• county
  • FIPS 46027
  • Largest town: Vermillion

Clay County, South Dakota

Clay County had 15,245 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 412.0 square miles of land. It ranks 14th of 66 in South Dakota by population and 66th by land area.

Population
15,245
#14 of 66 in South Dakota · #2,078 in US
Area
412.0 sq mi
#66 of 66 in South Dakota · #2,455 in US
Density
37 / sq mi
#9 of 66 in South Dakota · #1,746 in US
Median household income
$63,752
#42 of 66 in South Dakota · #1,482 in US

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

Clay County within South Dakota. Pin: Pierre.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Clay County

Clay County population, land area and income

Clay County had 15,245 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 412.0 square miles of land. It ranks 14th of 66 in South Dakota by population and 66th by land area. That works out to 37.0 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in South Dakota has 5,296 residents, so Clay County is 2.9 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $63,752 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

15,245

3144th1st

2078th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

412 sq mi

3144th1st

2455th of 3,144 (US)

Density

37.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

1746th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$63,752

3143rd1st

1482nd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within South Dakota (66)

Population

15,245

66th1st

14th of 66 (SD)

Land area

412 sq mi

66th1st

66th of 66 (SD)

Density

37.0 / sq mi

66th1st

9th of 66 (SD)

Median household income

$63,752

66th1st

42nd of 66 (SD)

How Clay County's population changed since 2020

Clay County gained 242 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 1.6%. That ranks 23rd of 66 in South Dakota for growth. The median South Dakota county changed by +0.8%, and the state as a whole by +4.1%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Clay County recorded 543 births and 495 deaths, a natural change of +48. Net international migration added +124 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +91. The largest single component was international migration, which added 124 people.

15.0k202015.2k202115.3k202215.4k202315.2k2024
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
543
Deaths
495
Net international migration
+124
Net domestic migration
+91
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-153

Where Clay County is

The Census internal point of Clay County is at 42.916200, -96.980500. It sits in UTM zone 14N. The map shades South Dakota's 66 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.

Davison County: -0.2%Minnehaha County: +5.5%Bennett County: -3.0%Clark County: +3.2%Hamlin County: +7.1%Jerauld County: +2.8%Brule County: +0.2%Aurora County: +0.4%Turner County: +4.6%Beadle County: +1.5%Hand County: -1.6%Kingsbury County: +1.0%McCook County: +1.7%Miner County: -0.0%Lyman County: +0.5%Codington County: +3.3%Deuel County: +0.8%Sully County: +1.1%Oglala Lakota County: -2.1%Edmunds County: +0.8%Sanborn County: +2.7%Spink County: -3.7%Lake County: -0.1%Hyde County: -3.0%Potter County: -2.9%Perkins County: -0.6%Faulk County: +0.5%Day County: -0.5%Clay County: +1.6%Hanson County: +0.5%Fall River County: +5.5%Brookings County: +5.9%Yankton County: +1.0%Hutchinson County: -0.1%Butte County: +5.8%Custer County: +11.8%Lawrence County: +11.5%Hughes County: -1.2%Grant County: +1.0%Brown County: -1.9%Gregory County: +2.8%Campbell County: -2.8%Bon Homme County: +1.4%McPherson County: -4.0%Lincoln County: +14.6%Stanley County: +1.5%Walworth County: -0.5%Harding County: +1.3%Marshall County: +2.3%Union County: +3.2%Pennington County: +5.8%Buffalo County: -5.8%Moody County: +3.0%Tripp County: +2.0%Roberts County: +0.2%Charles Mix County: -0.3%Meade County: +3.4%Haakon County: -1.8%Jones County: -5.3%Douglas County: +0.5%Dewey County: +1.9%Corson County: -3.6%Mellette County: -4.6%Todd County: -1.6%Jackson County: -2.4%Ziebach County: +1.0%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.8%
  2. < +0.2%
  3. < +1.3%
  4. < +3.2%
  5. ≥ +3.2%
no data

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

Internal point

Decimal
42.916200, -96.980500
DMS
42°54'58.32"N 96°58'49.80"W
UTM
14N 664832.2E 4753487.5N
Geohash
9zeh1hsuy
Plus code
86J5W289+FR

Towns in Clay County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Clay County, 11,877 people together, or 78% 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 Vermillion with 11,877.

  1. 01Vermillion11,877
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 Lincoln County, SD, with 75,244 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Pierre and the nearest big city

Pierre is 195.8 miles WNW of Clay County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Sioux Falls, SD (population 209,289), 44.9 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Vermillion, SD (population 11,877), 9.7 miles away.

Clay County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Clay County is 46027: state code 46 for South Dakota 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 $63,752.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Clay County, South Dakota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 15,245. That is up 242 people (1.6%) from the July 2020 estimate of 15,003.

What is the FIPS code of Clay County?

46027. The first two digits (46) are South Dakota; the last three (027) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Clay County?

Vermillion, with 11,877 residents inside Clay County in 2024.

Which counties border Clay County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Lincoln County, SD; Yankton County, SD; Union County, SD; Turner County, SD; Cedar County, NE; Dixon County, NE.

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.