Clayton, NC

Census Place

2024 Population

29,320

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

0.917% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

5.87%

27% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$78,822

7.46% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$329,600

Population & Diversity

Clayton, NC is home to a population of 29.3k people, from which 96.8% are citizens.

As of 2024, 7.96% of Clayton, NC residents were born outside of the country (2.33k people).

In 2024, there were 1.97 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (15.9k people) in Clayton, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 8.08k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 1.31k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.8%

2024 Citizenship

94.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.8% of Clayton, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Clayton, NC was 94.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Clayton, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
15.9k ± 1.09k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
8.08k ± 1.11k
White (Hispanic)
1.31k ± 696

13.2%

Hispanic Population

3.86k people

13.2% of the people in Clayton, NC are hispanic (3.86k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Clayton, NC 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 North Carolina.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
228,441 ± 11,609 people
India
90,815 ± 7,367 people
Honduras
52,061 ± 5,588 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 228,441 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 90,815 and Honduras with 52,061.

Foreign-Born Population

7.96%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

2.33k people

9.45%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

2.65k people

As of 2024, 7.96% of Clayton, NC residents (2.33k 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 Clayton, NC was 9.45%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
535 ± 267
Vietnam
351 ± 176
Gulf War (1990s)
224 ± 137

Clayton, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.52 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Clayton, NC employs 16k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Clayton, NC were Retail Trade (2,195 people), Manufacturing (1,614 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (1,532 people), and the highest paying industries were Information ($103,438), Public Administration ($78,923), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($76,587).

Employment

Occupations

16k

2024 Value

± 1,380

8.95%

1 Year growth

± 11.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Clayton, NC grew at a rate of 8.95%, from 14.7k employees to 16k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Clayton, NC, are Management Occupations (2,100 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,679 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (1,656 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Clayton, 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

16k

2024 Value

± 1,380

8.95%

1 Year growth

± 11.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Clayton, NC grew at a rate of 8.95%, from 14.7k employees to 16k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Clayton, NC, are Retail Trade (2,195 people), Manufacturing (1,614 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (1,532 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Clayton, NC, though some of these residents may live in Clayton, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$51,129

Median earning men ± $7,921

$48,688

Median earning women ± $2,018

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($148,824), Manufacturing ($89,130), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($79,583).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($74,324), Public Administration ($64,097), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($61,154).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Clayton, NC was $329,600 in 2024, which is 0.991 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $292,400 to $329,600, a 12.7% increase. The homeownership rate in Clayton, NC is 62.7%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Clayton, NC have an average commute time of 31.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Clayton, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$329,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$14,681

$7,049

Median Property Taxes

±$863

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 Clayton, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

62.7%

Homeownership

2024

70.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 62.7% of the housing units in Clayton, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 64.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Clayton, 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.

$78,822

Median Household Income

± $4,441

11.2k

Number of Households

± 1,100

In 2024, the median household income of the 11.2k households in Clayton, NC grew to $78,822 from the previous year's value of $73,348.

The following chart displays the households in Clayton, 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 Clayton, NC is from North Carolina.

0.466

2024 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.467

2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2024, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.466 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.16% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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 (72.7%)
Worked At Home (18.2%)
Carpooled (7.91%)

In 2024, 72.7% of workers in Clayton, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (18.2%) and those who carpooled to work (7.91%).

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

31.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Clayton, NC have a longer commute time (31.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.64% of the workforce in Clayton, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

5.87% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Clayton, NC (1.71k out of 29.1k 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 35 - 44, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Males 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Clayton, NC is White, followed by Black and Other.

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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