Clay County, Tennessee: commercial real estate data.
Clay County, Tennessee has a population of 7,670 across 237 square miles, up 3.6 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $329.9 m in 2024, 108 establishments operate here.
78 sourced county values · tier FULL · 8 sections
Clay County
How many people live in Clay County
- Population7,670
- Households3,486
- Average household size2.20
- Median household income$39,972
- Median age48.5
- Median gross rent$557 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$136,400
- Home value to household income3.4 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income16.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher11.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over5,692
- Population under 181,443
- Share under 1818.8 percent
- Population 65 and over1,914
- Share 65 and over25.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 644,313
- Civilian labor force2,926
- Unemployment rate10.0 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over47.0 percent
- Rank by population among Tennessee counties90th of 95
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2675th
Clay County is the 90th largest of 95 Tennessee counties by population. A median home costs 3.4 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 25.0 percent against 18.8 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 base3.59 percent
- Census 2020 base population7,585
- Births, 202472
- Deaths, 2024119
- Natural change, 2024-47
- Net domestic migration, 2024217
- Net international migration, 202415
- Total net migration, 2024232
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024511
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents756th
The county has grown 3.59 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 arriving172
- People arriving, from those returns335
- Adjusted gross income arriving$7.5 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$43,651
- Largest single originClay County Non-migrants (2,472 households)
- Largest single destination (2,472 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County Non-migrants | 2,472 | 5,249 | $122.9 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 76 | 147 | $3.1 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 69 | 133 | $3.4 m |
| Other flows - South | 44 | 89 | $2.1 m |
| Overton County | 27 | 55 | $998,000 |
| Other flows - Midwest | 25 | 44 | $1.3 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$329.9 m
- County GDP, 2023$261.0 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 202426.4 percent
- GDP change over five years80.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among Tennessee counties87th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2655th
- GDP per resident$43,011
Output grew 26.4 percent in the latest year and 80.4 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 average1,388
- Establishments reporting162
- Average annual pay$38,261
- Average weekly wage$736
- Sector 31-33, employment223
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$43,300
- Sector 44-45, employment174
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$24,895
- Sector 72, employment131
- Sector 72, average annual pay$17,140
- Sector 62, employment95
- Sector 62, average annual pay$37,496
- Sector 71, employment89
- Sector 48-49, employment41
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 223 | 10 | $43,300 |
| Sector 44-45 | 174 | 30 | $24,895 |
| Sector 72 | 131 | 14 | $17,140 |
| Sector 62 | 95 | 27 | $37,496 |
| Sector 71 | 89 | 4 | $26,528 |
| Sector 48-49 | 41 | 8 | $45,924 |
| Sector 54 | 31 | 11 | $54,428 |
| Sector 52 | 25 | 5 | $42,770 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 223 jobs, 16.1 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 industries108
- Employment at those establishments966
- Annual payroll$33.5 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents14.1
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, 202425
- Declared construction value permitted$3.8 m
- Single family units authorised25
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$153,420
- Units authorised per 1,000 households7.2
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 big is Clay County
- Land area237 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Tennessee counties84th of 95
- Width, east to west29.9 mi
- Height, north to south15.4 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land32
- Establishments per square mile0.46
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 7(a) approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2020 onward.
- 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.
- Population7,670
- Households3,486
- Average household size2.20
- Median household income$39,972
- Median age48.5
Common questions
Clay County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Clay County, Tennessee?
7,670, in 3,486 households, ranking 90th of 95 Tennessee counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Clay County growing?
The population has grown 3.59 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 72 births against 119 deaths, with net migration of 232. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Clay County?
$39,972. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $136,400, which is 3.4 times income, and median gross rent is $557 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Clay County?
108 establishments, employing 966 people with an annual payroll of $33.5 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 $38,261, or $736 a week, across 1,388 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
What is being built in Clay County?
25 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $3.8 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 2,472 households. Arriving households report an average income of $43,651 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.