Housing data for Clay, PA
Clay, PA has an estimated 1,362 residents and 681 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Lancaster County.
40.7% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,033 a month.
Its population shrank measurably since 2015–2019 (−31.8%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 1,362 (±347)
- Housing units
- 681 (±181)
- Households that rent
- 40.7%
- Median gross rent
- $1,033
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −31.8%
What stands out in Clay
Households without a vehicle: 0.0% (±5.0 points) in Clay, lower than in Lancaster County (8.6%).
Households that moved in since 2020: 5.2% (±9.1 points) in Clay, lower than in Lancaster County (20.6%).
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 3.7% (±8.0 points) in Clay, lower than in Lancaster County (12.6%).
Average commute: 28.9 minutes (±4.2) in Clay, higher than in Lancaster County (23.8 minutes).
Housing in Clay at a glance
- Median rent: $1,033 median gross rent a month (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent burden: 32.0% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 40.7% of households rent
- Home values: $277,400 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $2,185 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $4,080 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 3.7% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 49.7% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 45.9% of homes were built before 1980 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Vacancy rate: 0.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 42.2% heat with electricity
- Commute and cars: 28.9 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: −31.8% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 5.2% moved in since 2020 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Crowding and facilities: 0.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Clay against Lancaster County, its state and the nation
| Clay | Lancaster County | Pennsylvania | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,362 (±347) | 557,931 (exact) | 13,018,639 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 681 (±181) | 219,224 (±92) | 5,806,452 (±672) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 40.7% (±18.2 points) | 30.2% (±0.8 points) | 30.7% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,033 (±$519) | $1,357 (±$20) | $1,209 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | — | $86,959 (±$1,323) | $77,971 (±$342) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $277,400 (±$75,739) | $301,100 (±$4,176) | $254,500 (±$767) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $4,080 (±$1,376) | $3,975 (±$49) | $3,311 (±$12) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 45.9% (±24.1 points) | 52.5% (±1.2 points) | 67.3% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 28.9 minutes (±4.2) | 23.8 minutes (±0.3) | 26.3 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 87.1% (±9.7 points) | 88.1% (±0.5 points) | 89.7% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 52.1 years (±12.4) | 39.4 years (±0.3) | 40.9 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Clay covers 2.2 square miles of land, about 609 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Clay has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,998 (±464) | 1,362 (±347) | −31.8% | Measurable decrease |
| Housing units | 693 (±124) | 681 (±181) | −1.7% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $1,075 (±$617) | $1,033 (±$519) | −3.9% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $225,300 (±$40,676) | $277,400 (±$75,739) | +23.1% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,495 (±$184) | $2,185 (±$259) | +46.2% | Up after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $4,480 (±$569) | $4,080 (±$1,376) | −8.9% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 27.0% (±11.9 points) | 40.7% (±18.2 points) | +13.7 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% (±12.5 points) | 0.0% (±11.8 points) | 0.0 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Lancaster County
Clay has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Lancaster County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Lancaster County recorded 95 violent and 643 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
Places near Clay
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brickerville | 2.6 mi | $879 | $276,100 | 6.5% |
| Elizabeth Township (Lancaster County) | 3.6 mi | $1,125 | $307,000 | 14.3% |
| Schoeneck | 3.7 mi | — | $328,500 | 6.7% |
| Ephrata | 4.1 mi | $1,143 | $224,400 | 44.4% |
| Rothsville | 4.6 mi | $1,125 | $313,700 | 20.9% |
| Akron | 4.6 mi | $1,162 | $264,600 | 36.7% |
| Warwick Township (Lancaster County) | 4.9 mi | $1,496 | $338,200 | 21.2% |
| West Cocalico Township | 5.1 mi | $1,103 | $316,700 | 6.4% |
HUD Fair Market Rent for Clay, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,152 | $1,256 | $1,553 | $1,978 | $2,041 |
HUD income limits for Clay, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $22,950 | $38,250 | $61,150 |
| 2 people | $26,200 | $43,700 | $69,900 |
| 3 people | $29,500 | $49,150 | $78,650 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $54,600 | $87,350 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $59,000 | $94,350 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $63,350 | $101,350 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $67,750 | $108,350 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $72,100 | $115,350 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Lancaster, PA MSA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $109,200.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Clay is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.
It lies inside Clay Township (Lancaster County), whose figures include it.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Clay
How many renters are there in Clay?
Clay has an estimated 259 (±160) renting households, 40.7% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Clay, PA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $277,400 (±$75,739) for owner-occupied homes in Clay (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Clay?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Clay, PA is $2,185 (±$259) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in Clay?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Clay, PA is $4,080 (±$1,376) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many homes are in Clay?
Clay, PA has an estimated 681 (±181) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the most common home size in Clay?
The most common size is 2 bedrooms, 48.2% of homes in Clay, PA.
Is Clay growing?
In Clay, the number of residents went from 1,998 in 2015–2019 to 1,362 in 2020–2024 (−31.8%), a measurable decrease.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Clay CDP, Pennsylvania
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Clay CDP, Pennsylvania
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Clay CDP, Pennsylvania
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Clay CDP, Pennsylvania
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Clay CDP, Pennsylvania
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Clay CDP, Pennsylvania
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Clay CDP, Pennsylvania
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Lancaster, PA MSA
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Lancaster, PA MSA
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Clay CDP, Pennsylvania (place:13952, in state:42).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .