Clay County Demographics

A map of Clay County's Population by Race

Clay County, Kentucky had a population of 20,345 in 2020. It was 91.8% White, 4.0% Black, 0.1% Asian, 1.7% Hispanic, 0.3% Native American/Other, and 2.0% Multiracial. This map presents the population of Clay County, with one dot drawn for each person counted in the 2020 Census, color-coded by race.

Clay County is the 56th most populous county of the 120 counties in Kentucky.

Clay County's White Population

18,686 residents of Clay County identify as White, or 91.8%. This makes the White share of the population of Clay County slightly larger than the White share of the population of Kentucky (81.3% White). Of the 120 counties in Kentucky, Clay County is ranked #55 in terms of White residents as a share of the population.

Clay County is less White than neighboring Owsley County (96.4% White), Knox County (94.4% White), Leslie County (96.7% White), Jackson County (96.6% White), and Laurel County (93.4% White).

Clay County's Black Population

816 residents of Clay County identify as Black, or 4.0%. This makes the Black share of the population of Clay County roughly similar to the Black share of the population of Kentucky (7.9% Black). Of the 120 counties in Kentucky, Clay County is ranked #38 in terms of Black residents as a share of the population.

Clay County is more Black than neighboring Owsley County (0.3% Black), Knox County (0.9% Black), Leslie County (0.4% Black), Jackson County (0.1% Black), and Laurel County (0.7% Black).

Clay County's Asian Population

21 residents of Clay County identify as Asian, or 0.1%. This makes the Asian share of the population of Clay County roughly similar to the Asian share of the population of Kentucky (1.6% Asian). Of the 120 counties in Kentucky, Clay County is ranked #108 in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population.

Clay County is more Asian than neighboring Owsley County (0% Asian). Clay County is less Asian than neighboring Knox County (0.3% Asian), and Laurel County (0.7% Asian).

Clay County's Hispanic Population

353 residents of Clay County identify as Hispanic, or 1.7%. This makes the Hispanic share of the population of Clay County roughly similar to the Hispanic share of the population of Kentucky (4.6% Hispanic). Of the 120 counties in Kentucky, Clay County is ranked #78 in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population.

Clay County is more Hispanic than neighboring Owsley County (1% Hispanic), Knox County (1.1% Hispanic), Leslie County (0.7% Hispanic), Jackson County (0.7% Hispanic), and Laurel County (1.6% Hispanic).

Clay County's Native American/Other Population

58 residents of Clay County identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other, or 0.3%. This makes the Native American/Other share of the population of Clay County roughly similar to the Native American/Other share of the population of Kentucky (0.6% Native American/Other). Of the 120 counties in Kentucky, Clay County is ranked #96 in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population.

Clay County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Owsley County (0.2% Native American/Other), and Leslie County (0.2% Native American/Other). Clay County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Knox County (0.4% Native American/Other), Jackson County (0.4% Native American/Other), and Laurel County (0.4% Native American/Other).

Clay County's Multiracial Population

411 residents of Clay County identify as Multiracial, or 2.0%. This makes the Multiracial share of the population of Clay County roughly similar to the Multiracial share of the population of Kentucky (3.9% Multiracial). Of the 120 counties in Kentucky, Clay County is ranked #109 in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population.

Clay County is more Multiracial than neighboring Leslie County (1.9% Multiracial). Clay County is less Multiracial than neighboring Knox County (2.8% Multiracial), Jackson County (2.1% Multiracial), and Laurel County (3.2% Multiracial).

Source: 2020 Census State Redistricting Data and Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.