Clay County | |
|---|---|
 South side of the Clay County Courthouse (designed byWight and Wight) in Liberty | |
 Flag | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofMissouri | |
 Missouri's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:39°19′N94°25′W / 39.31°N 94.42°W /39.31; -94.42 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Missouri |
| Founded | January 2, 1822 |
| Named after | Henry Clay |
| Seat | Liberty |
| Largest city | Kansas City |
| Area | |
• Total | 409 sq mi (1,060 km2) |
| • Land | 397 sq mi (1,030 km2) |
| • Water | 11 sq mi (28 km2) 2.8% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 253,335 |
| • Density | 620/sq mi (240/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional districts | 5th,6th |
| Website | www |
Clay County is located in theU.S. state ofMissouri and is part of theKansas City metropolitan area. As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 253,335,[1] making it the fifth-most populous county in Missouri. Itscounty seat isLiberty.[2] The county was organized January 2, 1822, and named in honor ofU.S. RepresentativeHenry Clay fromKentucky, later a member of theUnited States Senate andUnited States Secretary of State.[3][4] Clay County contains many of the area's northernsuburbs, along with a portion of the city ofKansas City, Missouri. It also owns and operates the Midwest National Air Center inExcelsior Springs.
Clay County was settled primarily from migrants from theUpper Southern states ofKentucky,Tennessee, andVirginia. They broughtslaves and slaveholding traditions with them, and quickly started cultivating crops similar to those inMiddle Tennessee and Kentucky: hemp and tobacco. Clay was one of several counties settled mostly by Southerners to the north and south of theMissouri River. Given their culture and traditions, this area became known asLittle Dixie. In 1860, enslaved persons made up 25% or more of the county's population.[5]
The 1828 execution ofAnnice, a slave owned by Jeremiah Prior, was the first to occur in Clay County.[6] She was also the first female slave executed in the state of Missouri.[7]
Many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints found refuge in Clay County in November 1833 after they were driven from Jackson County, Missouri. In 1836, mobs and the Missouri State militia viciously drove the members of the church from the county.[8] Leaders of this church, most notablyJoseph Smith, were imprisoned for some months in Clay County in thejail at Liberty. In May 2012, the LDS Church built theKansas City Missouri Temple six miles southwest of the Liberty Jail site at 7001 Searcy Creek Parkway in Kansas City, Missouri.[9]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 409 square miles (1,060 km2), of which 397 square miles (1,030 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (2.8%) is covered by water.[10] It is the fourth-smallest county in Missouri by area.
I-29
I-35
I-435
US 69
US 71
US 169
Route 1
Route 9
Route 10
Route 33
Route 92
Route 110 (CKC)
Route 152
Route 283
Route 291| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 5,338 | — | |
| 1840 | 8,283 | 55.2% | |
| 1850 | 10,382 | 25.3% | |
| 1860 | 13,023 | 25.4% | |
| 1870 | 15,564 | 19.5% | |
| 1880 | 15,571 | 0.0% | |
| 1890 | 19,856 | 27.5% | |
| 1900 | 18,903 | −4.8% | |
| 1910 | 20,302 | 7.4% | |
| 1920 | 20,455 | 0.8% | |
| 1930 | 26,811 | 31.1% | |
| 1940 | 30,417 | 13.4% | |
| 1950 | 45,221 | 48.7% | |
| 1960 | 87,474 | 93.4% | |
| 1970 | 123,322 | 41.0% | |
| 1980 | 136,488 | 10.7% | |
| 1990 | 153,411 | 12.4% | |
| 2000 | 184,006 | 19.9% | |
| 2010 | 221,939 | 20.6% | |
| 2020 | 253,335 | 14.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[11] 1790-1960[12] 1900-1990[13] 1990-2000[14] 2010-2019[15] | |||
As of thecensus[16] of 2010, 221,939 people, 72,558 households, and 50,137 families resided in the county. Thepopulation density was 558 people per square mile (215 people/km2). The 93,918 housing units averaged 236 per square mile (91/km2). Theracial makeup of the county was 87.46% White, 5.18% Black or African American, 0.53% Native American, 2.05% Asian, 0.26% Pacific Islander, 1.77% from other races, and 2.75% from two or more races. About 5.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. As of thecensus[17] of 2000, 23.3% were ofGerman, 14.5% American, 11.0%English, 10.8%Irish, and 5.6%Italian ancestry.
Of the 72,558 households, 33.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.40% weremarried couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were not families. About 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the county, the population was distributed as 25.80% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 32.30% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 10.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.80 males.
In 2015 the median income for a household in Clay County was $62,099. The income per capita in Clay county was $29,793.[18]
In 2010 the median income for a household in the county was $48,347, and for a family was $56,772. Males had a median income of $40,148 versus $27,681 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $23,144. About 3.80% of families and 5.50% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 6.40% of those under age 18 and 5.50% of those age 65 or over.
Registered voters number 151,042.[19]
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 193,282 | 76.3% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 17,853 | 7.04% |
| Native American (NH) | 1,009 | 0.4% |
| Asian (NH) | 6,059 | 2.4% |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 1,004 | 0.4% |
| Other/Mixed (NH) | 15,278 | 6.03% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 18,850 | 7.44% |
School districts include:[21]
K-12:
Elementary-only district:
Clay County, like the rest of Missouri, has swung to theRepublican Party in the 21st century, though the margins have been very close. In 2000,Al Gore famously won the county by one vote. The county, holding Kansas City, is mainly suburban in culture and remains competitive. In 2016,Donald Trump won the county whileHillary Clinton failed to improve onBarack Obama's percentages with only 41% of the vote. Joe Biden, however, did improve on those margins, winning nearly 47% of the vote in 2020; Trump still carried the county by 4%.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1888 | 1,103 | 22.62% | 3,628 | 74.39% | 146 | 2.99% |
| 1892 | 738 | 16.73% | 3,085 | 69.92% | 589 | 13.35% |
| 1896 | 924 | 18.25% | 4,071 | 80.42% | 67 | 1.32% |
| 1900 | 921 | 20.04% | 3,585 | 78.00% | 90 | 1.96% |
| 1904 | 1,077 | 26.70% | 2,832 | 70.22% | 124 | 3.07% |
| 1908 | 1,166 | 24.63% | 3,513 | 74.19% | 56 | 1.18% |
| 1912 | 592 | 12.47% | 3,417 | 72.00% | 737 | 15.53% |
| 1916 | 1,307 | 24.83% | 3,902 | 74.13% | 55 | 1.04% |
| 1920 | 2,804 | 30.75% | 6,283 | 68.91% | 31 | 0.34% |
| 1924 | 2,998 | 31.69% | 6,076 | 64.24% | 385 | 4.07% |
| 1928 | 5,584 | 49.92% | 5,574 | 49.83% | 27 | 0.24% |
| 1932 | 3,117 | 24.71% | 9,398 | 74.52% | 97 | 0.77% |
| 1936 | 4,491 | 31.89% | 9,535 | 67.70% | 58 | 0.41% |
| 1940 | 6,159 | 38.83% | 9,672 | 60.98% | 30 | 0.19% |
| 1944 | 6,724 | 43.53% | 8,682 | 56.21% | 40 | 0.26% |
| 1948 | 6,408 | 35.01% | 11,855 | 64.77% | 41 | 0.22% |
| 1952 | 13,043 | 50.95% | 12,502 | 48.84% | 53 | 0.21% |
| 1956 | 13,436 | 49.69% | 13,605 | 50.31% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 18,955 | 52.26% | 17,318 | 47.74% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 13,997 | 36.84% | 23,993 | 63.16% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 19,643 | 44.48% | 17,547 | 39.73% | 6,972 | 15.79% |
| 1972 | 33,017 | 69.43% | 14,538 | 30.57% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 24,962 | 47.71% | 26,609 | 50.86% | 744 | 1.42% |
| 1980 | 28,521 | 50.65% | 24,250 | 43.06% | 3,543 | 6.29% |
| 1984 | 36,529 | 61.79% | 22,586 | 38.21% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1988 | 30,293 | 50.26% | 29,620 | 49.15% | 357 | 0.59% |
| 1992 | 23,798 | 31.40% | 30,565 | 40.33% | 21,415 | 28.26% |
| 1996 | 28,935 | 41.85% | 32,603 | 47.15% | 7,609 | 11.00% |
| 2000 | 39,083 | 48.75% | 39,084 | 48.75% | 2,006 | 2.50% |
| 2004 | 51,193 | 53.07% | 44,670 | 46.31% | 597 | 0.62% |
| 2008 | 54,516 | 49.55% | 53,761 | 48.86% | 1,748 | 1.59% |
| 2012 | 56,191 | 52.99% | 47,310 | 44.61% | 2,542 | 2.40% |
| 2016 | 57,476 | 51.70% | 45,304 | 40.75% | 8,390 | 7.55% |
| 2020 | 64,605 | 51.04% | 59,400 | 46.93% | 2,564 | 2.03% |
| 2024 | 67,688 | 51.75% | 60,345 | 46.14% | 2,756 | 2.11% |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)39°19′N94°25′W / 39.31°N 94.42°W /39.31; -94.42
Places adjacent to Clay County, Missouri | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofClay County, Missouri,United States | ||
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| CDP | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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