Clay County, IL elected officials: county board members, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Clay County: 3 seats on 3 elected bodies. 2 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
How many local governments Clay County has
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 30 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 (6 municipal, 12 township)
18
0
School districts (school boards)
3
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
13,052people
40.4median ageU.S.: 38.9
$60,417 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
17.5%below the U.S.: 12.5%
13.1%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$97,400median home valueU.S.: $332,700
4.8%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
0.2%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
8.9%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
5.1%U.S.: 8.4%
23.2%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
27%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 2% · White 94.8% · Black 0.3% · Asian 0.2% · Other or more than one race 2.6% (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
3.6%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.7%. Illinois: 4.2%.
206people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
5,565people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
5,771in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.6%
206
5,565
5,771
August 2026
3.6%
202
5,431
5,633
July 2026
3.8%
214
5,417
5,631
June 2026
4.0%
238
5,671
5,909
May 2026
4.1%
237
5,543
5,780
April 2026
4.0%
228
5,509
5,737
March 2026
5.2%
309
5,586
5,895
February 2026
5.8%
342
5,507
5,849
January 2026
6.1%
358
5,499
5,857
December 2025
6.0%
345
5,427
5,772
November 2025
6.0%
349
5,438
5,787
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
4.7%
268
5,460
5,728
August 2025
5.1%
285
5,351
5,636
July 2025
5.3%
301
5,364
5,665
June 2025
4.5%
268
5,655
5,923
May 2025
4.2%
241
5,551
5,792
April 2025
3.8%
220
5,570
5,790
March 2025
4.7%
275
5,584
5,859
February 2025
4.8%
281
5,559
5,840
January 2025
5.6%
330
5,555
5,885
December 2024
4.4%
256
5,538
5,794
November 2024
4.5%
261
5,536
5,797
October 2024
4.4%
255
5,512
5,767
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
5.0%
288
5,501
5,789
2024
5.1%
299
5,523
5,822
2023
5.5%
311
5,384
5,695
2022
5.0%
279
5,312
5,591
2021
5.9%
339
5,450
5,789
2020
9.4%
567
5,474
6,041
2019
4.6%
289
6,046
6,335
2018
5.4%
356
6,182
6,538
2017
5.5%
354
6,128
6,482
2016
7.0%
455
6,077
6,532
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. Illinois's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 4.6% 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
62.8 per 100,0002025. Illinois: 251.0.
368.9 per 100,0002025. Illinois: 1,507.5.
0murders2025, 8 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
8
62.8
47
368.9
2020
2
15.3
146
1,119.1
2019
2
15.2
116
883.9
2018
1
7.6
149
1,134.5
2017
1
7.6
161
1,217.5
2016
1
7.5
138
1,038.6
By police agency (2)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Clay County Sheriff's Office
2025
0
2
8,129
Flora Police Department
2025
8
45
4,611
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 Illinois · the U.S.
Police staffing
1.96 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 12,740 people.
25sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
6civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (2), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Flora Police Department
13
6
4,611
Clay County Sheriff's Office
12
0
8,129
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
25
1.96
6
2
2024
25
1.90
6
2
2023
33
2.54
10
2
2018
22
1.68
13
2
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?
Crystal Ballard is the Circuit Clerk of Clay County, Illinois.
Who is the Clay County County Clerk & Recorder?
Amy Britton is the County Clerk & Recorder of Clay County, Illinois. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is on the Clay County School Board?
Jeremy Brush (Regional Superintendent of Schools).
What is the population of Clay County?
About 13,052 people, with a median age of 40.4; the median household income is $60,417 and 17.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Clay County?
3.6% in September 2026 (preliminary): 206 people unemployed in a labor force of 5,771, against 4.7% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Clay County?
30 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 6 municipal, 12 township, 3 school district and 8 special district governments.
Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the State Board of Elections' list of election authorities (county clerks), the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts' directory of circuit clerks, the State Board of Education's directory of regional offices of education, the Cook County Clerk's 2025 Directory of Elected Officials, and the large counties' own websites; officials appointed since those lists were updated may differ; 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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