The county economy from official statistics, with source and year on every table.
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By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Clay County is a county of Alabama with 14,192 residents. Its economy produced $577 million in 2024 (ranked #54 of 67 counties) and had 4,241 jobs with an average annual pay of $44,540 (#63 for pay). The unemployment rate was 4.1% in 2026M09.
Clay County produced about $577 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 0.2% of the combined output of the 67 counties of Alabama that BEA reports (about 0.3% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 54th of 67 on that measure. Per resident that is $40,638, 36% below the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $63,959. In current dollars output grew 6.4% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation. The gap between its output rank (54th) and its output-per-resident rank (40th) shows that a few high-value industries or a small population drive the figure.
BLS counts 4,241 jobs located in Clay County on average in 2024, spread over 254 employer sites (about 17 jobs per site). That is 0.30 jobs for every resident, close to the 0.31 of the typical county in Alabama, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $44,540, 27% below the average of all counties in the state ($44,540 against $60,926). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs rose 0.2% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are manufacturing (79.4% of private jobs, $49,054 a year on average), retail trade (10.5% of private jobs, $20,509 a year on average), wholesale trade (3.2% of private jobs, $59,905 a year on average). Together they hold 93.0% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is wholesale trade at $59,905 a year, followed by manufacturing ($49,054). The county is specialised in an industry: manufacturing (6.2 times the US share, 2,147 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills. Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: retail trade ($20,509), other services (except public administration) ($30,806). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Clay County was 4.1%, 11% above the average of the state's counties (4.1% against 3.7%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 5,797. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 2.4% (2025M11) to 4.5% (2026M06); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $55,250 (ACS 2020–2024), 14% below the state median ($55,250 against $63,999). None of the largest places of the guide has this as its main county, which usually means a smaller or more rural county; the figures above still describe the whole county.
Counties close to Clay County in output are Bibb County, Crenshaw County, Pickens County, Lowndes County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 67 counties of Alabama ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 14,192 | 56 of 67 |
| GDP 2024 | $577 million | 54 of 67 |
| GDP per resident | $40,638 | 40 of 67 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 4,241 | 51 of 67 |
| Average annual pay | $44,540 | 63 of 67 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +0.2% | 43 of 67 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 4.1% | 42 of 67 |
| Median household income | $55,250 | 31 of 67 |
Federal jobs in Alabama (395) →All cities of AlabamaState guide: Alabama
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
None of the 80 largest places of Alabama has this as its main county, so the guide has no city page here. County figures on the other tabs are complete.
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2,147 | 79.4% | $49,054 | 6.16 |
| Retail trade | 284 | 10.5% | $20,509 | 0.67 |
| Wholesale trade | 86 | 3.2% | $59,905 | 0.51 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 61 | 2.3% | $44,871 | 1.78 |
| Professional and technical services | 51 | 1.9% | $48,029 | 0.17 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 40 | 1.5% | $30,806 | 0.31 |
| Construction | 36 | 1.3% | $52,725 | 0.16 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 5,797 |
| Employed residents | 5,561 |
| Unemployed residents | 236 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.1% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 4,241 |
| Employer sites | 254 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County | 667,755 | $65,539 million | $98,149 | 367,081 | $71,562 | 3.8% |
| Mobile County | 412,590 | $30,123 million | $73,009 | 175,327 | $61,700 | 4.3% |
| Madison County | 405,718 | $38,958 million | $96,023 | 229,807 | $77,051 | 3.2% |
| Baldwin County | 246,989 | $13,446 million | $54,441 | 85,118 | $51,157 | 3.3% |
| Tuscaloosa County | 237,552 | $14,447 million | $60,818 | 99,288 | $59,535 | 4.1% |
| Shelby County | 230,211 | $17,333 million | $75,291 | 85,169 | $66,772 | 3.0% |
| Montgomery County | 226,718 | $19,859 million | $87,593 | 132,903 | $61,610 | 4.1% |
| Lee County | 181,134 | $9,275 million | $51,205 | 66,643 | $53,394 | 3.4% |
| Morgan County | 124,471 | $8,389 million | $67,396 | 52,617 | $59,944 | 3.1% |
| Calhoun County | 116,090 | $6,288 million | $54,161 | 43,778 | $51,354 | 4.1% |
| Limestone County | 111,233 | $6,971 million | $62,669 | 34,080 | $62,717 | 3.0% |
| Houston County | 108,140 | $8,043 million | $74,379 | 50,877 | $53,521 | 3.7% |
| Etowah County | 103,105 | $4,026 million | $39,044 | 33,010 | $46,564 | 3.8% |
| Marshall County | 99,748 | $5,278 million | $52,917 | 40,812 | $48,206 | 3.3% |
| Lauderdale County | 95,830 | $3,929 million | $40,995 | 30,845 | $46,767 | 4.0% |
| Saint Clair County | 94,166 | $3,156 million | $33,520 | 21,980 | $51,425 | 3.3% |
| Cullman County | 90,566 | $4,285 million | $47,311 | 31,068 | $51,811 | 3.4% |
| Elmore County | 89,526 | $3,118 million | $34,831 | 21,539 | $48,014 | 3.1% |
| Talladega County | 81,021 | $4,496 million | $55,496 | 31,690 | $58,301 | 4.1% |
| DeKalb County | 72,269 | $3,061 million | $42,350 | 23,367 | $50,391 | 3.4% |
| Walker County | 64,841 | $2,568 million | $39,612 | 18,709 | $48,692 | 3.6% |
| Autauga County | 59,947 | $2,251 million | $37,557 | 12,383 | $50,826 | 3.4% |
| Blount County | 59,518 | $1,535 million | $25,790 | 9,094 | $45,687 | 3.2% |
| Russell County | 58,811 | $2,313 million | $39,322 | 14,057 | $47,497 | 4.4% |
| Colbert County | 58,022 | $3,559 million | $61,331 | 24,495 | $58,010 | 3.8% |
| Coffee County | 54,920 | $2,323 million | $42,298 | 17,365 | $46,411 | 3.7% |
| Jackson County | 53,053 | $2,144 million | $40,413 | 15,446 | $49,421 | 3.9% |
| Dale County | 49,599 | $3,915 million | $78,941 | 18,260 | $64,321 | 4.0% |
| Chilton County | 45,992 | $1,655 million | $35,985 | 9,143 | $47,595 | 3.4% |
| Tallapoosa County | 40,938 | $1,910 million | $46,659 | 13,046 | $47,093 | 3.9% |
| Covington County | 37,628 | $1,662 million | $44,179 | 12,174 | $47,800 | 3.9% |
| Dallas County | 36,858 | $1,724 million | $46,782 | 11,290 | $49,753 | 5.3% |
| Escambia County | 36,629 | $1,686 million | $46,037 | 12,924 | $51,384 | 4.7% |
| Chambers County | 34,192 | $1,240 million | $36,271 | 9,087 | $52,152 | 3.0% |
| Lawrence County | 33,276 | $865 million | $25,981 | 6,054 | $51,594 | 3.3% |
| Pike County | 32,987 | $2,067 million | $62,647 | 15,411 | $51,656 | 4.3% |
| Franklin County | 31,966 | $1,337 million | $41,817 | 10,956 | $48,266 | 3.7% |
| Marion County | 29,184 | $1,328 million | $45,520 | 10,222 | $48,179 | 3.8% |
| Geneva County | 26,887 | $827 million | $30,775 | 5,471 | $42,591 | 3.5% |
| Cherokee County | 25,443 | $797 million | $31,311 | 5,352 | $44,658 | 3.7% |
| Barbour County | 24,643 | $986 million | $40,002 | 7,711 | $45,590 | 4.8% |
| Winston County | 23,682 | $1,141 million | $48,177 | 7,998 | $51,725 | 3.9% |
| Clarke County | 22,543 | $1,130 million | $50,120 | 8,150 | $51,247 | 5.7% |
| Randolph County | 22,510 | $690 million | $30,663 | 4,883 | $43,183 | 4.1% |
| Bibb County | 22,130 | $642 million | $29,027 | 4,828 | $53,062 | 3.5% |
| Monroe County | 19,388 | $848 million | $43,742 | 5,953 | $53,376 | 6.4% |
| Marengo County | 18,851 | $1,108 million | $58,776 | 7,271 | $53,415 | 4.8% |
| Pickens County | 18,721 | $569 million | $30,381 | 3,718 | $50,820 | 4.5% |
| Macon County | 18,691 | $765 million | $40,923 | 4,827 | $56,933 | 5.2% |
| Butler County | 18,630 | $904 million | $48,511 | 6,789 | $45,927 | 4.5% |
| Henry County | 17,647 | $681 million | $38,593 | 3,919 | $56,425 | 3.5% |
| Fayette County | 16,053 | $480 million | $29,912 | 3,926 | $44,897 | 3.9% |
| Cleburne County | 15,426 | $464 million | $30,056 | 2,721 | $54,823 | 3.5% |
| Washington County | 15,143 | $1,301 million | $85,903 | 5,197 | $86,857 | 3.6% |
| Hale County | 14,829 | $386 million | $25,997 | 2,607 | $49,126 | 5.0% |
| Clay County | 14,192 | $577 million | $40,638 | 4,241 | $44,540 | 4.1% |
| Lamar County | 13,693 | $474 million | $34,580 | 3,403 | $50,837 | 4.0% |
| Crenshaw County | 13,122 | $606 million | $46,216 | 3,556 | $48,253 | 4.0% |
| Choctaw County | 12,380 | $728 million | $58,771 | 3,299 | $61,814 | 4.8% |
| Sumter County | 11,878 | $451 million | $38,003 | 2,849 | $47,332 | 5.4% |
| Conecuh County | 11,275 | $507 million | $44,988 | 3,294 | $47,783 | 4.9% |
| Coosa County | 10,300 | $252 million | $24,503 | 1,452 | $51,388 | 3.6% |
| Wilcox County | 10,172 | $473 million | $46,461 | 2,682 | $56,070 | 6.1% |
| Bullock County | 10,058 | $375 million | $37,325 | 2,788 | $50,696 | 3.9% |
| Lowndes County | 9,833 | $538 million | $54,693 | 2,675 | $66,726 | 5.4% |
| Perry County | 8,031 | $260 million | $32,370 | 1,826 | $42,082 | 6.6% |
| Greene County | 7,424 | $283 million | $38,158 | 1,741 | $43,043 | 6.5% |
14,192 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$577 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
4.1% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
4,241 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $44,540 (BLS QCEW).