Clay Center, Nebraska

City in Clay County · population 735 (2020 Census)

Median home: $141,300
Household income: $82,500
Jan low / Jul high: 16° / 87°
Snow a year: 19 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 23
Median age: 38.1

Clay Center is a city of 735 people in Clay County, Nebraska. The median home is worth $141,300, below the typical Nebraska town ($154,800). It ranks better transit than 80% of Nebraska towns, better for cycling than 72% of Nebraska towns.

How Clay Center ranks

Percentile among Nebraska towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Nebraska towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Clay Center is worth $141,300, below the typical Nebraska town ($154,800). Homes cost about 1.7 times the median household income of $82,500, which is more affordable than 87% of Nebraska towns. Median rent is $625 a month. 85.7% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Nebraska towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Clay Center	Typical Nebraska town
Median home value	$141,300	$154,800
Median rent	$625	$818
Median household income	$82,500	$66,320
Home value ÷ income	1.7×	2.2×
Homeownership	85.7%	73.2%
Median year built	1942	1963
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.0%	—

Who lives in Clay Center

People	Clay Center	Typical Nebraska town
Median age	38.1	39.5
Age 65 and over	21.2%	20.8%
Under 18	22.9%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.7%	22.4%
Below the poverty line	4.1%	9.9%
Veterans	4.5%	—
Born outside the U.S.	4.2%	—
Work from home	4.2%	5.2%
Average commute	20.0 min	19.6 min
Homes with broadband	92.2%	87.8%

Weather in Clay Center

July highs average 87.2°F and January lows 16.1°F. About 29.8 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 18.5 inches of snow (typical Nebraska town: 28.6 in). Expect about 34 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 145 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Clay Ctr station (0.3 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

23 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Clay Center since 1950, compared with 23 for the typical Nebraska town. 5 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F4, struck on March 13, 1990 about 3.6 miles from the town center. The most recent was on May 5, 2021.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 114 times; the largest was 4.00 inches on July 28, 2023.

Severe weather in Clay County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Clay County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996).

Clay County has been included in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, tornado, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
May 21, 2025	Winter Storm	DR-4868: Severe Winter Storm And Straight-Line Winds
September 24, 2024	Severe Storm	DR-4822: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding
September 6, 2021	Severe Storm	DR-4616: Severe Storms And Straight-Line Winds
April 4, 2020	Biological	DR-4521: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3483: Covid-19

Jobs and pay in Clay County

Clay County had 2,077 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $51,771 a year. Unemployment was 2.4% in 2023; in Clay Center itself the ACS puts it at 1.2%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Clay Center

Harvard, NE
6.9 mi · 951 people · home $102,100
Sutton, NE
11.8 mi · 1,447 people · home $155,600
Hastings, NE
18.3 mi · 25,152 people · home $184,700
Henderson, NE
21.7 mi · 1,080 people · home $154,800
Aurora, NE
23.5 mi · 4,678 people · home $233,900
Doniphan, NE
23.9 mi · 809 people · home $211,100
Geneva, NE
24.0 mi · 2,136 people · home $169,100
Juniata, NE
24.1 mi · 748 people · home $143,300

Clay Center questions

Is Clay Center, Nebraska a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Clay Center scores better for retirees than 44% of Nebraska towns and quieter than 62%. 21.2% of residents are 65 or older (median age 38.1).

How much does a house cost in Clay Center?

The median owner-occupied home in Clay Center is valued at $141,300 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $82,500, so homes cost about 1.7 times income. Median rent is $625 a month.

What is the weather like in Clay Center?

July highs average 87.2°F and January lows 16.1°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 29.8 inches of precipitation a year and 18.5 inches of snow.

Does Clay Center get tornadoes?

23 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Clay Center since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F4 on March 13, 1990. The typical Nebraska town has had 23.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Clay Center's Census boundary (GEOID 3109375). Comparisons use the median of Nebraska towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.