Clay County, Missouri


Clay County is located in the U.S. state of Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 253,335, making it the fifth-most populous county in Missouri. Its county seat is Liberty. The county was organized January 2, 1822, and named in honor of U.S. Representative Henry Clay from Kentucky, later a member of the United States Senate and United States Secretary of State. Clay County contains many of the area's northern suburbs, along with a portion of the city of Kansas City, Missouri. It also owns and operates the Midwest National Air Center in Excelsior Springs.
WWW claycountymo.gov

History

Clay County was settled primarily from migrants from the Upper Southern states of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. They brought slaves and slaveholding traditions with them, and quickly started cultivating crops similar to those in Middle Tennessee and Kentucky: hemp and tobacco. Clay was one of several counties settled mostly by Southerners to the north and south of the Missouri River. Given their culture and traditions, this area became known as Little Dixie. In 1860, enslaved persons made up 25% or more of the county's population.
The 1828 execution of Annice, a slave owned by Jeremiah Prior, was the first to occur in Clay County. She was also the first female slave executed in the state of Missouri.
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. Leaders of this church, most notably Joseph Smith, were imprisoned for some months in Clay County in the jail at Liberty. In May 2012, the LDS Church built the Kansas City Missouri Temple six miles southwest of the Liberty Jail site at 7001 Searcy Creek Parkway in Kansas City, Missouri.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is covered by water. It is the fourth-smallest county in Missouri by area.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 253,335. The median age was 37.3 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.7 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 78.4% White, 7.2% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4% Asian, 0.4% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.3% from some other race, and 8.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 7.4% of the population.
91.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 8.1% lived in rural areas.
There were 100,254 households in the county, of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 105,619 housing units, of which 5.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.6% were owner-occupied and 32.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.3%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, 221,939 people, 72,558 households, and 50,137 families resided in the county. The population density was. The 93,918 housing units averaged.
The racial 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.
Of the 72,558 households, 33.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.40% were married 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 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. The per capita income for the county was $23,144. About 3.80% of families and 5.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.40% of those under age 18 and 5.50% of those age 65 or over.

2015 estimate

In 2015 the median income for a household in Clay County was $62,099. The income per capita in Clay County was $29,793.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, 23.3% were of German, 14.5% American, 11.0% English, 10.8% Irish, and 5.6% Italian ancestry.

Registered voters

Registered voters number 151,042.

Education

School districts include:
K-12:
Elementary-only district:

Public schools

Private schools

Postsecondary

Libraries, archives, museums

Libraries

Archives

  • Clay County Archives

Museums

  • Clay County Museum
  • Jesse James Bank Museum

Communities

Cities and towns

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 US census of Clay County.
† County seat
†† Partly within adjacent counties
RankNameMunicipal TypePopulation
1Kansas City ††Home Rule508,090
2Liberty †Special Charter30,167
3Gladstone3rd Class City27,063
4Excelsior Springs ††4th Class City10,553
5Smithville ††4th Class City10,406
6Kearney4th Class City10,404
7North Kansas City3rd Class City4,467
8Pleasant Valley4th Class City2,743
9Lawson ††4th Class City2,541
10ClaycomoVillage1,343
11Glenaire4th Class City539
12Holt ††4th Class City471
13Avondale4th Class City436
14OakviewVillage366
15Missouri City4th Class City217
16Excelsior Estates ††4th Class City209
17OakwoodVillage198
18BirminghamVillage189
19Oakwood ParkVillage189
20OaksVillage128
21PrathersvilleVillage121
22Mosby4th Class City101
23ParadiseCDP75
24Randolph4th Class City57

Notable people

Politics

Clay County, like the rest of Missouri, has swung to the Republican 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 while Hillary Clinton failed to improve on Barack 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%.