Clay County, Iowa

Clay County, Iowa
Location in the state of Iowa
Iowa's location in the U.S.
Founded	1851
Seat	Spencer
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	572.51 sq mi (1,483 km²) 568.89 sq mi (1,473 km²) 3.63 sq mi (9 km²), 0.63%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	16,667 29.3/sq mi (11.3/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.co.clay.ia.us
Footnotes: Population [1]

Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 16,667 in the 2010 census, a decline from 17,372 in 2000.^[1][2] Its name is in honor of Henry Clay, Jr. a colonel who died in action in the Mexican-American War, and son of Henry Clay, famous American statesman. Its county seat is Spencer.^[3] It also holds the annual Clay County Fair. The very first newspaper in Clay County was the Peterson Patriot which started circulation in 1880.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 572.51 square miles (1,482.8 km²), of which 568.89 square miles (1,473.4 km²) (or 99.37%) is land and 3.63 square miles (9.4 km²) (or 0.63%) is water.^[4] Clay County is home to the large Barringer Slough wetland.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 18
• U.S. Highway 71
• Iowa Highway 10

Adjacent counties

• Dickinson County (north)
• Palo Alto County (east)
• Buena Vista County (south)
• O'Brien County (west)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	52		—
1870	1,523		2,828.8%
1880	4,248		178.9%
1890	9,309		119.1%
1900	13,401		44.0%
1910	12,766		−4.7%
1920	15,660		22.7%
1930	16,107		2.9%
1940	17,762		10.3%
1950	18,103		1.9%
1960	18,504		2.2%
1970	18,464		−0.2%
1980	19,576		6.0%
1990	17,585		−10.2%
2000	17,372		−1.2%
2010	16,667		−4.1%
Iowa Data Center [2]

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 16,667 in the county, with a population density of 29.292/sq mi (11.310/km²). There were 8,062 housing units, of which 7,282 were occupied.^[1]

2000 census

2000 Census Age Pyramid for Clay County.

As of the census^[5] of 2000, there were 17,372 people, 7,259 households, and 4,776 families residing in the county. The population density was 30 people per square mile (12/km²). There were 7,828 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.08% White, 0.17% Black or African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. 1.13% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,259 households out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.60% were married couples living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.20% were non-families. 29.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.70% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 18.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,799, and the median income for a family was $42,769. Males had a median income of $30,163 versus $21,068 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,451. About 6.30% of families and 8.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.10% of those under age 18 and 8.10% of those age 65 or over.

Localities

Cities

Dickens Everly Fostoria

Gillett Grove Greenville Peterson

Rossie Royal

Spencer Webb

Townships

Clay County is divided into these townships:

Clay Douglas Freeman Garfield Gillett Grove Herdland

Lake Lincoln Logan Lone Tree Meadow

Peterson Riverton Sioux Summit Waterford

Economy

At one point Great Lakes Airlines was headquartered in Summit Township, Clay County.^[6][7]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Clay County, Iowa
• The Clay County Courthouse Article

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Population and Housing Occupancy Status: 2010 - State -- County". United States Census Bureau American FactFinder. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST05&prodType=table. Retrieved March 12, 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Data from the 2010 Census". State Data Center of Iowa. http://www.iowadatacenter.org/archive/2011/02/feb10. Retrieved March 12, 2011. 
3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
4. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
5. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
6. ^ "Welcome to Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd." Great Lakes Airlines. December 5, 1998. Retrieved on May 25, 2009.
7. ^ "Spencer city, Iowa." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on May 25, 2009.

External links

Iowa portal

• Clay website
• Clay County Sheriff
• Clay County Conservation website

Coordinates: 43°04′51″N 95°08′58″W / 43.08083°N 95.14944°W / 43.08083; -95.14944