Clay County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the U.S. state of

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,318, and was estimated to be 66,848 in 2024, Its

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 ...

is Moorhead. Clay County is part of the Fargo, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Breckenridge County was created on March 18, 1858. Clay County was established on November 2, 1860 as Breckinridge County and named for John C. Breckinridge, vice president of the United States from 1857 to 1861. After the Civil War began, Breckinridge joined the Confederate Army and in March 1862 the state Legislature replaced the name of Breckinridge with that of

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 ...

(1777–1852), who like Breckinridge was from Lexington, Ky., and was known "The Great Pacificator" or "The Great Compromiser" who helped head off civil war at least twice. The county's government was not organized until 1872, after the

Northern Pacific Railway The Northern Pacific Railway was an important American transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the Western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest between 1864 and 1970. It was approved and chartered b ...

reached the area and settlement accelerated.

Geography

Clay County lies on the western side of Minnesota. Its western boundary line abuts the eastern boundary line of the state of

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

(across the Red River). The Red River flows northward along the western boundary line of the county, on its way to the

Hudson Bay Hudson Bay, sometimes called Hudson's Bay (usually historically), is a large body of Saline water, saltwater in northeastern Canada with a surface area of . It is located north of Ontario, west of Quebec, northeast of Manitoba, and southeast o ...

in Canada. The Buffalo River flows west-northwesterly through the center of the county, joined by the South Branch Buffalo River west of Glyndon, before discharging into the Red on the county's western border near Georgetown. The terrain consists of rolling hills, dotted with lakes and ponds in its eastern portion.''Clay County MN'' Google Maps (accessed March 6, 2019)
/ref> The terrain slopes to the west and north, with its highest point near the southeastern corner, at ASL. 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 county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.71%) is water. It is the 19th largest county in Minnesota by total area.

Major highways

* * * * * * * *

Transit

* MATBUS *

Jefferson Lines Jefferson Lines (JL or JLI) is a regional intercity bus company operating in 14 states in the Midwest and the West of the United States. History The company is operated by Jefferson Partners L.P., located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jefferson P ...

Adjacent counties

* Norman County - north * Becker County - east * Otter Tail County - southeast * Wilkin County - south *

Richland County, North Dakota Richland County is a County (United States), county in the far southeast corner of the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 16,529, and was estimated to be 16,658 in 2024. The county s ...

- southwest *

Cass County, North Dakota Cass County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 184,525, making it the most populous county in North Dakota, and was estimated to be 200,945 in 2024. It contains over 25.23% of the state' ...

- west

Protected areas

* Aspen State Wildlife Management Area * Bjornson State Wildlife Management Area * Bluestone Prairie Scientific and Natural Area * Clay County State Wildlife Management Area * Cromwell State Wildlife Management Area * Felton Prairie Scientific and Natural Area * Goose Prairie State Wildlife Management Area * Gruhl State Wildlife Management Area * Hawley State Wildlife Management Area * Hay Creek State Wildlife Management Area * Highland State Wildlife Management Area * Hitterdal State Wildlife Management Area * Jeral State Wildlife Management Area * Magnusson State Wildlife Management Area * Skree State Wildlife Management Area * Ulen State Wildlife Management Area * Ulen Wildlife Refuge

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Moorhead have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1887 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936, the latter also the highest recorded temperature in the history of Minnesota. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in June.

Demographics

As of the third quarter of 2024, the median home value in Clay County was $281,040. As of the 2023

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

, there are 25,939 estimated households in Clay County with an average of 2.41 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $77,664. Approximately 13.1% of the county's population lives at or 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 ...

. Clay County has an estimated 70.5% employment rate, with 39.0% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 95.0% holding a high school diploma. The median age in the county was 34.1 years. Clay County, Minnesota – racial and ethnic composition

2023 estimate

As of the 2023 estimate, there were 66,258 people and 25,939 households residing in the county. There were 27,851 housing units. The racial makeup of the county was 87.9% White ''(84.0% NH White)'', 5.7% African American, 2.0% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 5.1% of the population. In the 2023 estimate, Clay County is the 68th wealthiest county in Minnesota. $53,925 for per capita income.

2020 Census

As of the 2020 census, there were 65,318 people, 24,931 households, and 15,694 families residing in the county. 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 26,844 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 84.89%

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 ...

, 4.88%

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 ...

, 1.76% Native American, 1.20% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.33% from some other races and 5.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 4.61% of the population.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 58,999 people, 22,279 households, and _ families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 23,959 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.69%

, 1.43%

, 1.36% Native American, 1.43% Asian, 0.04%

, 0.89% from some other races and 2.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.48% of the population.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 51,229 people, 18,670 households, and 12,340 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 19,746 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.99%

, 0.52%

, 1.44% Native American, 0.88% Asian, 0.03%

, 1.67% from some other races and 1.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.65% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 40.4% were of Norwegian and 26.8% German. There were 18,670 households, out of which 33.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.90% 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, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.90% were non-families. 26.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.07. The county population contained 25.00% under the age of 18, 17.10% from 18 to 24, 25.70% from 25 to 44, 19.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $37,889, and the median income for a family was $49,192. Males had a median income of $34,176 versus $23,149 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 county was $17,557. About 7.40% of families and 13.20% of the population were below the

, including 13.30% of those under age 18 and 7.50% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

In national elections, Clay County has been a Democrat-leaning swing county for several decades. From 1992 to 2020, it voted for the winner of the presidential election. Since 1928, the only years in which Clay did not go for the election winner were 1960, 1968, 1988 and 2024. The presence of

college town A college town or university town is a town or city whose character is dominated by a college or university and their associated culture, often characterised by the student population making up 20 percent of the population of the community, bu ...

Moorhead and proximity to

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo is the List of cities in North Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, Cass County. The population was 125,990 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, which was e ...

makes the county more liberal than others in western Minnesota.

Communities

Cities

* Barnesville * Comstock * Dilworth * Felton * Georgetown * Glyndon * Hawley * Hitterdal * Moorhead (county seat) * Sabin * Ulen

Census-designated places

Baker A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient histo ...

* Oakport (part of Moorhead since 2015)

Unincorporated communities

* Averill * Dale * Downer * Kragnes * Manitoba Junction * Muskoda *

Rollag Rollag is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Buskerud Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rollag, al ...

* Rustad * Tansem * Winnipeg Junction

Townships

* Alliance Township * Barnesville Township * Cromwell Township * Eglon Township * Elkton Township * Elmwood Township * Felton Township * Flowing Township * Georgetown Township * Glyndon Township * Goose Prairie Township * Hagen Township * Hawley Township * Highland Grove Township * Holy Cross Township * Humboldt Township * Keene Township * Kragnes Township * Kurtz Township * Moland Township * Moorhead Township * Morken Township * Oakport Township * Parke Township * Riverton Township * Skree Township * Spring Prairie Township * Tansem Township * Ulen Township * Viding Township

References

External links

Clay County – official website
{{Authority control Minnesota counties Fargo–Moorhead 1872 establishments in Minnesota Populated places established in 1872