

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

Clay County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Clay County

Clay County population, land area and income

Clay County had 12,042 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 215.0 square miles of land. It ranks 92nd of 100 in North Carolina by population and 98th by land area. That works out to 56.0 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents, so Clay County has 23% of the typical county's population.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $53,229 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

12,042

3144th1st

2280th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

215 sq mi

3144th1st

2975th of 3,144 (US)

Density

56.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

1365th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$53,229

3143rd1st

2463rd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

12,042

100th1st

92nd of 100 (NC)

Land area

215 sq mi

100th1st

98th of 100 (NC)

Density

56.0 / sq mi

100th1st

77th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$53,229

100th1st

74th of 100 (NC)

How Clay County's population changed since 2020

Clay County gained 897 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 8.0%. That ranks 16th of 100 in North Carolina for growth. The median North Carolina county changed by +2.7%, and the state as a whole by +5.7%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Clay County recorded 391 births and 681 deaths, a natural change of -290. Net international migration added +16 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,229. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 1,229 people.

11.1k202011.4k202111.6k202211.9k202312.0k2024
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
391
Deaths
681
Net international migration
+16
Net domestic migration
+1,229
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+169

Where Clay County is

The Census internal point of Clay County is at 35.053000, -83.752300. It sits in UTM zone 17N. The map shades North Carolina's 100 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.

Scotland County: +1.4%Rockingham County: +2.5%Franklin County: +15.6%Caswell County: -0.5%Stokes County: +2.9%Granville County: +2.3%Edgecombe County: +0.7%Randolph County: +2.8%Alexander County: +0.8%Person County: +2.4%Cherokee County: +5.2%Ashe County: +2.5%Davidson County: +5.2%Cabarrus County: +7.8%Mecklenburg County: +8.1%Burke County: +1.5%Cumberland County: +0.4%Northampton County: -4.9%Buncombe County: +3.5%Wilson County: +0.8%Bladen County: +0.5%Pitt County: +4.1%Yancey County: +2.7%Stanly County: +7.4%Harnett County: +9.3%Wilkes County: +0.5%Tyrrell County: +8.8%Pamlico County: +1.9%Hoke County: +6.0%Transylvania County: +2.5%Carteret County: +3.8%Durham County: +6.5%Anson County: +1.8%Pender County: +15.6%Alamance County: +6.7%Polk County: +4.9%Lenoir County: +0.5%Washington County: -3.0%Avery County: -0.0%Hyde County: +1.5%Gates County: -1.4%Davie County: +5.8%Jackson County: +7.4%Montgomery County: +2.5%Martin County: -2.0%Pasquotank County: +2.9%Perquimans County: +3.4%Cleveland County: +2.3%Sampson County: +2.3%Catawba County: +3.8%Alleghany County: +4.5%Robeson County: +2.3%Macon County: +4.4%Clay County: +8.0%Haywood County: +1.3%Duplin County: +3.8%Henderson County: +3.6%Craven County: +2.6%Warren County: +2.6%Graham County: +1.7%Union County: +9.9%Wayne County: +2.2%Gaston County: +5.9%Guilford County: +3.7%Yadkin County: +2.0%Watauga County: +1.0%Rowan County: +4.4%Swain County: -1.1%Chatham County: +9.4%Bertie County: -4.4%Halifax County: -2.9%Forsyth County: +4.1%Onslow County: +3.8%Dare County: +3.1%Chowan County: +1.3%Brunswick County: +20.9%Johnston County: +14.9%Orange County: +6.4%Currituck County: +13.6%New Hanover County: +7.5%Richmond County: -1.7%Vance County: -0.5%Iredell County: +9.9%Lincoln County: +12.0%Caldwell County: +0.2%McDowell County: +1.6%Rutherford County: +1.9%Mitchell County: +0.9%Moore County: +8.1%Columbus County: -0.8%Lee County: +8.1%Greene County: +1.1%Madison County: +5.0%Camden County: +7.5%Hertford County: -12.0%Beaufort County: -0.3%Jones County: +3.5%Wake County: +9.0%Nash County: +3.0%Surry County: +0.2%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +0.5%
  2. < +2.3%
  3. < +3.7%
  4. < +7.4%
  5. ≥ +7.4%
no data

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

Internal point

Decimal
35.053000, -83.752300
DMS
35°03'10.80"N 83°45'8.28"W
UTM
17N 248977.0E 3882384.9N
Geohash
dnhrqjjqt
Plus code
867R363X+63

Towns in Clay County

No incorporated place of 1,000 or more people has residents in Clay County. Its 12,042 residents live in smaller towns, census-designated places, or unincorporated land, which the subcounty estimates do not list at this size.

Counties bordering Clay County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Clay County, including 3 across a state line. The most populous is Macon County, NC, with 38,717 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 292.2 miles ENE of Clay County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Knoxville, TN (population 198,722), 64.4 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Maryville, TN (population 32,373), 49.7 miles away.

Clay County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Clay County is 37043: state code 37 for North Carolina 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 $53,229.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Clay County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 12,042. That is up 897 people (8.0%) from the July 2020 estimate of 11,145.

What is the FIPS code of Clay County?

37043. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (043) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Clay County?

No incorporated place of 1,000 or more people has residents in Clay County. Its people live in smaller towns, census-designated places or unincorporated land.

Which counties border Clay County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Macon County, NC; Cherokee County, NC; Union County, GA; Rabun County, GA; Towns County, GA.

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.