ClayCA
A town of 1,302.
Is Clay a good place to live?
Clay’s best subject grade is a B+ for incomes; its weakest is a D− for walkability. No town in California scores lower than Clay on walkability. Homes are expensive, about $796K for a typical one and 8.2 times the Sacramento metro’s $97K median household income. On the outdoors, just 27 of California’s 1,064 towns do worse. Clay’s trail density is 0.2 miles per square mile, below both the California town median (1.0) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). On history, just 75 of California’s 1,063 towns do worse. Clay has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
1,302 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Clay grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Clay is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Clay: who provides what
Clay is unincorporated, so Sacramento County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Clay.
Fewer of Clay’s working residents work locally than in the typical California or U.S. town
0.7% of working residents work locally in Clay, where California’s towns sit at 6.6% and U.S. towns at 8%. Jobs based in Clay grew to 55 in 2023, 22 more than in 2013. Clay’s average trip to work is 35 minutes.
| Clay | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.7% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Median household income | $103,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.8% | 10% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In Clay, expect mild winters and hot summers
Clay has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. The July high in Clay is 94°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Drought leads a high hazard risk in Clay
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 66% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
On CDC estimates, Clay is healthier than 54% of U.S. towns
Clay beats the California average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 72% of Clay adults had a checkup this year.
| Clay | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 72% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 36% | 33% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Clay | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.6% | 17.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 12.2% | 14.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.3% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Clay
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Clay; the nearest are
About 8 of every 100 Clay residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
99% of working residents leave Clay for work
Where Clay’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Questions about Clay
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Clay, CA expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.