Clay County, NC

County

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2024 Population

11,610

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

0.917% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

12.9%

4.37% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$56,971

6.2% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$278,400

5.73% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

4,446

7.21% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Clay County, NC reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

98.9% of the residents in Clay County, NC are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Clay County, NC was $278,400, and the homeownership rate was 81.2%.

Most people in Clay County, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 23.2 minutes. The average car ownership in Clay County, NC was 2 cars per household.

Clay County, NC borders Rabun County, GA, Towns County, GA, Union County, GA, Cherokee County, NC, and Macon County, NC.

United States North Carolina

Population & Diversity

Clay County, NC is home to a population of 11.6k people, from which 98.9% are citizens. As of 2024, 3.39% of Clay County, NC residents were born outside of the country (394 people).

In 2024, there were 35 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (10.5k people) in Clay County, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 299 White (Hispanic) and 254 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.9%

2024 Citizenship

98.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.9% of Clay County, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Clay County, NC was 98.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Clay County, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
10.5k ± 123
White (Hispanic)
299 ± 138
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
254 ± 70

4.14%

Hispanic Population

481 people

4.14% of the people in Clay County, NC are hispanic (481 people).

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

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for North Carolina.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
224,963 ± 11,520 people
India
83,219 ± 7,055 people
Honduras
48,247 ± 5,380 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 224,963 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 83,219 and Honduras with 48,247.

Foreign-Born Population

3.39%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

394 people

3.8%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

433 people

As of 2024, 3.39% of Clay County, NC residents (394 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 County, NC was 3.8%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
215 ± 98
Gulf War (1990s)
76 ± 51
Gulf War (2001-)
75 ± 50

Clay County, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.83 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Clay County, NC.

Economy

The economy of Clay County, NC employs 4.45k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Clay County, NC were Retail Trade (640 people), Construction (505 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (441 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($107,893), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($107,893), and Finance & Insurance ($105,250).

Employment

Occupations

4.45k

2024 Value

± 566

7.21%

1 Year growth

± 17.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Clay County, NC grew at a rate of 7.21%, from 4.15k employees to 4.45k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Clay County, NC, are Sales & Related Occupations (730 people), Management Occupations (424 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (412 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Clay County, NC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in North Carolina (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

4.45k

2024 Value

± 566

7.21%

1 Year growth

± 17.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Clay County, NC grew at a rate of 7.21%, from 4.15k employees to 4.45k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Clay County, NC, are Retail Trade (640 people), Construction (505 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (441 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Clay County, NC, though some of these residents may live in Clay County, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$48,194

Median earning men ± $3,324

$34,205

Median earning women ± $8,940

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($108,217), Public Administration ($64,205), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($53,787).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($93,750), Public Administration ($89,167), and Construction ($60,714).

Employment by Industry Sector

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

Y-Axis

3.04%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.86M people employed in North Carolina. This represents a 3.04% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in North Carolina.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

34
Construction
22
Other Services (except Public Administration)
20
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$13.3k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$12.4k
Retail Trade
$10.4k
Construction

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Clay County, NC was $278,400 in 2024, which is 0.837 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $263,300 to $278,400, a 5.73% increase. The homeownership rate in Clay County, NC is 81.2%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Clay County, NC have an average commute time of 23.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Clay County, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 18.3% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Clay County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.0505%.

Housing

Property

$278,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$32,756

$4,125

Median Property Taxes

±$473

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 County, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

81.2%

Homeownership

2024

68.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 81.2% of the housing units in Clay County, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 79.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Clay County, NC 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.

$56,971

Median Household Income

± $8,915

5.08k

Number of Households

± 569

In 2024, the median household income of the 5.08k households in Clay County, NC grew to $56,971 from the previous year's value of $53,645.

The following chart displays the households in Clay County, NC 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 $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Clay County, NC is from North Carolina.

0.467

2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.47

2022 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2023, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.467 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.639% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in North Carolina in comparison to the national average.

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

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (79.1%)
Carpooled (11.5%)
Worked At Home (8.14%)

In 2024, 79.1% of workers in Clay County, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.5%) and those who worked at home (8.14%).

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

23.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Clay County, NC have a shorter commute time (23.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 4.42% of the workforce in Clay County, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 18.3% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Clay County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.0505%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

12.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Clay County, NC (1.45k out of 11.3k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 75+, followed by Females 65 - 74 and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Clay County, NC is White, followed by Hispanic 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.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 22.2% of the children was living in poverty in Clay County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 10.9%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

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

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 244 in Clay County, NC. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 87 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

84.1% of the population of Clay County, NC has health coverage, with 30.9% on employee plans, 12.1% on Medicaid, 24.6% on Medicare, 15.5% on non-group plans, and 1.05% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Clay County, NC see 2,262 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,262 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1452 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 659 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.1% were men and 49.9% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,262 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Clay County, NC

Primary care physicians in Clay County, NC see an average of 2,262 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,262 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Clay County, NC in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 17% under 18 years, 12.4% between 18 and 34 years, 38.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 32.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.1% were men and 49.9% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

15.9%

Uninsured

30.9%

Employer Coverage

12.1%

Medicaid

24.6%

Medicare

15.5%

Non-Group

1.05%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Clay County, NC grew by 3.78% from 15.3% to 15.9%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Clay County, NC changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.