
Kentucky · Census place 15202
Clay, KY population, income and ZIP codes
Quick answer
The population of the city of Clay, Kentucky (Clay, KY — Census place “Clay city”) is 1,112 residents, ranking #232 of 554 places in Kentucky. Median household income is $43,884, the median home is worth $75,600 and median gross rent runs $769 a month. Looking for the Clay Kentucky ZIP code list? 1 ZIP codes serve Clay, KY: 42404.
- Population
- 1,112Clay city residents
- Median household income
- $43,884Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
- Median home value
- $75,600Owner-occupied units
- Median gross rent
- $769Rent plus utilities, monthly
- Median age
- 31.8 yrsAll residents
- Homeownership rate
- 64%Owner-occupied households
Clay ZIP codes (Kentucky)
Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Clay.
The Clay KY ZIP code list below covers 1 ZIP code. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.
What the numbers mean in Clay city
Housing cost measured against local earnings.
A household earning the Clay city median would spend about 21% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 1.7× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 13.7% of residents and 64% of households own their home.
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year
Clay city, KY in context
How this area compares with national benchmarks.
Clay city is a small town in Kentucky, with 1,112 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #232 of 554 ranked by population — larger than 58% of them. The median age here is 31.8 years against 39.1 nationally, a distinctly younger profile, typical of places with students, military posts or a fast-growing family population. At this population the ACS sample is small, so the margin of error around every dollar figure below is wide — treat the numbers as a band, not a point, and expect them to move between annual releases without the place itself changing.
Households in Clay city earn a median of $43,884 a year, 44.1% below the national figure of $78,538 and 21% below the $55,469 median for the 246 Kentucky cities we cover. This figure covers the household, not the worker: two people on ordinary wages at one address outrank a single professional in the same table. Poverty reaches 13.7% of residents here, above the 12.4% national rate.
The typical owner-occupied home in Clay city is valued at $75,600, 75.1% below the national figure and 52% below the $157,200 peer median, while median gross rent runs $769 a month, 45.3% below the national figure, or roughly $9,228 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 21% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is within the standard affordability guideline. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 1.7×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so purchase prices are unusually low against local pay, the pattern in places where supply is plentiful and wage growth has been flat. 64% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, so the market leans more heavily on renters. Gross rent folds in the utilities a tenant pays separately, so it is closer to the real monthly outlay than a headline rent figure.
Every value on this page is published directly by the Census for this area — nothing is modelled or interpolated. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.
Compare with nearby places
Places of similar size in Kentucky.
- Northfield city 1,104
- Earlington city 1,113
- Silver Grove city 1,104
- Irvington city 1,129
- Philpot CDP 1,098
- West Point city 1,131
- Lewisburg city 1,093
- Clarkson city 1,133
Keep going
More Kentucky coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this area.
- What is the population of Clay city?
- Clay city has 1,112 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #232 of 554 in Kentucky.
- What is the median household income in Clay city?
- Median household income in Clay city is $43,884 a year, 44.1% below the national figure of $78,538.
- How much does it cost to rent or buy in Clay city?
- Median gross rent is $769 a month and the median home value is $75,600, so rent absorbs about 21% of median household income.
- Is Clay city affordable compared with the rest of the US?
- Homes cost about 1.7× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Clay city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 21% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
- How current is this Clay city data?
- All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. At this population the ACS sample is small, so the margin of error around every dollar figure below is wide — treat the numbers as a band, not a point, and expect them to move between annual releases without the place itself changing.