HomeNorth CarolinaClay County
Clay County, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Clay County, North Carolina has a population of 11,610 across 215 square miles, up 8.6 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $328.2 m in 2024, 252 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 6 7(a) approvals worth $4.3 m.
110 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Clay County
How many people live in Clay County
- Population11,610
- Households5,081
- Average household size2.28
- Median household income$56,971
- Median age55.0
- Median gross rent$804 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$278,400
- Home value to household income4.9 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income16.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher31.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree9.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over9,027
- Population under 181,865
- Share under 1816.1 percent
- Population 65 and over3,806
- Share 65 and over32.8 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 645,939
- Civilian labor force4,567
- Unemployment rate2.6 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over46.9 percent
- Rank by population among North Carolina counties92nd of 100
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2383rd
Clay County is the 92nd largest of 100 North Carolina counties by population. A median home costs 4.9 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 32.8 percent against 16.1 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
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 base8.61 percent
- Census 2020 base population11,087
- Births, 2024109
- Deaths, 2024142
- Natural change, 2024-33
- Net domestic migration, 2024197
- Net international migration, 20244
- Total net migration, 2024201
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,144
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents201st
The county has grown 8.61 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
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 arriving430
- People arriving, from those returns798
- Adjusted gross income arriving$37.5 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$87,316
- Largest single originClay County Non-migrants (4,036 households)
- Largest single destination (4,036 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County Non-migrants | 4,036 | 8,012 | $291.8 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 303 | 574 | $31.6 m |
| Other flows - South | 262 | 496 | $28.1 m |
| Cherokee County | 54 | 90 | $1.7 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 50 | 89 | $3.3 m |
| Towns County | 23 | 45 | $949,000 |
| Other flows - Midwest | 21 | 44 | $1.5 m |
| Other flows - West | 20 | 34 | $1.9 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$328.2 m
- County GDP, 2023$316.0 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20243.9 percent
- GDP change over five years39.6 percent
- Rank by GDP among North Carolina counties95th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2660th
- GDP per resident$28,270
Output grew 3.9 percent in the latest year and 39.6 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 average2,182
- Establishments reporting360
- Average annual pay$46,931
- Average weekly wage$903
- Sector 44-45, employment429
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$39,839
- Sector 23, employment219
- Sector 23, average annual pay$63,599
- Sector 52, employment59
- Sector 52, average annual pay$58,885
- Sector 81, employment48
- Sector 81, average annual pay$34,166
- Sector 51, employment10
- Sector 53, employment7
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 429 | 37 | $39,839 |
| Sector 23 | 219 | 58 | $63,599 |
| Sector 52 | 59 | 17 | $58,885 |
| Sector 81 | 48 | 30 | $34,166 |
| Sector 51 | 10 | 6 | $77,626 |
| Sector 53 | 7 | 12 | $37,434 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 429 jobs, 19.7 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 industries252
- Employment at those establishments1,822
- Annual payroll$74.2 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents21.7
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, 2024143
- Declared construction value permitted$53.8 m
- Single family units authorised137
- Multifamily units authorised6
- Multifamily share of units4.2 percent
- Average declared value per unit$376,318
- Units authorised per 1,000 households28.1
Multifamily is 4.2 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 recorded6
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$4.3 m
- Average 7(a) approval$715,500
- Median 7(a) approval$845,000
- 10th percentile approval$35,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,732,000
- Largest single approval$1,732,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)41
- Jobs per approval6.8
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active5
- Distinct industries receiving approvals5
- Median 7(a) term300 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer50.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms3
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter3
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countSporting and Recreational Goods and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (2)
- Most active lenderTowneBank (2)
The average approval of $715,500 sits close to the median of $845,000, so lending here is fairly evenly sized rather than driven by a few large deals. 50.0 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 recorded1
- Paid in full1
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure5
- Status: Paid in full1
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 1 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
- HAYESVILLE, approvals5
- WARNE, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| HAYESVILLE | 5 | $3,901,000 |
| WARNE | 1 | $392,000 |
HAYESVILLE accounts for 5 approvals against 1 in WARNE. 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 area215 sq mi
- Rank by land area among North Carolina counties98th of 100
- Width, east to west29.6 mi
- Height, north to south12 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary2
- Residents per square mile of land54
- Establishments per square mile1.17
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.
Clay County
What hazards affect Clay County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book2
- Of those, participating in the NFIP2
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
The EPA places the county in radon zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L.
US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001. FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book, Community Status Book, as retrieved.
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.
- 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.
- Population11,610
- Households5,081
- Average household size2.28
- Median household income$56,971
- Median age55.0
Common questions
Clay County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Clay County, North Carolina?
11,610, in 5,081 households, ranking 92nd of 100 North Carolina counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Clay County growing?
The population has grown 8.61 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 109 births against 142 deaths, with net migration of 201. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Clay County?
$56,971. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $278,400, which is 4.9 times income, and median gross rent is $804 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Clay County?
252 establishments, employing 1,822 people with an annual payroll of $74.2 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 $46,931, or $903 a week, across 2,182 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?
6 7(a) approvals totalling $4.3 m since FY2020, across 5 lenders, with a median approval of $845,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Clay County?
143 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $53.8 m. Multifamily was 4.2 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 4,036 households. Arriving households report an average income of $87,316 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.