City · Nebraska
Clay Center, Nebraska
Clay Center, city, in Clay County, Nebraska. Clay Center had 730 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 1.1% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 735 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 802 (±125). GEOID 3109375.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
730
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 735 · ACS 2020-2024: 802 ±125
Median household income
$82,500
±$18,053 (90% margin)
Nebraska: $76,475
Median home value
$141,300
±$20,977 (90% margin)
Nebraska: $238,600
Median gross rent
$625
±$105 (90% margin)
Nebraska: $1,072
Where is Clay Center and what county is it in?
Clay Center is a city in Clay County, Nebraska. It covers 0.7 square miles of land, 1,005 residents per square mile in 2020.
Clay Center is in the Hastings, NE micropolitan statistical area, which takes in 3 counties (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Clay Center, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 730 people lived in Clay Center on July 1, 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than Nebraska (+2.9%). The 2020 Census counted 735 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 802 (±125).
| Measure | Clay Center | Clay County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 802 ±125 | 6,095 | no clear change |
| Households | 322 ±45 | 2,490 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.43 ±0.24 | 2.41 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 360 ±48 | 2,817 | −66 |
Clay Center's population since 2000
From 861 in 2000 to 730 in 2025: down 15.2%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Clay Center as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.
Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Clay Center?
The median resident of Clay Center is 38.1 years old; 22.9% are under 18 and 21.2% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 85.5%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 8.0%.
| Measure | Clay Center | Clay County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 38.1 ±5.8 | 39.1 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 22.9% ±4.8 pts | 24.6% | – |
| 65 years and over | 21.2% ±4.7 pts | 20.3% | – |
| Male | 48.8% ±5.0 pts | 50.7% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 8.0% ±6.4 pts | 9.7% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 85.5% ±5.8 pts | 87.1% | −9.0 pts |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 1.0% ±1.5 pts | 0.7% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.1% ±0.3 pts | 0.0% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 1.0% ±1.4 pts | 0.2% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.1 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 4.4% ±2.1 pts | 2.1% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.1 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 4.2% ±3.2 pts | 2.6% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 8.2% ±6.9 pts | 6.4% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 4.5% ±2.3 pts | 6.0% | – |
| With a disability | 13.0% ±3.4 pts | 12.6% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 5.6% ±2.2 pts | 6.6% | no clear change |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 94.1% ±3.5 pts | 93.5% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 18.7% ±4.4 pts | 22.3% | no clear change |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 9.2% ±3.1 pts | 7.4% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 93.0% ±3.5 pts | 92.3% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 1.3% ±1.8 pts | 0.9% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Clay Center earn?
Half of Clay Center's 322 households earn less than $82,500 a year (±$18,053), against $78,986 in Clay County and $76,475 in Nebraska. In 2015-2019 it was $71,073 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 4.1% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Clay Center | Clay County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $82,500 ±$18,053 | $78,986 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $93,739 ±$9,376 | $96,609 | – |
| Per capita income | $38,073 ±$4,925 | $39,221 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 4.1% ±2.1 pts | 6.9% | −4.5 pts |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 1.1% ±1.4 pts | 5.0% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 2.8% ±2.0 pts | 6.1% | – |
| Households with a computer | 96.6% ±2.4 pts | 92.5% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 92.2% ±3.3 pts | 87.9% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Clay Center?
Owners occupy 85.7% of Clay Center's occupied homes and renters 14.3%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $141,300 by its owner (±$20,977). The median renter pays $625 a month including utilities.
| Measure | Clay Center | Clay County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $141,300 ±$20,977 | $155,600 | +$36,937 |
| Median gross rent | $625 ±$105 | $645 | no clear change |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 14.6% ±11.8 pts | 19.4% | – |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $1,156 ±$84 | $1,330 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 85.7% ±4.7 pts | 81.9% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 14.3% ±4.7 pts | 18.1% | – |
| Housing units | 360 ±48 | 2,817 | −66 |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 0.0% ±8.7 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% ±38.3 pts | 10.3% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 91.7% ±3.4 pts | 87.7% | – |
| Mobile homes | 2.5% ±2.2 pts | 1.9% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 0.6% ±0.7 pts | 1.2% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 2.5% ±2.0 pts | 2.9% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 49.2% ±8.3 pts | 40.6% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 4.0% ±3.0 pts | 4.7% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How do people in Clay Center work and get to work?
89.2% of Clay Center's workers drive alone and 4.2% work from home. The average trip to work takes 20.0 minutes.
| Measure | Clay Center | Clay County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 65.4% ±5.5 pts | 67.5% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 1.2% ±1.2 pts | 1.9% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 89.2% ±4.3 pts | 82.3% | – |
| Carpooled | 2.2% ±2.0 pts | 7.7% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0% ±6.0 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Walked | 3.2% ±1.9 pts | 2.3% | – |
| Worked from home | 4.2% ±2.7 pts | 6.7% | no clear change |
| Mean travel time to work | 20.0 min ±3.2 | 22.1 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Clay Center?
No census tract lies mostly in Clay Center; 1 tract reaches into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 9622Clay County | 2,633 | $74,118 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Clay Center) · Census block assignment files
How does Clay Center compare with other places in Nebraska?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Clay Center is the 11,646th-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 152nd-most populous of 528 in Nebraska.
Clay Center is not ranked by income or the other survey measures: those rankings include places of 1,000 or more residents (2020 Census) with a reliable estimate.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 152nd | 528 |
Clay Center's figures with every place in Nebraska (CSV)
Every place in Nebraska, sortable · Compare Clay Center with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Clay Center?
21 of the 57 figures for Clay Center on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Clay Center are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' public schools in Clay Center.