Clay County is located in the U.S. state of Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 253,335, making it the fifth-most populous county in Missouri. Its county seat is Liberty. The county was organized January 2, 1822, and named in honor of U.S. Representative Henry Clay from Kentucky, later a member of the United States Senate and United States Secretary of State. Clay County contains many of the area's northern suburbs, along with a portion of the city of Kansas City, Missouri. It also owns and operates the Midwest National Air Center in Excelsior Springs.
Contents
History
Clay County was settled primarily from migrants from the Upper Southern states of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. They brought slaves and slaveholding traditions with them, and quickly started cultivating crops similar to those in Middle Tennessee and Kentucky: hemp and tobacco. Clay was one of several counties settled mostly by Southerners to the north and south of the Missouri River. Given their culture and traditions, this area became known as Little Dixie. In 1860, enslaved persons made up 25% or more of the county's population.
The 1828 execution of Annice, an enslaved woman owned by Jeremiah Prior, was the first to occur in Clay County. She was also the first female slave executed in the state of Missouri.
Many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints found refuge in Clay County in November 1833 after they were driven from Jackson County, Missouri. In 1836, mobs and the Missouri State militia drove the members of the church from the county. Leaders of this church, most notably Joseph Smith, were imprisoned for some months in Clay County in the jail at Liberty. In May 2012, the LDS Church built the Kansas City Missouri Temple six miles southwest of the Liberty Jail site at 7001 Searcy Creek Parkway in Kansas City, Missouri.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 409 square miles (1,060 km2), of which 397 square miles (1,030 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (2.8%) is covered by water. It is the fourth-smallest county in Missouri by area.
Adjacent counties
Clinton County (north)
Ray County (east)
Jackson County (south)
Wyandotte County, Kansas (southwest)
Platte County (west)
Major highways
I-29
I-35
I-435
US 69
US 71
US 169
Route 1
Route 9
Route 10
Route 33
Route 92
Route 110 (CKC)
Route 152
Route 283
Route 291
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 253,335. The median age was 37.3 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.7 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 78.4% White, 7.2% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4% Asian, 0.4% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.3% from some other race, and 8.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 7.4% of the population.
91.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 8.1% lived in rural areas.
There were 100,254 households in the county, of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 105,619 housing units, of which 5.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.6% were owner-occupied and 32.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.3%.
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, 221,939 people, 72,558 households, and 50,137 families resided in the county. The population density was 558 people per square mile (215 people/km2). The 93,918 housing units averaged 236 per square mile (91/km2).
The racial makeup of the county was 87.46% White, 5.18% Black or African American, 0.53% Native American, 2.05% Asian, 0.26% Pacific Islander, 1.77% from other races, and 2.75% from two or more races. About 5.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 72,558 households, 33.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.40% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were not families. About 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the county, the population was distributed as 25.80% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 32.30% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 10.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.80 males.
In 2010 the median income for a household in the county was $48,347, and for a family was $56,772. Males had a median income of $40,148 versus $27,681 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,144. About 3.80% of families and 5.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.40% of those under age 18 and 5.50% of those age 65 or over.
2015 estimate
In 2015 the median income for a household in Clay County was $62,099. The income per capita in Clay County was $29,793.
2000 census
As of the 2000 census, 23.3% were of German, 14.5% American, 11.0% English, 10.8% Irish, and 5.6% Italian ancestry.
Registered voters
Registered voters number 151,042.
Education
School districts include:
K-12:
Elementary-only district:
Missouri City 56 School District
Public schools
Excelsior Springs School District No. 40 – Excelsior Springs
Lewis Elementary School (PK–5)
Cornerstone Elementary School (K–5)
Elkhorn Elementary School (K-5)
Excelsior Springs Middle School (6–8)
Excelsior Springs High School (9–12)
Excelsior Springs Technical High School (12) – Alternative/Technical School
Kearney R-I School District – Kearney
Dogwood Elementary School (K–5)
Hawthorne Elementary School (K–5)
Kearney Elementary School (K–5)
Southview Elementary School (K–5)
Kearney Middle School (6–7)
Kearney Junior High School (8–9)
Kearney High School (10–12)
Liberty School District No. 53 – Liberty
Liberty Early Childhood Education Center (PreK)
Alexander Doniphan Elementary School (K–5)
Franklin Elementary School (K–5)
Kellybrook Elementary School (K–5) – Kansas City
Private schools
Northland Christian School - Kansas City (Preschool-12) - Independent Christian
Kalos Christian Academy - Kansas City (K–12) - Nondenominational Christian
Outreach Christian Early Education Center – Avondale (Pre-K–12) – Nondenominational Christian
Oakhill Day School – Gladstone (Pre-K–7) – Nonsectarian – (Special Programs Emphasis)
St. Andrew the Apostle Parish School – Gladstone (K–9) – Roman Catholic
Northern Hills Christian Academy – Holt (K–9) – Baptist
Prairie Church School – Holt (K–6)
Covenant Memorial Baptist Day School – Kansas City (K) – Baptist
Eagle Heights Christian School – Kansas City (Pre-K–12) – Baptist
Faith Academy – Kansas City (Pre-K–12) – Nondenominational Christian
Refine KC School - Kansas City (K-12)
St. Charles Borromeo School – Kansas City (K–9) – Roman Catholic
St. Gabriel Catholic School –Kansas City (K–9) – Roman Catholic
St. Patrick School – Kansas City (NS/Pre-K–8) – Roman Catholic
St. Pius X High School – Kansas City (9–12) – Roman Catholic
Postsecondary
Maple Woods :: Metropolitan Community College—Kansas City—A public, two-year Liberal Arts college
MCC has a service area that includes all of the county, though only the portions in the Liberty and North Kansas City school districts are in the community college district's in-district taxation zone.
William Jewell College – Liberty – A private, four-year Liberal Arts college.
Libraries, archives, museums
Libraries
Mid-Continent Public Library
North Kansas City Public Library
Archives
Clay County Archives
Museums
Atkins-Johnson Farm and Museum
Clay County Museum and Historical Society
Excelsior Springs Museum and Archives
Jesse James Bank Museum
Jesse James Birthplace
Kearney Historic Museum
Smithville Historical Museum
The Rabbit hOle
Communities
Census-designated place
Paradise
Population ranking
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 US census of Clay County.
† County seat†† Partly within adjacent counties
Notable people
Noah Beery (1882–1946), actor
Wallace Beery (1885–1949), actor
Obediah Summers (1844–1896), formerly enslaved, AME minister, and Civil War veteran; born in Clay County
Frank James (1843–1915), outlaw, Confederate States guerrilla, and train robber; born in Clay County
Jesse James (1847–1882), outlaw, born in Clay County
John Ellis Martineau (1873–1937), Governor of Arkansas from 1927 to 1928, born in Clay County
Jesse Sexton (1885–1948), state senator 1936 to 1948
Politics
Clay County, like the rest of Missouri, has swung to the Republican Party in the 21st century, though the margins have been very close. In 2000, Democrat Al Gore famously won the county by one vote. The county, holding Kansas City, is mainly suburban in culture and remains competitive. In 2016, Donald Trump won the county while Hillary Clinton failed to improve on Barack Obama's percentages with only 41% of the vote. Joe Biden, however, did improve on those margins, winning nearly 47% of the vote in 2020; Trump still carried the county by 4%.