Clay Center is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman: * Clay County, Alabama * Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County) * Clay County, Fl ...

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

, United States. It is part of the

Hastings, Nebraska Hastings is a List of cities in Nebraska, city in and the county seat of Adams County, Nebraska, Adams County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 25,152 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Neb ...

Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 760 at the 2010 census.

History

Clay Center was laid out in 1879. The city was named after

Henry Clay Henry Clay (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the United States Senate, U.S. Senate and United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives. He was the seventh Spea ...

, a statesman from Kentucky. A post office has been in operation at Clay Center since 1879.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 760 people, 332 households, and 214 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 360 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.4%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.1% Asian, 2.2% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 4.6% of the population. There were 332 households, of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.5% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age in the city was 42.8 years. 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.5% were from 25 to 44; 30.4% were from 45 to 64; and 17% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.6% male and 50.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 861 people, 343 households, and 243 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 373 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.17%

, 0.58%

, 0.23% Native American, 0.93% Asian, 1.16% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 3.02% of the population. There were 343 households, out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were

living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% 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 3.04. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.6% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $36,597, and the median income for a family was $45,893. Males had a median income of $30,982 versus $20,446 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $17,577. About 7.6% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 1.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Accredited "A" by the State Board of Education, Clay Center High School (CCHS) has an exceptional academic reputation with test scores consistently above the state and national averages. The K-12 system enjoys a modern high school facility and gym. In the past five years, CCHS has earned five state championships in various sports. An experienced administration and staff provide an average 1 to 10 teacher-to-pupil ratio. Community scholarships are available to graduating seniors. Served by Educational Service Unit No. 9 of Hastings, CCHS receives resources and expertise for its teachers and students. Clay Center is located near several post-secondary institutions. It is one and one-half hours from the University of Nebraska/Lincoln and University of Nebraska/Kearney; one-half hour from Hastings College and the Mary Lanning School of Nursing, and 20 minutes from Central Community College in Hastings.

Notable people

* Joseph D. Leitch, U.S. Army major general * Abby Miller, actress *

Joe Saldana Joe Saldana (born November 14, 1944) is an American former open-wheel racing driver. Racing career He moved to Lincoln, Nebraska at an early age where he grew up and started his auto racing career. Joe's uncle, Orville Hoffman, along with Buck ...

, race-car driver * Howard Bradley Smith, (author)

References

{{Authority control Cities in Nebraska Cities in Clay County, Nebraska Hastings Micropolitan Statistical Area County seats in Nebraska Populated places established in 1879 1879 establishments in Nebraska