HomeMississippiClay County
Clay County, Mississippi: commercial real estate data.
Clay County, Mississippi has a population of 18,383 across 410 square miles, down 2.3 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $688.5 m in 2024, 340 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 9 7(a) approvals worth $5.2 m.
105 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Clay County
How many people live in Clay County
- Population18,383
- Households7,805
- Average household size2.36
- Median household income$43,125
- Median age39.8
- Median gross rent$817 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$129,100
- Home value to household income3.0 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income22.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher17.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over12,587
- Population under 184,145
- Share under 1822.5 percent
- Population 65 and over3,634
- Share 65 and over19.8 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6410,604
- Civilian labor force8,101
- Unemployment rate7.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over56.9 percent
- Rank by population among Mississippi counties49th of 82
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1968th
Clay County is the 49th largest of 82 Mississippi counties by population. A median home costs 3.0 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 22.5 percent against 19.8 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 base-2.25 percent
- Census 2020 base population18,632
- Births, 2024236
- Deaths, 2024271
- Natural change, 2024-35
- Net domestic migration, 2024-18
- Net international migration, 20240
- Total net migration, 2024-18
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-262
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2559th
The county has lost 2.25 percent of its population 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 arriving328
- People arriving, from those returns637
- Adjusted gross income arriving$11.6 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$35,497
- Largest single originClay County Non-migrants (6,915 households)
- Largest single destination (6,915 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County Non-migrants | 6,915 | 13,687 | $358.1 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 89 | 162 | $3.3 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 74 | 125 | $2.7 m |
| Other flows - South | 74 | 125 | $2.7 m |
| Oktibbeha County | 57 | 125 | $1.7 m |
| Lowndes County | 56 | 117 | $2.3 m |
| Chickasaw County | 27 | 52 | $772,000 |
| Monroe County | 25 | 56 | $859,000 |
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$688.5 m
- County GDP, 2023$702.7 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-2.0 percent
- GDP change over five years28.0 percent
- Rank by GDP among Mississippi counties51st
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2158th
- GDP per resident$37,455
Output grew -2.0 percent in the latest year and 28.0 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 average6,531
- Establishments reporting396
- Average annual pay$44,617
- Average weekly wage$858
- Sector 31-33, employment2,053
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$54,564
- Sector 44-45, employment855
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$32,166
- Sector 48-49, employment290
- Sector 48-49, average annual pay$42,231
- Sector 23, employment269
- Sector 23, average annual pay$49,884
- Sector 52, employment114
- Sector 54, employment84
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 2,053 | 16 | $54,564 |
| Sector 44-45 | 855 | 80 | $32,166 |
| Sector 48-49 | 290 | 13 | $42,231 |
| Sector 23 | 269 | 31 | $49,884 |
| Sector 52 | 114 | 29 | $47,459 |
| Sector 54 | 84 | 26 | $54,306 |
| Sector 53 | 37 | 19 | $31,962 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 2,053 jobs, 31.4 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job exceeds median household income, which usually means single earner households and a wage base that can carry rent.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Clay County
What businesses operate in Clay County
- Establishments, all industries340
- Employment at those establishments4,835
- Annual payroll$209.7 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents18.5
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, 20245
- Declared construction value permitted$1.7 m
- Single family units authorised5
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$338,400
- Units authorised per 1,000 households0.6
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 recorded9
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$5.2 m
- Average 7(a) approval$577,744
- Median 7(a) approval$106,400
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$2,590,000
- Largest single approval$2,590,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)166
- Jobs per approval18.4
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active6
- Distinct industries receiving approvals8
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer44.4 percent
- Loans on real estate terms4
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter5
- Franchise loans5
- Franchise share of approvals55.6 percent
- Leading industry by approval countInsurance Agencies and Brokerages (2)
- Most active lenderBankFirst Financial Services (3)
The average approval of $577,744 sits well above the median of $106,400, 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. 44.4 percent of approvals run on real estate terms of 240 months or more, so this is a market where SBA credit is buying buildings, not just funding operations.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 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 recorded2
- Paid in full2
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full2
- Status: Exempt from disclosure7
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 2 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
Which parts of Clay County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending2
- West Point, approvals8
- PHEBA, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| West Point | 8 | $5,093,300 |
| PHEBA | 1 | $106,400 |
West Point accounts for 8 approvals against 1 in PHEBA. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
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 area410 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Mississippi counties74th of 82
- Width, east to west31.9 mi
- Height, north to south21.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land45
- Establishments per square mile0.83
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 504 approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2010 onward.
- 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.
- Population18,383
- Households7,805
- Average household size2.36
- Median household income$43,125
- Median age39.8
Common questions
Clay County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Clay County, Mississippi?
18,383, in 7,805 households, ranking 49th of 82 Mississippi counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Clay County growing?
The population has fallen 2.25 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 236 births against 271 deaths, with net migration of -18. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Clay County?
$43,125. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $129,100, which is 3.0 times income, and median gross rent is $817 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Clay County?
340 establishments, employing 4,835 people with an annual payroll of $209.7 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 $44,617, or $858 a week, across 6,531 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?
9 7(a) approvals totalling $5.2 m since FY2020, across 6 lenders, with a median approval of $106,400. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Clay County?
5 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $1.7 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 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 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 6,915 households. Arriving households report an average income of $35,497 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.