Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Clayton grades B+ overall, ranked 9th of 37 in Delaware, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $107K and it reports less crime per resident than 80% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: homes are expensive, about $411K for a typical one and 5.5 times the Dover metro’s $74K median household income. Of the 22 Delaware towns we compare, none has a lower violent crime rate than Clayton. Clayton has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Enoch Jones House and Byrd's AME Church. Among 37 Delaware towns, just 2 have a lower share of residents 65 or older than Clayton.
Where Clayton beats most towns.
2,918 counted in 2010 and 3,961 in 2020; an estimated 4,527 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 14.3% since 2020, after 35.7% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Delaware), ordered by how far Clayton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 148 in 1880, 3,961 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1931 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Clayton, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Clayton.
Clayton fares better on crime within Delaware than nationally and has less heart disease than most of Delaware.
At 8.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 95% of Delaware’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 28 to 11 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
At 1.7 per 1,000 residents, Clayton’s property crime rate is where Delaware’s towns sit at 18.4 and U.S. towns at 9.9.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The largest public high school is First State Military Academy, with 433 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Providence Creek Academy Charter SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 769 | B |
| First State Military AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 433 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within DE on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Clayton for work: only 2% work in town. At 33 minutes, Clayton’s average trip to work is above both Delaware’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Since 2013, Clayton has added 111 jobs, to 749 in 2023.
| Clayton | Delaware towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $107,000 | $80,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.3% | 8.3% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.2% | 5.2% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 10% of residents (21% statewide); children under 18 are 30% of residents (21% statewide). Clayton has grown 14% since 2020, to 4,527 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 32% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across Delaware.
| Clayton | Delaware towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 30% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 37.1 years | 40.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 32% | 35% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6 points. Across Delaware, 51.6% of residents are women.
| Clayton | DE | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 17.2% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.3% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.1% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.4% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 18.6% | 11.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8% | 14% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.3% | 12.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 2.2% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 13.2% | 8.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.5% | 28.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.6% | 18.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.7% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.4% | 20.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.7% | 15.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,500, single groups can be off by several points
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Clayton since 2011.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Clayton has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 25° and about 13 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Providence Crossing Park | 0.4 mi | 6 |
| 2. Clayton Community Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
90% of Clayton households own their home. The typical Clayton home is worth about $411,000, up 2.9% in a year, close to the Delaware typical home. The median rent in Clayton is $1,621 a month.
| Clayton | Delaware towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 90% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,621 a month | $1,424 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its widest gap with Delaware is heart disease: 4.4% of its 2,780 adults have heart disease, against 6.9% statewide. Against the 7,573 U.S. towns with household incomes like Clayton’s, it is less healthy than 79%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Clayton beats the Delaware average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 43% of adults have obesity in Clayton. Only 3 of the 37 Delaware towns we compare have a higher share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Clayton.
| Clayton | Delaware towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 35% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 37% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 33% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Clayton | DE |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.4% | 6.9% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.3% | 9.1% |
| More adults with obesity | 43.1% | 35.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Clayton
About 8 of every 100 Clayton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Delaware.
Where Clayton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Clayton on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Delaware, United States
Clayton is a town in Kent and New Castle counties in the U.S. state of Delaware. Located almost entirely in Kent County, it is part of the Dover metropolitan area. The population was 3,961 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Clayton.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Clayton grades B+ overall, better than 73% of U.S. towns and #9 of 37 in Delaware. It grades B− for health, A− for safety and B for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
