Official Federal Data
Clay County, Nebraska
FIPS 31035 · Hastings, NE · Population 6,095
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$78,986 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
2.9% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$469M ▼
GDP
22.3% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Small population: 6,095 residents. These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates, which carry a wide margin of error for places under 20,000 people. Read each value as an approximate range, and treat year-over-year changes as indicative rather than exact. A small shift can reflect survey sampling, not a real change on the ground.
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$78,986 ▲
Per Capita
$39,221 ▲
Mean Household
$96,609 ▲
Poverty Rate
6.9% ▼approx.
Median Income Comparison
Clay County$78,986
Nebraska$76,475
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 24.6%
18-34 · 18.1%
35-54 · 21.9%
55-64 · 15.1%
65+ · 20.3%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
93.5%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +3.9 pts
22.3%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 13.4 pts
7.4%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 6.7 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
6,095
Population
3,206
Labor Force
Employed
3,135
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
2.9% ▲ +0.3 pts YoY
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.1 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
6.7%
Key Takeaways
- Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 13.4 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Construction employs 212 workers (23.1% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $68,983.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $469M (2024).
- Wage stratification: Construction averages $68,983 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $15,906, a 4.3x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Goods-Producing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
500
Cluster Employment
1.69x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Crop Production
13.89x 96
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods
3.98x 114
1.69x 500
Repair and Maintenance
1.62x 31
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities
1.55x 52
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Crop Production concentrates at 13.89x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 5 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$155,600 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$645 ▲
Rent/Mo
81.9% ▲
Owner-Occ
11.6% ▼
Vacancy
2.0x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$666/mo
1 Bedroom
$759/mo
2 Bedroom
$961/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,152/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,304/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,975/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.0x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
- High home ownership: 81.9% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Elevated vacancy: 11.6% vacancy rate. In resort, rural, and seasonal markets much of this is recreational/seasonal (second homes), not available supply; confirm the vacancy-by-reason split before treating it as a redevelopment opportunity.
- Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,975/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
3,362 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.1 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
6.7%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
86.5%
of prime-age population
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
22.3% ▲
HS Diploma+
93.5% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
20,331/yr
6,113/yr
3,604/yr
3,235/yr
2,955/yr
2,601/yr
1,823/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
27.4%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
38.6%
Service
13.9%
Sales & Office
17.5%
Construction / Maint.
16%
Production / Transport
14%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 3,135 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 27.4% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 12,952 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Clay County shows strong potential for crop production attraction, with a 13.89x concentration and 96 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 27.4% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
The interconnected base across crop production, merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods, and creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Clay County, Nebraska, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Clay County, Nebraska?
6,095 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Clay County, Nebraska?
$78,986 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Clay County, Nebraska?
2.9% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Clay County, Nebraska?
$469M (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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