According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,117 square miles (2,890 km2), of which 1,089 square miles (2,820 km2) is land and 28 square miles (73 km2) (2.5%) is water.[7]
Lake Arrowhead State Park, a 524-acre (212 ha) development on Lake Arrowhead in Clay County, encompasses 14,390-acre (5,820 ha) acres. The lakeshore extends 106 miles; the park offers bicycling, birding, boating, camping, canoeing, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, nature study, picnicking, swimming, and wildlife observation.[8]
Clay County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the census[15] of 2000, there were 11,006 people, 4,323 households, and 3,181 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile (3.9 people/km2). There were 4,992 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (1.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.35%White, 0.42%Black orAfrican American, 1.03%Native American, 0.10%Asian, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 1.68% fromother races, and 1.42% from two or more races. 3.67% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. At 89.4% of the county's population, Clay County has the highest percentage ofNon-Hispanic Whites in the state ofTexas.[16]
There were 4,323 households, out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.20% were married couples living together, 7.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were non-families. 23.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.90% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 25.90% from 45 to 64, and 16.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,738, and the median income for a family was $41,514. Males had a median income of $28,914 versus $20,975 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,361. About 8.10% of families and 10.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.70% of those under age 18 and 11.00% of those age 65 or over.
Prior to 1996, Clay County was strongly Democratic in presidential elections. The only Republican Party candidates who managed to win the county from 1912 to 1992 wereHerbert Hoover thanks to anti-Catholic sentiment towardsAl Smith as well asRichard Nixon andRonald Reagan in their 49-state landslides of 1972 & 1984, respectively. Since 1996, the county has swung hard to supporting the Republican Party similar to almost all white-majority rural counties in theSolid South.
United States presidential election results for Clay County, Texas[17]
