Clay County is a county in Nebraska, United States, on the fertile plains of the south-central part of the state. It had a population of 6,104 at the 2020 census and covers 574 square miles (1,490 km2) centred near 40°31′N 98°03′W.
Clay Center is the county seat and its postal code is 68933. The county has 5 incorporated cities, 5 villages and 1 census-designated place, plus a handful of small unincorporated communities. It observes Central time.
Towns & Villages in Clay County
Clay County has 11 named places with their own ZIP codes, plus a few small unincorporated crossroads that survive mainly as rail-era place names. Type legend: City = incorporated city, Village = incorporated village, CDP = census-designated place, Unincorp. = unincorporated community with no separate government.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay Center | City · seat | — | 68933 |
| Sutton | City | — | 68979 |
| Edgar | City | — | 68935 |
| Harvard | City | — | 68944 |
| Fairfield | City | — | 68938 |
| Glenvil | Village | — | 68941 |
| Trumbull | Village | — | 68980 |
| Deweese | Village | — | 68934 |
| Saronville | Village | — | 68975 |
| Ong | Village | — | 68452 |
| Inland | CDP | — | 68954 |
| Eldorado | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Verona | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Anan | Unincorp. | — | — |
Eldorado, Verona and Anan are unincorporated crossroads communities that never grew beyond a grain elevator and a handful of houses; none has a separate ZIP code, and mail there is served through the nearest post office town instead.
ZIP Codes
- 68933 — Clay Center
- 68979 — Sutton
- 68935 — Edgar
- 68944 — Harvard
- 68938 — Fairfield
- 68941 — Glenvil
- 68980 — Trumbull
- 68934 — Deweese
- 68975 — Saronville
- 68452 — Ong
- 68954 — Inland
Eldorado, Verona and Anan have no ZIP code of their own; residents there use the code of the nearest post office town listed above.
Geography
Clay County sits on flat to gently rolling loess plains typical of south-central Nebraska, drained by the Little Blue River and several smaller creeks. Land use is overwhelmingly agricultural, broken up by a scatter of wildlife management and waterfowl production areas that support the county’s wetland pockets. The county borders Hamilton County to the north, York County to the northeast, Fillmore County to the east, Thayer County to the southeast, Nuckolls County to the south, Webster County to the southwest, and Adams County to the west.
Demographics
Clay County recorded 6,104 residents at the 2020 census. Sutton is the largest community in the county, followed by Harvard and the county seat, Clay Center. Median household income in the county runs below the Nebraska median of $74,590, reflecting the area’s dependence on farm income, which swings with commodity prices. Population density is about 10.6 people per square mile, among the more sparsely settled counties in the region.
Economy & Local Life
Row-crop agriculture — mainly corn and soybeans, with center-pivot irrigation drawing on the Ogallala Aquifer — anchors the county economy, supported by grain elevators, an ethanol plant near Sutton, and farm-implement dealers along Highway 6. Sutton and Clay Center both host small public school districts that double as community hubs, and county fair week draws exhibitors from across the surrounding counties. The county also carries several state-managed wildlife management areas and waterfowl production areas, drawing hunters and birdwatchers to its wetland pockets each fall, alongside the row-crop economy that otherwise dominates the landscape.
History
Clay County was formed in 1855 and organized as a functioning county government in 1871. It takes its name from Henry Clay, the Kentucky senator and U.S. secretary of state, honored the way many Nebraska counties named themselves after national statesmen during the territorial and early-statehood era. Settlement followed the railroads through the 1870s and 1880s, and towns like Sutton and Harvard grew up as depot stops along the Burlington line. Politically, the county has voted overwhelmingly Republican in nearly every presidential election since 1936, with 1964 the lone exception — a pattern typical of Nebraska’s farm-belt counties.
Getting There
U.S. Highway 6 and U.S. Highway 14 cross the county, with Nebraska Highway 74 and Highway 41 providing secondary connections between the towns.
- Hastings — 20 miles west
- York — 25 miles northeast
- Grand Island — 35 miles north
- Lincoln — 75 miles east
The nearest commercial airport is Central Nebraska Regional Airport in Grand Island.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Clay County, Nebraska?
It is in south-central Nebraska, between Hastings and York, bordering Kansas-facing Nuckolls and Thayer counties to the south.
What is the population of Clay County?
6,104 people at the 2020 census.
How big is Clay County?
574 square miles (1,490 km2), of which 572 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Clay County?
Clay Center is the county seat.
How many towns are in Clay County?
Five incorporated cities, five villages, one census-designated place, and a few small unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Clay County?
Eleven, covering Clay Center, Sutton, Edgar, Harvard, Fairfield, Glenvil, Trumbull, Deweese, Saronville, Ong and Inland.
Why is Clay County named Clay?
It honors Henry Clay, the Kentucky senator who later served as U.S. secretary of state.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Nebraska.