Named for Henry Clay Congressional district 15th Area 1,217 km² Population 13,566 (2013) County seat Louisville | Largest city Flora Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5 Founded 1824 Unemployment rate 6.3% (Apr 2015) | |
 | ||
Cities Flora, Clay City, Louisville, Xenia, Sailor Springs Rivers Little Wabash River, Elm Creek, Big Muddy Creek | ||
Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,815. Its county seat is Louisville.
Contents
- Map of Clay County IL USA
- History
- Geography
- Adjacent counties
- Major highways
- Climate and weather
- Demographics
- Education
- Cities
- Villages
- Townships
- References
Map of Clay County, IL, USA
In 1950, the U.S. Census Bureau placed the mean center of U.S. population in Clay County.
History
Clay County was formed in 1824 out of portions of Wayne, Crawford, and Fayette counties. Its name is in honor of Henry Clay, famous American statesman, member of the United States Senate from Kentucky and United States Secretary of State in the 19th century. Clay was an unsuccessful candidate for President in the year the County was named.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 470 square miles (1,200 km2), of which 468 square miles (1,210 km2) is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km2) (0.3%) is water.
Adjacent counties
Major highways
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Louisville have ranged from a low of 21 °F (−6 °C) in January to a high of 89 °F (32 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1904 and a record high of 111 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.49 inches (63 mm) in February to 4.34 inches (110 mm) in June.
Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 13,815 people, 5,697 households, and 3,790 families residing in the county. The population density was 29.5 inhabitants per square mile (11.4/km2). There were 6,404 housing units at an average density of 13.7 per square mile (5.3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.7% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 21.7% were German, 14.6% were American, 12.6% were Irish, and 8.6% were English.
Of the 5,697 households, 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.5% were non-families, and 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age was 42.2 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,016 and the median income for a family was $48,659. Males had a median income of $38,191 versus $27,347 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,802. About 11.2% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.4% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Cities
Villages
Townships
Clay County is divided into these twelve townships: