Clay County, Georgia: commercial real estate data.
Clay County, Georgia had an estimated 2,815 residents on July 1, 2024, down 1.1 percent since the 2020 census base of 2,846, across 195 square miles. County output reached $74.3 m in 2024, 50 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 1 7(a) approvals worth $645,000 since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Clay County
How many people live in Clay County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20242,850
- Households1,231
- Average household size2.32
- Median household income$49,147
- Median age45.3
- Median gross rent$536 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$94,400
- Home value to household income1.9 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income13.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher23.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree12.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over1,977
- Population under 18562
- Share under 1819.7 percent
- Population 65 and over831
- Share 65 and over29.2 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 641,457
- Civilian labor force1,199
- Unemployment rate4.5 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over52.4 percent
- Rank by population among Georgia counties155th of 159
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included3042nd of 3,222
Clay County is the 155th largest of 159 Georgia counties by population. A median home costs 1.9 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 29.2 percent against 19.7 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single story product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Clay County
Is Clay County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20242,815
- Census 2020 base population2,846
- Population change since the 2020 census base-1.09 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-54
- Births, 202434
- Deaths, 202446
- Natural change, 2024-12
- Net domestic migration, 2024-40
- Net international migration, 20240
- Total net migration, 2024-40
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 202437
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2220th of 3,144
The county has lost 1.09 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. The population fell in 2024 from both sources: deaths exceeded births and more people left than moved in.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Clay County
Where are people moving to Clay County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving65
- People arriving, from those returns110
- Tax returns filed by households leaving79
- Net household movement-14
- Adjusted gross income arriving$3.0 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$287,000
- Average income of an arriving household$45,769
- Average income of a leaving household$34,025
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|
Households arriving report $11,744 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Clay County
What is the Clay County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$74.3 m
- County GDP, 2023$110.1 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-32.5 percent
- GDP change over five years-19.9 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Georgia areas BEA publishes155th of 159
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes3077th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$26,066
Output grew -32.5 percent in the latest year and -19.9 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Clay County
Employment by industry in Clay County
- Covered employment, annual average589
- Establishments reporting74
- Average annual pay$38,988
- Average weekly wage$750
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, employment189
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, average annual pay$31,503
- Retail trade, employment50
- Retail trade, average annual pay$25,209
- Unclassified establishments, employment3
- Unclassified establishments, average annual pay$26,849
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 189 | 10 | $31,503 |
| Retail trade | 50 | 14 | $25,209 |
| Unclassified establishments | 3 | 6 | $26,849 |
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting is the largest private sector at 189 jobs, 32.1 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Clay County
How many businesses are in Clay County?
- Establishments, all industries50
- Employment at those establishments305
- Annual payroll$14.1 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents17.5
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Clay County
Building permits in Clay County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20246
- Declared construction value permitted$1.2 m
- Single family units authorized6
- Multifamily units authorized0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$202,876
- Units authorized per 1,000 households4.9
Single-family homes are 100.0 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Clay County
SBA loans in Clay County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded1
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$645,000
- Average 7(a) approval$645,000
- Median 7(a) approval$645,000
- Largest single approval$645,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)3
- Jobs per approval3.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active1
- Distinct industries receiving approvals1
- Median 7(a) term300 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer100.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms1
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter0
- Franchise loans1
- Franchise share of approvals100.0 percent
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Clay County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Clay County
Do SBA loans in Clay County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Cancelled1
Only 0 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Clay County
How large is Clay County?
- Land area195 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Georgia counties141st of 159
- Width, east to west18.9 mi
- Height, north to south20.3 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land15
- Establishments per square mile0.26
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Clay County
Flood risk in Clay County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Clay County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 130554
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book3
- Of those, participating in the NFIP3
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Clay County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Clay County (community 130554), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Clay County in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Clay County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Clay County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20242,850
- Households1,231
- Average household size2.32
- Median household income$49,147
- Median age45.3
Common questions
Clay County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Clay County, Georgia?
The Census Bureau estimates 2,815 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 2,850, in 1,231 households, ranking 155th of 159 Georgia counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Clay County's population growing?
The population has fallen 1.09 percent since the 2020 census base of 2,846, to 2,815 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 34 births against 46 deaths, with net migration of -40. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Clay County?
$49,147. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $94,400, which is 1.9 times income, and median gross rent is $536 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Clay County?
50 establishments, employing 305 people with an annual payroll of $14.1 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Clay County?
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting is the largest private sector at 189 jobs, 32.1 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 589 jobs at an average annual pay of $38,988, or $750 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Clay County?
1 7(a) approvals totaling $645,000 since FY2020, across 1 lenders, with a median approval of $645,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Clay County?
6 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $1.2 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Clay County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Are traffic counts available for Clay County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Clay County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Clay County
Cities and places in Clay.
2 Census places lie wholly or partly in Clay County. All 2 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Gaines | city | 1,248 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Bluffton | town | 350 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |