Editing Clay County, Kentucky (section)

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1810 = 2398
| 1820 = 4393
| 1830 = 3548
| 1840 = 4607
| 1850 = 5421
| 1860 = 6652
| 1870 = 8297
| 1880 = 10222
| 1890 = 12447
| 1900 = 15364
| 1910 = 17789
| 1920 = 19795
| 1930 = 18526
| 1940 = 23901
| 1950 = 23116
| 1960 = 20748
| 1970 = 18481
| 1980 = 22752
| 1990 = 21746
| 2000 = 24556
| 2010 = 21730
| 2020 = 20345
| estyear = 2024
| estimate = 19592
| estref = <ref name="USCensusEst2024">{{Cite web |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html|access-date=March 13, 2025 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>
| align-fn = center
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Decennial Census |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |access-date=August 13, 2014 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref><br />1790–1960<ref>{{Cite web |title=Historical Census Browser |url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120811110448/http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/ |archive-date=August 11, 2012 |access-date=August 13, 2014 |publisher=University of Virginia Library}}</ref> 1900–1990<ref>{{Cite web |title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990 |url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ky190090.txt |access-date=August 13, 2014 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref><br />1990–2000<ref>{{Cite web |title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000 |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |access-date=August 13, 2014 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> 2010–2020<ref name="QF" />
}}

As of the [[census]] of 2010, there were 21,730 people, 8,556 households, and 6,442 families residing in the county. The [[population density]] was {{convert|52|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people&nbsp;|people}}. There were 9,439 housing units at an average density of {{convert|20|/mi2|/km2}}. The racial makeup of the county was 93.9% [[White American|White]], 4.8% [[African American|Black or African American]], 0.2% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], 0.1% [[Asian American|Asian]], <0.1% [[Pacific Islander American|Pacific Islander]], 0.2% from [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|other races]], and 0.7% from two or more races. 1.4% of the population were [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanics or Latinos]] of any race.

There were 8,556 households, out of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% were [[Incest|married couples]] living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.7% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.06.

The age distribution was 25.4% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.6 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $16,271, and the median income for a family was $18,925. Males had a median income of $24,164 versus $17,816 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the county was $9,716. About 35.4% of families and 39.7% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 47.6% of those under the age of 18 and 31.3% of those age 65 or over.

The county's [[Per capita income|per-capita income]] and median household income make it one of the [[poorest places in the United States|poorest counties in the United States]]. Among counties whose population contains a non-Hispanic white majority, Clay County was once the poorest by per-capita income and second to another county in [[Eastern Mountain Coal Fields|the same Kentucky region]], [[Owsley County, Kentucky|Owsley County]], by median household income. However, in recent years the economic status of Clay County, Kentucky has improved relative to other lower income counties.<ref>{{Cite web |title=List of lowest-income counties in the United States |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lowest-income_counties_in_the_United_States}}</ref>{{Circular reference|date=April 2022}}