The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 6 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
1
Cities, towns, villages and townships
1
0
School districts (school boards)
1
0
Special districts (elected boards)
3
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
18,383people
39.8median ageU.S.: 38.9
$43,125 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
20.9%below the U.S.: 12.5%
17.3%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$129,100median home valueU.S.: $332,700
7.2%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
0.4%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
6.1%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
9.1%U.S.: 8.4%
52.7%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
33.3%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 0.2% · White 36.8% · Black 60.2% · Asian 0.1% · Other or more than one race 2.7% (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
3.9%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.8%. Mississippi: 3.3%.
329people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
8,004people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
8,333in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.9%
329
8,004
8,333
August 2026
4.1%
338
7,936
8,274
July 2026
5.0%
423
8,027
8,450
June 2026
5.4%
454
8,022
8,476
May 2026
4.5%
383
8,103
8,486
April 2026
4.1%
351
8,114
8,465
March 2026
4.5%
384
8,095
8,479
February 2026
4.9%
417
8,076
8,493
January 2026
4.6%
386
7,918
8,304
December 2025
4.1%
348
8,050
8,398
November 2025
4.6%
387
8,010
8,397
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
4.8%
407
8,074
8,481
August 2025
5.0%
419
7,943
8,362
July 2025
5.5%
469
8,049
8,518
June 2025
5.3%
444
7,967
8,411
May 2025
4.3%
363
7,996
8,359
April 2025
4.1%
342
8,088
8,430
March 2025
4.2%
356
8,075
8,431
February 2025
4.7%
395
8,006
8,401
January 2025
4.5%
372
7,945
8,317
December 2024
4.2%
345
7,956
8,301
November 2024
4.1%
338
7,954
8,292
October 2024
4.3%
355
7,965
8,320
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.6%
391
8,018
8,409
2024
4.1%
342
7,969
8,311
2023
3.4%
285
8,062
8,347
2022
4.1%
339
7,874
8,213
2021
7.0%
542
7,146
7,688
2020
11.9%
893
6,633
7,526
2019
7.7%
579
6,978
7,557
2018
6.4%
471
6,915
7,386
2017
7.1%
528
6,877
7,405
2016
8.5%
655
7,012
7,667
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. Mississippi's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 3.3% 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
314.5 per 100,0002024. Mississippi: 226.9.
1,318.7 per 100,0002024. Mississippi: 1,508.6.
4murders2024, 57 violent crimes in all.
2024 is the latest year with complete reporting here: at least one of the county's police agencies didn't send the FBI a full year of figures since, so later totals would be undercounts.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2024
57
314.5
239
1,318.7
2023
97
529.7
193
1,054.0
2022
104
565.1
297
1,613.7
2021
87
455.0
341
1,783.5
2020
77
402.9
361
1,889.0
2019
39
203.5
292
1,524.0
2017
60
304.9
306
1,554.9
By police agency (2)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
West Point Police Department
2025
34
175
9,677
Clay County Sheriff's Office
2024
8
37
8,459
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 Mississippi · the U.S.
Police staffing
2.01 per 1,000 residents2022, 2 agencies serving 18,405 people.
37sworn officers2022, full-time, as of October 31.
12civilian staff2022, full-time.
2022 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.
Agencies counted (2), 2022
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
West Point Police Department
25
6
9,893
Clay County Sheriff's Office
12
6
8,512
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2022
37
2.01
12
2
2021
43
2.25
27
2
2020
43
2.25
28
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 Chancery Clerk?
LaFrance Hamilton Boyd is the Chancery Clerk of Clay County, Mississippi.
Who is the Clay County Circuit Clerk?
Kim Brown Hood is the Circuit Clerk of Clay County, Mississippi.
Who is the Clay County Constable, District 1?
Sherman Ivy is the Constable, District 1 of Clay County, Mississippi.
Who is the Clay County Constable, District 2?
Albert “Whoodie” Lee is the Constable, District 2 of Clay County, Mississippi.
Who is the Clay County Coroner?
Alvin Carter is the Coroner of Clay County, Mississippi.
Who is the Clay County County Prosecuting Attorney?
Robin Brown is the County Prosecuting Attorney of Clay County, Mississippi.
Who is the Clay County Election Commissioner, District 1?
Linda Ivy is the Election Commissioner, District 1 of Clay County, Mississippi.
Who is the Clay County Election Commissioner, District 2?
Thomas D. (Tommy) Bryan is the Election Commissioner, District 2 of Clay County, Mississippi.
Who is the Clay County Election Commissioner, District 3?
Julie Campbell Gray is the Election Commissioner, District 3 of Clay County, Mississippi.
Who is the Clay County Election Commissioner, District 4?
Sonya Orr is the Election Commissioner, District 4 of Clay County, Mississippi.
Who is the Clay County Election Commissioner, District 5?
Dorothy Heard is the Election Commissioner, District 5 of Clay County, Mississippi.
Who is the Clay County Justice Court Judge, District 1?
Thomas Hampton is the Justice Court Judge, District 1 of Clay County, Mississippi.
Who is the Clay County Justice Court Judge, District 2?
Chris McBrayer is the Justice Court Judge, District 2 of Clay County, Mississippi.
Who is the Clay County Sheriff?
H. Eddie Scott is the Sheriff of Clay County, Mississippi.
Who is the Clay County Tax Assessor?
Porsha Johnson Lee is the Tax Assessor of Clay County, Mississippi.
Who is the Clay County Tax Collector?
Porsha Johnson Lee is the Tax Collector of Clay County, Mississippi.
Who are the Clay County commissioners?
Lynn Horton (Supervisor, District 1); Daryl Thomas (Supervisor, District 2); R.B. Davis (Supervisor, District 3); Melvin (Mel-Man) Raines (Supervisor, District 4); Joe D. Chandler (Supervisor, District 5).
What is the population of Clay County?
About 18,383 people, with a median age of 39.8; the median household income is $43,125 and 20.9% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Clay County?
3.9% in September 2026 (preliminary): 329 people unemployed in a labor force of 8,333, against 4.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Clay County?
6 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 1 municipal, 1 school district and 3 special district governments.
Officeholders as of May 6, 2026, from the Mississippi Secretary of State's County Offices and Directory; 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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