Clay County, Iowa

Clay County
Clay County Courthouse
Map of Iowa highlighting Clay County
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Map of the United States highlighting Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 43°04′51″N 95°08′58″W / 43.080833333333°N 95.149444444444°W / 43.080833333333; -95.149444444444
Country United States
State Iowa
Founded1851
Named forHenry Clay Jr.
SeatSpencer
Largest citySpencer
Area
 • Total
573 sq mi (1,480 km2)
 • Land567 sq mi (1,470 km2)
 • Water5.4 sq mi (14 km2)  0.9%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
16,384
 • Estimate 
(2023)
16,511 Increase
 • Density29/sq mi (11/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district4th
Websiteclaycounty.iowa.gov

Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,384.[1] Its county seat is Spencer.[2] Its name is in honor of Henry Clay Jr.,[3] a colonel who died in action in the Mexican–American War, and son of Henry Clay, famous American statesman from Kentucky. Clay County comprises the Spencer, IA Micropolitan Statistical Area. Clay County holds the annual Clay County Fair. The first newspaper in Clay County was the Peterson Patriot which started publication in 1880.

  1. ^ "2020 Census State Redistricting Data". census.gov. United states Census Bureau. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 83.