Clay County is a county located in the U.S. State of Illinois, and determined by the U.S. Census Bureau to include the mean center of U.S. population in 1950. As of 2000, the population is 14,560. 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. Its county seat is Louisville, Illinois.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,217 km² (470 mi²). 1,215 km² (469 mi²) of it is land and 2 km² (1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.13% water.

Demographics

As of the census2 of 2000, there are 14,560 people, 5,839 households, and 4,005 families residing in the county. The population density is 12/km² (31/mi²). There are 6,394 housing units at an average density of 5/km² (14/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 98.52% White, 0.11% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.40% from two or more races. 0.60% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 5,839 households out of which 30.60% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.40% are married couples living together, 8.60% have a female householder with no husband present, and 31.40% are non-families. 27.90% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.80% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.41 and the average family size is 2.94.

In the county the population is spread out with 23.90% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 25.90% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 19.20% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 92.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county is $30,599, and the median income for a family is $36,675. Males have a median income of $27,813 versus $20,616 for females. The per capita income for the county is $15,771. 11.80% of the population and 9.00% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 12.90% are under the age of 18 and 12.30% are 65 or older.

Cities and towns