Clay County, AL elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Clay County: 4 seats on 4 elected bodies. 1 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 12 local governments in Clay County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.
Kind of government
Census count (2022)
Listed on this page
County government
1
0
Cities, towns, villages and townships
2
0
School districts (school boards)
1
0
Special districts (elected boards)
8
0
Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Government Units Listing (census.gov).
About these counts
The Census Bureau counts every independent local government once, in the county it assigns it to: the one it mostly serves or where it's based. A city or district that crosses county lines is counted in only one county, so it may be listed on this page but counted elsewhere, or the other way around. Many special districts, such as housing authorities, have appointed boards, and some places have more than one elected body, so the two columns measure different things. School systems run by a county, city or the state aren't counted as separate governments, though their boards may be listed here; in some states the Bureau counts community or state colleges as school districts. The counts are as of 2022.
Who lives in Clay County
14,192people
44.7median ageU.S.: 38.9
$55,250 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
17.6%below the U.S.: 12.5%
14.7%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$156,700median home valueU.S.: $332,700
2.4%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
1%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
6.8%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
7.2%U.S.: 8.4%
40.7%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
26.4%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 3.3% · White 78.9% · Black 12.8% · Asian 0.4% · Other or more than one race 4.7% (Hispanic or Latino people can be of any race; the other groups are non-Hispanic.)
Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).
About these figures
The American Community Survey asks about 3.5 million households a year about who lives there, their work, income, schooling and housing. The 5-year estimates pool 2020–2024 answers so that every county and district has enough of them. They're estimates with a (larger for smaller places), and they're different from the once-a-decade census count. "Median" means half are above and half below. Household income is before taxes and includes everyone in the household. The unemployment share here is the survey's five-year average, so it differs from the monthly rate in the BLS jobs report. Race and Hispanic origin are as people describe themselves.
Health insurance means any coverage, private or public (such as Medicaid or Medicare), when people answered; the share is of everyone except people on active military duty and people living in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes. The housing shares are of renting households, and of homeowners with a mortgage, for whom the Census Bureau can compute them (households with no income, or renters who pay no cash rent, are left out). Rent here is gross rent, rent plus utilities; owner costs include the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.
Jobs in Clay County
4.1%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 2.8%. Alabama: 3.7%.
236people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
5,561people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
5,797in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
4.1%
236
5,561
5,797
August 2026
4.2%
241
5,501
5,742
July 2026
4.2%
244
5,530
5,774
June 2026
4.5%
260
5,570
5,830
May 2026
3.7%
215
5,669
5,884
April 2026
2.7%
159
5,691
5,850
March 2026
3.1%
184
5,716
5,900
February 2026
3.4%
202
5,740
5,942
January 2026
3.2%
191
5,726
5,917
December 2025
2.5%
147
5,843
5,990
November 2025
2.4%
143
5,852
5,995
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
2.8%
167
5,787
5,954
August 2025
2.8%
166
5,733
5,899
July 2025
2.7%
161
5,819
5,980
June 2025
2.9%
177
5,850
6,027
May 2025
2.6%
158
5,871
6,029
April 2025
2.5%
150
5,863
6,013
March 2025
3.0%
178
5,792
5,970
February 2025
3.4%
201
5,755
5,956
January 2025
3.6%
212
5,758
5,970
December 2024
3.0%
177
5,775
5,952
November 2024
2.9%
175
5,799
5,974
October 2024
3.0%
179
5,841
6,020
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
2.8%
169
5,811
5,980
2024
2.9%
175
5,773
5,948
2023
2.4%
142
5,756
5,898
2022
2.3%
139
5,908
6,047
2021
2.8%
166
5,809
5,975
2020
4.6%
275
5,765
6,040
2019
3.3%
201
5,865
6,066
2018
4.0%
238
5,758
5,996
2017
4.6%
268
5,525
5,793
2016
6.1%
340
5,276
5,616
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, : BLS publishes county figures only that way, so they rise and fall with the seasons; compare a month with the same month a year earlier rather than with the month before. Alabama's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 3.5% in September 2026. The latest month is preliminary and is revised the next month, and BLS revises earlier years each spring. People are counted where they live. October 2025 wasn't collected during the 2025 federal government shutdown, so 2025's yearly average covers 11 months.
Crime reported in Clay County
224.5 per 100,0002025. Alabama: 348.3.
547.3 per 100,0002025. Alabama: 1,461.8.
0murders2025, 32 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
32
224.5
78
547.3
2024
36
254.6
105
742.6
2023
44
309.3
106
745.2
2022
31
217.7
98
688.3
2021
36
270.5
116
871.7
2020
44
334.0
55
417.5
2018
55
413.8
129
970.7
2017
67
499.3
113
842.0
2016
41
304.6
114
847.0
By police agency (3)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Clay County Sheriff's Office
2025
19
40
9,828
Lineville Police Department
2025
3
8
2,488
Ashland Police Department
2025
10
30
1,936
Crimes to the county's city and county police agencies (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A), per 100,000 people they serve. Years with incomplete reporting are left out. Crime in Alabama · the U.S.
Police staffing
1.61 per 1,000 residents2025, 3 agencies serving 14,252 people.
23sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
29civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (3), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Clay County Sheriff's Office
10
17
9,828
Ashland Police Department
6
8
1,936
Lineville Police Department
7
4
2,488
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
23
1.61
29
3
2024
24
1.70
30
3
2023
22
1.55
30
3
2022
28
1.97
23
3
2021
26
1.95
19
3
2020
28
2.13
15
3
2019
29
2.20
25
3
2018
29
2.18
23
3
2016
26
1.93
25
3
Full-time employees of the county's city police departments and sheriff's office, as each reported them to the FBI (Uniform Crime Reporting, Law Enforcement Employees), per 1,000 people in the areas those agencies serve (the FBI's population figures). A year is shown only when every one of these agencies sent a count; a count under half or over double the agency's own counts in nearby years is treated as not sent. Towns policed under contract by another agency are counted through that agency. State police, campus and other agencies aren't included. Sheriffs' offices often also run the county jail and courthouse security, so their staff counts include those jobs.
Quick answers
Who is the Clay County Circuit Clerk?
Julie G. Poe is the Circuit Clerk of Clay County, Alabama.
Who is the Clay County Judge of Probate?
Tammy Sprayberry is the Judge of Probate of Clay County, Alabama.
Who is the Clay County Sheriff?
Henry Lambert is the Sheriff of Clay County, Alabama. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is on the Clay County School Board?
Jared Wesley (Superintendent of Education).
What is the population of Clay County?
About 14,192 people, with a median age of 44.7; the median household income is $55,250 and 17.6% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Clay County?
4.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 236 people unemployed in a labor force of 5,797, against 2.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Clay County?
12 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 2 municipal, 1 school district and 8 special district governments.
Officeholders as of November 7, 2026, from the Alabama Secretary of State's County Official Lookup, and for the county commission, other county officers and the county board of education, the county's or the county school system's own website (matched to the seat each person won in the SOS's results of its last general election); each name links to its source. Officials change between elections (appointments, resignations), and the body's own website is the authority. Party is shown only for offices elected on a partisan ballot.
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