Clay County, Iowa | |
|---|---|
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 Location within the U.S. state ofIowa | |
 Iowa's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:43°04′51″N95°08′58″W / 43.080833333333°N 95.149444444444°W /43.080833333333; -95.149444444444 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Iowa |
| Founded | 1851 |
| Named after | Henry Clay Jr. |
| Seat | Spencer |
| Largest city | Spencer |
| Area | |
• Total | 573 sq mi (1,480 km2) |
| • Land | 567 sq mi (1,470 km2) |
| • Water | 5.4 sq mi (14 km2) 0.9% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 16,384 |
• Estimate (2023) | 16,511 |
| • Density | 28.9/sq mi (11.2/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 4th |
| Website | claycounty |
Clay County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofIowa. As of the2020 United States census, the population was 16,384.[1] Itscounty seat isSpencer.[2] Its name is in honor ofHenry Clay Jr.,[3] a colonel who died in action in theMexican–American War, and son ofHenry Clay, famous American statesman from Kentucky. Clay County comprises the Spencer, IAMicropolitan Statistical Area. Clay County holds the annualClay County Fair. The first newspaper in Clay County was thePeterson Patriot which started publication in 1880.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 573 square miles (1,480 km2), of which 567 square miles (1,470 km2) is land and 5.4 square miles (14 km2) (0.9%) is water.[4] Clay County is home to the largeBarringer Slough wetland.
TheSpencer Municipal Airport is located three miles (4.8 km) northwest of the business district of Spencer. It provides service to the county and surrounding communities.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 52 | — | |
| 1870 | 1,523 | 2,828.8% | |
| 1880 | 4,248 | 178.9% | |
| 1890 | 9,309 | 119.1% | |
| 1900 | 13,401 | 44.0% | |
| 1910 | 12,766 | −4.7% | |
| 1920 | 15,660 | 22.7% | |
| 1930 | 16,107 | 2.9% | |
| 1940 | 17,762 | 10.3% | |
| 1950 | 18,103 | 1.9% | |
| 1960 | 18,504 | 2.2% | |
| 1970 | 18,464 | −0.2% | |
| 1980 | 19,576 | 6.0% | |
| 1990 | 17,585 | −10.2% | |
| 2000 | 17,372 | −1.2% | |
| 2010 | 16,667 | −4.1% | |
| 2020 | 16,384 | −1.7% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 16,511 | [5] | 0.8% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010-2018[10] | |||
The 2020 census recorded a population of 16,384 in the county, with a population density of28.6719/sq mi (11.0703/km2). 96.20% of the population reported being of one race. There were 8,109 housing units of which 7,222 were occupied.[1]
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 15,025 | 92.8% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 99 | 0.6% |
| Native American (NH) | 37 | 0.23% |
| Asian (NH) | 105 | 0.64% |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 2 | 0.01% |
| Other/Mixed (NH) | 412 | 2.51% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 704 | 4.3% |
The 2010 census recorded a population of 16,667 in the county, with a population density of29.292/sq mi (11.310/km2). There were 8,062 housing units, of which 7,282 were occupied.[12]
As of thecensus[13] of 2000, there were 17,372 people, 7,259 households, and 4,776 families residing in the county. The population density was 30 inhabitants per square mile (12/km2). There were 7,828 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (5.4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.08%White, 0.17%Black orAfrican American, 0.10%Native American, 0.82%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 0.25% fromother races, and 0.55% from two or more races. 1.13% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 7,259 households, out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.60% weremarried couples living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.20% were non-families. 29.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.70% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 18.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,799, and the median income for a family was $42,769. Males had a median income of $30,163 versus $21,068 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $19,451. About 6.30% of families and 8.20% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 11.10% of those under age 18 and 8.10% of those age 65 or over.
The county has been based on farming. The 1980s farm crisis caused some families to have to give up their farms, and farms have been merged to industrial scale.[citation needed] The population has declined since 1980.[citation needed]
At one pointGreat Lakes Airlines was headquartered inSummit Township, Clay County.[14][15]
Clay County is divided into thesetownships:
The population ranking of the following table is based on the2020 United States census of Clay County.[1]†county seat
| Rank | City/Town/etc. | Municipal type | Population (2021 Census) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | †Spencer | City | 11,356 |
| 2 | Everly | City | 576 |
| 3 | Royal | City | 382 |
| 4 | Peterson | City | 324 |
| 5 | Fostoria | City | 232 |
| 6 | Dickens | City | 149 |
| 7 | Webb | City | 142 |
| 8 | Greenville | City | 69 |
| 9 | Rossie | City | 48 |
| 10 | Gillett Grove | City | 32 |
For most of its history, Clay County has primarily voted for Republican party candidates in presidential elections. Exceptions to this includeBull Moose candidate & former presidentTheodore Roosevelt winning a majority in 1912, the longest Democratic streak in its history whenFranklin D. Roosevelt &Harry S. Truman were on the ballot from 1932 to 1948,Lyndon B. Johnson winning in a landslide statewide & nationally in 1964,Michael Dukakis getting a huge boost statewide thanks to the Midwest farm crisis in 1988, &Bill Clinton benefiting fromRoss Perot gaining significant minorities of the county's vote in 1992 & 1996. The level of Republican support has increased significantly in recent years, with Hillary Clinton posting the worst performance since 1952 whenAdlai Stevenson won an identical percentage of the county's votes at 26.1%.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1896 | 1,880 | 65.99% | 933 | 32.75% | 36 | 1.26% |
| 1900 | 2,292 | 72.76% | 781 | 24.79% | 77 | 2.44% |
| 1904 | 2,154 | 78.70% | 487 | 17.79% | 96 | 3.51% |
| 1908 | 1,921 | 69.68% | 778 | 28.22% | 58 | 2.10% |
| 1912 | 679 | 24.04% | 707 | 25.04% | 1,438 | 50.92% |
| 1916 | 1,649 | 55.41% | 1,234 | 41.47% | 93 | 3.13% |
| 1920 | 4,471 | 80.05% | 1,001 | 17.92% | 113 | 2.02% |
| 1924 | 3,549 | 60.95% | 378 | 6.49% | 1,896 | 32.56% |
| 1928 | 3,986 | 65.51% | 2,064 | 33.92% | 35 | 0.58% |
| 1932 | 2,599 | 38.40% | 3,944 | 58.27% | 226 | 3.34% |
| 1936 | 2,774 | 36.57% | 4,691 | 61.84% | 121 | 1.60% |
| 1940 | 3,673 | 45.77% | 4,328 | 53.93% | 24 | 0.30% |
| 1944 | 3,055 | 45.43% | 3,639 | 54.12% | 30 | 0.45% |
| 1948 | 3,036 | 43.61% | 3,649 | 52.42% | 276 | 3.96% |
| 1952 | 6,271 | 72.57% | 2,258 | 26.13% | 112 | 1.30% |
| 1956 | 5,107 | 62.36% | 2,970 | 36.26% | 113 | 1.38% |
| 1960 | 5,165 | 60.03% | 3,437 | 39.95% | 2 | 0.02% |
| 1964 | 2,999 | 38.70% | 4,631 | 59.76% | 119 | 1.54% |
| 1968 | 4,325 | 56.70% | 2,840 | 37.23% | 463 | 6.07% |
| 1972 | 4,564 | 59.30% | 2,887 | 37.51% | 245 | 3.18% |
| 1976 | 4,548 | 53.51% | 3,776 | 44.42% | 176 | 2.07% |
| 1980 | 4,479 | 51.11% | 3,179 | 36.27% | 1,106 | 12.62% |
| 1984 | 4,450 | 53.51% | 3,774 | 45.38% | 92 | 1.11% |
| 1988 | 3,641 | 46.26% | 4,173 | 53.02% | 56 | 0.71% |
| 1992 | 3,011 | 35.93% | 3,346 | 39.93% | 2,023 | 24.14% |
| 1996 | 3,129 | 40.88% | 3,659 | 47.80% | 867 | 11.33% |
| 2000 | 3,992 | 52.68% | 3,294 | 43.47% | 292 | 3.85% |
| 2004 | 4,898 | 57.03% | 3,547 | 41.30% | 143 | 1.67% |
| 2008 | 4,355 | 51.83% | 3,925 | 46.72% | 122 | 1.45% |
| 2012 | 4,951 | 58.23% | 3,385 | 39.81% | 166 | 1.95% |
| 2016 | 5,877 | 68.20% | 2,249 | 26.10% | 491 | 5.70% |
| 2020 | 6,137 | 68.42% | 2,662 | 29.68% | 170 | 1.90% |
| 2024 | 6,047 | 70.80% | 2,367 | 27.71% | 127 | 1.49% |
Places adjacent to Clay County, Iowa | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofClay County, Iowa,United States | ||
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| Townships | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
43°04′51″N95°08′58″W / 43.08083°N 95.14944°W /43.08083; -95.14944
