Clay County, Florida

County in FL, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

227,584

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

40.4

years ∙ half population younger than 40.4, half older

Diversity Index

51%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

foreign-born population

93%Native

7% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Clay County is a county in Florida, United States.

Location

County in FL, US

Co-ordinates

DEC29.986584° N, 81.865036° W

DMS29° 59′ 11.70″ N, 81° 51′ 54.13″ W

Population Density & area

376.4/sq mi (145.3/km²)

Total Area

643.5 sq mi (1,666.8 km²)

Land Area

604.6 sq mi (1,565.9 km²) · 93.9%

Water Area

38.9 sq mi (100.9 km²) · 6.1%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

49.4% male

Male 49.4%

Female 50.6%

males per 100 females

Clay County 97.7

Florida 96.6

United States 98

Nativity

foreign-born population

93%Native

7% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Clay County 7%

Florida 21.9%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

40.4

years ∙ half population younger than 40.4, half older

Clay County

40.4

Florida

42.6

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

66.6

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Clay County 66.6

Florida 69.1

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Clay County	Florida	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	22.8%	19.5%	22%
Working age (18-64)	60.1%	59.2%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	17.1%	21.3%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	66.6	69.1	64.4
Child dependency ratio	38.1	33	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	28.6	36.1	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

67.8%

Black

11.6%

Asian

Hispanic

11.4%

Other

6.2%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

51%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Clay County 51%

Florida 64.7%

United States 61.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Clay County population

	Clay County	Florida	United States
Hispanic or Latino	11.4%	27.4%	19.3%
Mexican	2.4%	3.3%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	3.8%	5.6%	1.8%
Cuban	1.1%	7.3%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	4.1%	11.2%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	88.6%	72.6%	80.7%
One race	83.5%	68.8%	76.4%
White	67.8%	50.4%	57.4%
Black or African American	11.6%	14.6%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.1%	0.1%	0.5%
Asian	3%	2.9%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0.1%	0.1%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0.9%	0.7%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	5.1%	3.8%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

74.3% family

Family 74.3%

Non family 25.7%

% family households

Clay County 74.3%

Florida 64.6%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.69

persons per household

Clay County

2.69

Florida

2.51

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Clay County population

	Clay County	Florida	United States
Total households	83,707	8,752,810	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.69	2.51	2.53
Family households	62,157	5,652,059	82,990,528
Average family size	3.11	3.08	3.14
Married couple family	47,659	4,086,171	60,637,388
Other families	14,498	1,565,888	22,353,140
Male householder	3,642	454,845	6,572,819
Female householder	10,856	1,111,043	15,780,321
Non-family households	21,550	3,100,751	46,236,968
One-person households	17,437	2,473,731	37,140,836
Male householder	8,196	1,088,019	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	2,543	401,750	5,225,110
Female householder	9,241	1,385,712	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	4,798	755,340	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	4,113	627,020	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

88,969

housing units

Clay County 88,969

Florida 10,256,470

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

94.1% occupied

Occupied 94.1%

Vacant 5.9%

vacancy rate

Clay County 5.9%

Florida 14.7%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

78.1%

Single family houses

78.1%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

10.7%

Mobile homes

11.1%

Boat, RV, van, etc

0.2%

Median Year Built

1996

Half of houses were built before 1996, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

0.8%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

9.3%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

47.8%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

42.1%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Clay County	Florida	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	6.2	5.2	5.5
1–3 rooms	6.1%	15.5%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	49.5%	59.3%	51.6%
7+ rooms	44.4%	25.2%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	1.1%	2.3%	2.9%
1 bedroom	3.8%	10%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	13.9%	31.4%	25%
3 bedrooms	45.5%	38.1%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	35.7%	18%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1996	1989	1981
Total housing units	88,969	10,256,470	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

75.9% owners

Renter-occupied 24.1%

Owner-occupied 75.9%

homeownership rate

Clay County 75.9%

Florida 67.6%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.73

Owner-occupied

2.57

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Clay County 2.73

Florida 2.53

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Clay County	Florida	United States
Total occupied units	83,707	8,752,810	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	25.8%	28.3%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	39.6%	42.7%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	19.1%	15.5%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	15.5%	13.6%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	98.3%	96.7%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	1%	2.2%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0.7%	1.1%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	3.6%	6%	8.4%
1 vehicle	29.2%	38.9%	33.1%
2 vehicles	41.6%	38.1%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	25.6%	17%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	3.4%	6.3%	51.4%
Electricity	94.6%	90.4%	41.3%
Solar	0.4%	0.5%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0.1%	0.1%	3.9%
All other fuels	0.2%	0.2%	2%
No fuel used	1.3%	2.4%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.3%	0.3%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0.7%	0.7%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0.7%	0.9%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$312,500

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Clay County

$312,500

Florida

$359,000

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

26.5%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

26.5%

Owners without a mortgage

Renters

49.9%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Clay County	Florida	United States
Property value
Median Value	$312,500	$359,000	$332,700
Under $100,000	7.3%	9.2%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	13%	11.4%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	26.6%	17.9%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	39.3%	34.5%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	12.2%	21.1%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	1.5%	5.9%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	65.2%	56.3%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	34.8%	43.7%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,748	$1,959	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$513	$673	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$1,551	$1,669	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

28.3%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Clay County 28.3%

Florida 34.1%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

7.5%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Clay County 7.5%

Florida 10%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

56,149

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

5.2%

K–12

73%

College / Undergraduate

17.8%

Graduate / Professional

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

34.1%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Clay County

34.1%

Florida

41.6%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Clay County	Florida	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	56,149	4,890,026	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	5.2%	5.9%	5.7%
K–12	73%	66.3%	67.6%
Kindergarten	5.5%	5.1%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	21.2%	19.4%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	21.8%	20.6%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	24.6%	21.2%	21.7%
College or graduate school	21.8%	27.8%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	17.8%	21.9%	21%
Graduate, professional school	4%	5.9%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	34.1%	41.6%	40.9%
School type
Public school	81.3%	79.3%	82%
Private school	18.7%	20.7%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

158,246

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

2.3%

9th-12th, no diploma

5.2%

HS graduate

28.2%

Some college no degree

24.2%

Associates degree

11.8%

Bachelors degree

18.7%

Graduate or professional degree

9.6%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

48.5% · 51.5%

9th-12th, no diploma

56.2% · 43.8%

HS graduate

50.5% · 49.5%

Some college no degree

49.7% · 50.3%

Associates degree

39.7% · 60.3%

Bachelors degree

46.7% · 53.3%

Graduate or professional degree

49.4% · 50.6%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Clay County	Florida	United States
Population (25+)	158,246	16,228,400	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	2.3%	4.2%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	5.2%	5.8%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	28.2%	27.2%	26%
Some college, no degree	24.2%	18.5%	19.1%
Associate's degree	11.8%	10.1%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	28.3%	34.1%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	18.7%	21.3%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	9.6%	12.9%	14.1%
High School or higher	92.5%	89.9%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$49,729

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$35,100

HS graduate

$41,979

Some college or associates

$48,182

Bachelors degree

$61,274

Graduate or professional degree

$79,108

Poverty Rate

3.9%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

17.9%

HS graduate

9.6%

Some college or associates

7.8%

Bachelors degree or higher

3.9%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Clay County	Florida	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$49,729	$46,867	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$35,100	$30,508	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$41,979	$36,593	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$48,182	$43,852	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$61,274	$59,953	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$79,108	$78,498	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	17.9%	24%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	9.6%	14.3%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	7.8%	9.8%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	3.9%	5.8%	4.5%

Insights for Clay County, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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