Clay Center, NE

Census Place

2024 Population

802

US Senator

Deb Fischer

Republican Party

US Senator

Pete Ricketts

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

38.1

4.03% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

4.09%

42.3% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$82,500

8.79% 1-year growth

Population & Diversity

Clay Center, NE is home to a population of 802 people, from which 97.3% are citizens.

As of 2024, 4.24% of Clay Center, NE residents were born outside of the country (34 people).

In 2024, there were 12.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (686 people) in Clay Center, NE than any other race or ethnicity. There were 56 Other (Hispanic) and 23 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.3%

2024 Citizenship

98.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.3% of Clay Center, NE residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Clay Center, NE was 98.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Clay Center, NE compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Clay Center, NE

White (Non-Hispanic)
686 ± 117
Other (Hispanic)
56 ± 55
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
23 ± 13

7.98%

Hispanic Population

64 people

7.98% of the people in Clay Center, NE are hispanic (64 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Clay Center, NE as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Nebraska.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
47,802 ± 5,303 people
Guatemala
13,722 ± 2,866 people
El Salvador
6,860 ± 2,030 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Nebraska was Mexico, the natal country of 47,802 Nebraska residents, followed by Guatemala with 13,722 and El Salvador with 6,860.

Foreign-Born Population

4.24%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

34 people

2.4%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

18 people

As of 2024, 4.24% of Clay Center, NE residents (34 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Clay Center, NE was 2.4%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Clay Center, NE compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
16 ± 17
Gulf War (2001-)
6 ± 11
Gulf War (1990s)
4 ± 12

Clay Center, NE has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.67 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Clay Center, NE.

Economy

The economy of Clay Center, NE employs 415 people. In 2024, the largest industries in Clay Center, NE were Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (74 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (52 people), and Manufacturing (47 people), and the highest paying industries were Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($75,500), Finance & Insurance ($70,500), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($70,500).

Employment

Occupations

415

2024 Value

± 74

1.22%

1 Year growth

± 24.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Clay Center, NE grew at a rate of 1.22%, from 410 employees to 415 employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Clay Center, NE, are Management Occupations (55 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (51 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (39 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Clay Center, NE.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Nebraska.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Nebraska (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

415

2024 Value

± 74

1.22%

1 Year growth

± 24.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Clay Center, NE grew at a rate of 1.22%, from 410 employees to 415 employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Clay Center, NE, are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (74 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (52 people), and Manufacturing (47 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Clay Center, NE, though some of these residents may live in Clay Center, NE and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$60,385

Median earning men ± $4,170

$31,477

Median earning women ± $6,002

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($160,417), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($76,750), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($70,833).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($61,250), Public Administration ($49,583), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($31,667).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Clay Center, NE was $141,300 in 2024, which is 0.425 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $148,300 to $141,300, a 4.72% decrease. The homeownership rate in Clay Center, NE is 85.7%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Clay Center, NE have an average commute time of 20 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Clay Center, NE is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$141,300

Median Property Value 2024

±$20,977

$276

Median Property Taxes

±$48

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Clay Center, NE the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Clay Center, NE compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

85.7%

Homeownership

2024

65.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 85.7% of the housing units in Clay Center, NE were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 82.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Clay Center, NE compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$82,500

Median Household Income

± $18,053

322

Number of Households

± 50

In 2024, the median household income of the 322 households in Clay Center, NE grew to $82,500 from the previous year's value of $75,833.

The following chart displays the households in Clay Center, NE distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $100k - $125k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Clay Center, NE is from Nebraska.

0.447

2024 Wage GINI in Nebraska

0.447

2023 Wage GINI in Nebraska

In 2024, the income inequality in Nebraska was 0.447 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.182% growth from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Nebraska was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Nebraska in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Nebraska across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (89.2%)
Worked At Home (4.18%)
Walked (3.19%)

In 2024, 89.2% of workers in Clay Center, NE drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (4.18%) and those who walked to work (3.19%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

20 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Clay Center, NE have a shorter commute time (20 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.79% of the workforce in Clay Center, NE have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Clay Center, NE compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Clay Center, NE distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Clay Center, NE have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

4.09% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Clay Center, NE (32 out of 783 people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Females 75+ and then Females 65 - 74.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Clay Center, NE is White, followed by Two Or More and Black.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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