Clay County, Iowa: commercial real estate data.
Clay County, Iowa has a population of 16,461 across 567 square miles, up 0.6 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.54 bn in 2024, 570 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 10 7(a) approvals worth $2.1 m.
112 sourced county values · tier FULL · 10 sections
Clay County
How many people live in Clay County
- Population16,461
- Households7,282
- Average household size2.26
- Median household income$65,428
- Median age42.3
- Median gross rent$811 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$178,600
- Home value to household income2.7 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income14.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher27.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree7.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over11,452
- Population under 183,841
- Share under 1823.3 percent
- Population 65 and over3,686
- Share 65 and over22.4 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 648,934
- Civilian labor force8,540
- Unemployment rate3.5 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over67.7 percent
- Rank by population among Iowa counties46th of 99
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2074th
Clay County is the 46th largest of 99 Iowa counties by population. A median home costs 2.7 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 23.3 percent against 22.4 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Clay County
Is Clay County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base0.57 percent
- Census 2020 base population16,380
- Births, 2024171
- Deaths, 2024202
- Natural change, 2024-31
- Net domestic migration, 2024-37
- Net international migration, 202411
- Total net migration, 2024-26
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024211
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1622nd
The county has grown 0.57 percent since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Clay County
Where people moving to Clay County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving442
- People arriving, from those returns772
- Adjusted gross income arriving$24.8 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$56,054
- Largest single originClay County Non-migrants (6,462 households)
- Largest single destination (6,462 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County Non-migrants | 6,462 | 13,292 | $528.6 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 158 | 283 | $8.2 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 156 | 260 | $8.9 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 78 | 146 | $4.2 m |
| Dickinson County | 63 | 120 | $4.4 m |
| Buena Vista County | 42 | 76 | $2.4 m |
| Other flows - West | 42 | 76 | $2.3 m |
| Other flows - South | 38 | 61 | $1.6 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Clay County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Clay County
What the Clay County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.54 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.42 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20248.4 percent
- GDP change over five years44.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among Iowa counties28th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1498th
- GDP per resident$93,550
Output grew 8.4 percent in the latest year and 44.2 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Clay County
Who employs people in Clay County
- Covered employment, annual average8,534
- Establishments reporting742
- Average annual pay$53,504
- Average weekly wage$1,029
- Sector 44-45, employment1,344
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$35,353
- Sector 31-33, employment657
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$60,110
- Sector 42, employment641
- Sector 42, average annual pay$72,128
- Sector 72, employment537
- Sector 72, average annual pay$22,470
- Sector 23, employment477
- Sector 48-49, employment360
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 1,344 | 104 | $35,353 |
| Sector 31-33 | 657 | 28 | $60,110 |
| Sector 42 | 641 | 61 | $72,128 |
| Sector 72 | 537 | 46 | $22,470 |
| Sector 23 | 477 | 65 | $59,725 |
| Sector 48-49 | 360 | 34 | $59,183 |
| Sector 56 | 342 | 33 | $29,520 |
| Sector 81 | 196 | 42 | $38,902 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 1,344 jobs, 15.7 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Clay County
What businesses operate in Clay County
- Establishments, all industries570
- Employment at those establishments7,012
- Annual payroll$334.8 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents34.6
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Clay County
What is being built in Clay County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20249
- Declared construction value permitted$3.0 m
- Single family units authorised9
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$338,250
- Units authorised per 1,000 households1.2
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Clay County
How much SBA lending happens in Clay County
- 7(a) approvals recorded10
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$2.1 m
- Average 7(a) approval$210,060
- Median 7(a) approval$65,000
- 10th percentile approval$40,000
- 90th percentile approval$967,000
- Largest single approval$967,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)31
- Jobs per approval3.1
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active6
- Distinct industries receiving approvals8
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer0.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms0
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter10
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countGeneral Freight Trucking, Long-Distance, Truckload (2)
- Most active lenderNorthwest Bank (4)
- 504 approvals recorded18
- 504 gross approval dollars$7.8 m
- Average 504 approval$432,778
- Median 504 approval$229,000
- Distinct CDCs active5
- 504 jobs per approval2.4
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved5.5
- Most active CDCSiouxland Economic Development Corporation (13)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals35.7 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$9.9 m
The average approval of $210,060 sits well above the median of $65,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 0.0 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Clay County
Do SBA loans in Clay County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure9
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed1
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 0 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Clay County
How big is Clay County
- Land area567 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Iowa counties56th of 99
- Width, east to west24 mi
- Height, north to south23.9 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land29
- Establishments per square mile1.01
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Clay County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Clay County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population16,461
- Households7,282
- Average household size2.26
- Median household income$65,428
- Median age42.3
Common questions
Clay County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Clay County, Iowa?
16,461, in 7,282 households, ranking 46th of 99 Iowa counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Clay County growing?
The population has grown 0.57 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 171 births against 202 deaths, with net migration of -26. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Clay County?
$65,428. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $178,600, which is 2.7 times income, and median gross rent is $811 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Clay County?
570 establishments, employing 7,012 people with an annual payroll of $334.8 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Clay County?
Average annual pay is $53,504, or $1,029 a week, across 8,534 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Clay County?
10 7(a) approvals totalling $2.1 m since FY2020, across 6 lenders, with a median approval of $65,000, plus 18 504 approvals worth $7.8 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Clay County?
9 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $3.0 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Clay County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Clay County come from?
The largest single origin is Clay County Non-migrants, with 6,462 households. Arriving households report an average income of $56,054 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Clay County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Clay County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.