Clay County, Missouri facts for kids

Clay County
	Clay County, Missouri
	Map
	; Location in the state of Missouri
	; Missouri's location in the U.S.
	Statistics
Founded	January 2, 1822
Seat	Liberty
Largest City	Kansas City
Area; - Total; - Land; - Water	; 409 sq mi (1,059 km²); 397 sq mi (1,028 km²); 11 sq mi (28 km²), 2.8%
PopulationEst.; - (2015); - Density	; 235,637; 559/sq mi (216/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
	Website: https://www.claycountymo.gov/

Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the county had a population of 221,939, 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 member of the United States Senate and United States Secretary of State.

Clay County is part of the Kansas City, MO-KS Metropolitan Statistical Area and contains many of the city's northern suburbs, along with a substantial portion of the City of Kansas City.

Clay County owns and operates the Midwest National Air Center in Excelsior Springs.

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, slaves made up 25% or more of the county's population. Residents generally supported the Confederacy during the Civil War, as the Confederate flag flew over the county courthouse for many years following the end of the Civil War.

Many members of the Latter Day Saint movement found refuge in Clay County in November 1833. In 1836, mobs 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 opened a 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

Interstate 29
Interstate 35
Interstate 435
U.S. Route 69
U.S. Route 71
U.S. Route 169
Route 1
Route 9
Route 10
Route 33
Route 92
Route 152
Route 210
Route 291

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1830	5,338	—
1840	8,283	55.2%
1850	10,382	25.3%
1860	13,023	25.4%
1870	15,564	19.5%
1880	15,571	0.0%
1890	19,856	27.5%
1900	18,903	−4.8%
1910	20,302	7.4%
1920	20,455	0.8%
1930	26,811	31.1%
1940	30,417	13.4%
1950	45,221	48.7%
1960	87,474	93.4%
1970	123,322	41.0%
1980	136,488	10.7%
1990	153,411	12.4%
2000	184,006	19.9%
2010	221,939	20.6%
Est. 2015	235,637	6.2%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2015

As of the census of 2010, 221,939 people, 72,558 households, and 50,137 families resided in the county. The population density was 558 people per square mile (216/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. As of the census of 2000, 23.3% were of German, 14.5% American, 11.0% English, 10.8% Irish, and 5.6% Italian ancestry.

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.

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.

Registered voters number 151,042.

Communities

Notable natives

Frank James, born in Clay County in 1843
Jesse James, born in Clay County in 1847
John Ellis Martineau, Governor of Arkansas (1927–1928), born in Clay County in 1873
Noah Beery, Sr., actor
Wallace Beery, actor