| Clay County, Iowa | |
Location in the state of Iowa |
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Iowa's location in the U.S. |
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| 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.
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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.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 52 |
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| 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] | |||
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]
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.
Clay County is divided into these townships:
At one point Great Lakes Airlines was headquartered in Summit Township, Clay County.[6][7]
| Dickinson County | ||||
| O'Brien County | Palo Alto County | |||
| Clay County, Iowa | ||||
| Buena Vista County |
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