Clay County, Texas Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Clay County
U.S. county
Clay County Courthouse in Henrietta
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1860
Named for	Henry Clay
Seat	Henrietta
Largest city	Henrietta
Area
• Total	1,117 sq mi (2,890 km²)
• Land	1,089 sq mi (2,820 km²)
• Water	28 sq mi (70 km²) 2.5%
Population (2020)
• Total	10,218
• Density	9.148/sq mi (3.5320/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	13th

The Clay County Leader newspaper office in Henrietta

Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 10,218. The county seat is Henrietta. The county was founded in 1857 and later organized in 1860. It is named in honor of Henry Clay, famous American statesman, Kentucky Senator and United States Secretary of State.

Clay County is part of the Wichita Falls, Metropolitan Statistical Area in North Texas.

Several railroads once served Clay County, including the Wichita Falls Railway, one of the properties of Joseph A. Kemp and his brother-in-law Frank Kell, along with twenty-nine other stockholders. The Wichita Falls Railway linked Henrietta with Wichita Falls. Built in 1894–1895, it was sold in 1911 to the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, also known as the Katy. The original eighteen miles of track was abandoned in 1970.

The Wichita Falls rancher, oilman, and philanthropist Joseph Sterling Bridwell owned a ranch in Clay County, among his multiple holdings.

Clay County is represented in the Texas House of Representatives by the Republican James Frank, a businessman from Wichita Falls.

Geography
- Adjacent counties
Demographics
- 2020 census
Transportation
- Major highways
- Farm to Market Roads
Communities
See also

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,117 square miles (2,890 km²), of which 1,089 square miles (2,820 km²) is land and 28 square miles (73 km²) (2.5%) is water.

Lake Arrowhead State Park, a 524-acre (212 ha) development on Lake Arrowhead in Clay County, encompasses 14,390-acre (5,820 ha) acres. The lakeshore extends 106 miles; the park offers bicycling, birding, boating, camping, canoeing, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, nature study, picnicking, swimming, and wildlife observation.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	109	—
1880	5,045	—
1890	7,503	48.7%
1900	9,231	23.0%
1910	17,043	84.6%
1920	16,864	−1.1%
1930	14,545	−13.8%
1940	12,524	−13.9%
1950	9,896	−21.0%
1960	8,351	−15.6%
1970	8,079	−3.3%
1980	9,582	18.6%
1990	10,024	4.6%
2000	11,006	9.8%
2010	10,752	−2.3%
2020	10,218	−5.0%
U.S. Decennial Census 1850–2010 2010 2020

2020 census

**Clay County, Texas - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	9,941	8,941	92.46%	87.50%
Black or African American alone (NH)	53	35	0.49%	0.34%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	115	78	1.07%	0.76%
Asian alone (NH)	28	50	0.26%	0.49%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	1	0	0.01%	0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	5	31	0.05%	0.30%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	142	442	1.32%	4.33%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	467	641	4.34%	6.27%
Total	10,752	10,218	100.00%	100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.