Clay County, Missouri

Clay County is a county in Missouri, United States, on the north side of the Kansas City metropolitan area. It had a population of 253,335 at the 2020 census and covers 409 square miles (1,060 km2) — 397 square miles (1,030 km2) of land and 11 square miles (28 km2) of water — centred near 39°19′N 94°25′W.

Liberty is the county seat, and its postal code is 64068. The county has 19 incorporated cities and villages, plus the unincorporated community of Paradise, and part of Kansas City itself extends across its southern edge. Clay County lies in the Central time zone (UTC−6, CDT UTC−5).

Towns & Villages in Clay County

Clay County has 19 incorporated places — ranging from the city of Liberty down to one-street villages such as Birmingham and Glenaire — plus the census-designated place of Paradise. The northern part of Kansas City itself, north of the Missouri River, sits inside the county, though most of that city’s population lives across the river in Jackson County. Populations below are the 2020 census counts; a dash marks a place too small to be separately tabulated that year.

Kansas City itself spans four counties, and only a strip of its far-north neighborhoods lies in Clay County — the city’s headline population figures describe the whole city, not this county’s share of it. Several of the county’s smaller villages sit close enough together, along the U.S. 169 and North Oak Trafficway corridors, that their built-up areas run into one another without a visible break.

ZIP Codes

• 64068 — Liberty
• 64060 — Kearney
• 64024 — Excelsior Springs (shared with Ray County)
• 64089 — Smithville
• 64048 — Holt
• 64116, 64117, 64118, 64119, 64155, 64156, 64157, 64158, 64161, 64165, 64166, 64167 — Kansas City-addressed ZIPs covering Gladstone, North Kansas City, Claycomo, Pleasant Valley and the county’s northern Kansas City neighborhoods

Missouri City, Mosby, Avondale, Birmingham, Glenaire, Oakview, Oakwood, Oakwood Park and Randolph are too small to carry their own ZIP code and are served by a neighboring town’s post office.

Geography

Clay County sits on rolling glacial till plain north of the Missouri River, which forms most of its southern and western boundary. The river’s bluffs and bottomland give way to gently rolling farmland and, closer to Kansas City, to dense suburban development. Smaller streams, including Rush Creek and Fishing River, drain the county toward the Missouri.

Clay County borders Clinton County to the north, Ray County to the east, Jackson County to the south, Wyandotte County, Kansas to the southwest, and Platte County to the west, across the Missouri River.

Demographics

Clay County had 253,335 residents at the 2020 census, making it the fifth most populous county in Missouri. Its two largest fully-contained communities are Liberty (30,167) and Gladstone (27,063); Kansas City extends into the county’s southern edge but most of that city’s population lives in neighboring Jackson County. Clay County’s suburbs generally report household incomes above the Missouri median of $68,545, reflecting its position inside the Kansas City metro area, though county-level income figures are not confirmed here. Population density works out to roughly 638 people per square mile of land.

Economy & Local Life

Clay County’s economy is anchored by Kansas City-area commuters, retail, and health care rather than any single industry. Liberty is home to William Jewell College, a liberal-arts college founded in 1849, and North Kansas City is home to North Kansas City Hospital, one of the area’s larger employers. Gladstone functions as a retail hub along North Oak Trafficway. Excelsior Springs built its early economy around its mineral springs, and the restored Hall of Waters building downtown still anchors its historic district.

History

Clay County was organized on January 2, 1822, and named for Henry Clay, then a U.S. Representative from Kentucky who later served in the U.S. Senate and as Secretary of State. Settlers in the county’s early decades came heavily from Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, and by 1860 enslaved people made up roughly a quarter of the county’s population. Liberty was the site of the first successful daylight bank robbery in United States history, when the Clay County Savings Association was robbed in February 1866, an event long associated with the James-Younger gang. Excelsior Springs grew rapidly after 1880 around mineral springs that were marketed as therapeutic, drawing visitors from across the Midwest.

Getting There

Interstate 35 crosses the county through Liberty and Kansas City’s northland, and Interstate 29 and U.S. Route 169 run through its western edge toward Platte County. Missouri routes 152 and 291 connect the county’s suburbs to each other and to downtown Kansas City.

• Kansas City, Missouri (downtown) — about 15 miles south of Liberty
• St. Joseph — about 35 miles north of Excelsior Springs
• Kansas City International Airport — about 20 miles west, in neighboring Platte County
• Kansas City Union Station (Amtrak) — about 15 miles south of Liberty, across the river in Jackson County

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Clay County, Missouri?
It sits on the north side of the Kansas City metropolitan area, north of the Missouri River, bordering Kansas across the state’s western edge.

What is the population of Clay County?
253,335 at the 2020 census, the fifth-highest county total in Missouri.

How big is Clay County?
409 square miles (1,060 km2) in total, of which 397 square miles (1,030 km2) is land.

What is the county seat of Clay County?
Liberty is the county seat.

How many towns and villages are in Clay County?
19 incorporated cities and villages, plus the unincorporated community of Paradise and a stretch of Kansas City itself.

What ZIP codes are in Clay County?
Liberty is 64068; Kearney, Excelsior Springs, Smithville and Holt each have their own ZIP; the rest of the county’s Kansas City-side suburbs use Kansas City ZIP codes in the 64116–64167 range.

Why is Clay County named Clay?
It was named in 1822 for Henry Clay, the Kentucky statesman who later served as U.S. Secretary of State.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Missouri.