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Clay Township’s story
Clay Township in pictures
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Clay TownshipIN
A city of 104,932. Public schools that outperform most of Indiana.
9 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Tom Britt · CC BY 2.0
Population
104,932
2025 Census estimate · +5.9% since 2020
Median home value
$487K
Census ACS
Household income
$142K
median
Median age
40.6
years
Jobs based here
75,738
A job hub
TownGrade
A
#35 of 585 in IN
Why does Clay Township grade so well?
Few places in the country grade higher. Clay Township earns an A, ranked 35th of 585 in Indiana. Its schools rank ahead of 98% of Indiana towns, the median household earns $142K, and it is healthier than 95% of U.S. towns. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $487K for a typical one and 6.1 times the Indianapolis metro’s $80K median household income. 74% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Clay Township, above both the Indiana town median (22%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Clay Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 88% of U.S. towns. Only 1 of the 593 Indiana towns we compare have a higher share of workers working from home than Clay Township.
What makes Clay Township stand out
Where Clay Township beats most towns.
Carmel Clay Schools
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Prairie Trace Elementary School | PK–5 | 715 |
| Cherry Tree Elementary School | PK–5 | 711 |
| Carmel Elementary School | PK–5 | 700 |
SchoolsA+
#5 of the 592 Indiana towns we grade for schools
NCES · EDFacts.
32 measures vs. Indiana
24 better8 too close to call0 worse
| Widest gap | Clay Township | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.8% | 15.4% |
HealthA+
Beats IN on 24 of 32 CDC measures, trails it on none
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
Library visits per resident
Clay Township5.9
Typical U.S. town3.4
Typical IN town3.1
Civic lifeA
88% more library visits per person
than the typical Indiana town
IMLS Public Libraries Survey.
A growing town
Clay Township has grown 26% since 2010
83,293 counted in 2010 and 99,093 in 2020; an estimated 104,932 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 5.9% since 2020, after 19% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Clay Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Clay Township is from typical.
SchoolsA+Open →Jobs & incomeA+Open →HealthIndiana University Health North Hospital 0.7 miles awayA+Open →Cost of livingC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8.5 of 20; 2.5% of households have no car; 1.3% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 41% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors5% conserved landB+Open →HistoryCOpen →Civic life5.9 library visits per resident; 4.8 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 58 attractions →Lucas Oil Stadium and 33 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Clay Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi Stadium & arenaLucas Oil Stadium
14 mi Stadium & arenaGainbridge Fieldhouse
9 mi Stadium & arenaHinkle Fieldhouse
6 mi MuseumConner Prairie
14 mi LandmarkSoldiers' and Sailors' Monument
10 mi MuseumIndianapolis Museum of Art428K visitors a yearSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Lucas Oil Stadium: Josh Hallett from Winter Haven, FL, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Gainbridge Fieldhouse: Durin at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hinkle Fieldhouse: Peetlesnumber1, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Conner Prairie: Unknown, CC BY 2.5 · Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument: alexeatswhales, CC BY 2.0 · Indianapolis Museum of Art: No machine-readable author provided. Cszmurlo assumed (based on copyright claims, CC BY 3.0
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Clay Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Clay Township, and how to reach them.
PowerDuke Energy15.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCarmel Water Department1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpHousehold Hazardous WasteTue–Fri 8 am–5 pm; Sat 8 am–12 pmOpenStreetMap
Register to voteOnlineIn Indiana you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereHamilton County Election OfficeHamilton County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2017
ZIP codes46032, 46033, 46074, 4628046032 47% · 46033 34% · 46074 9% · 46280 8%Census 2020
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 Township.
Clay Township is among the three healthiest towns in Indiana, has schools in the top 5% of Indiana and draws workers from Indianapolis and beyond.
OutdoorsB+
Conserved land covers 5.1% of Clay Township
28 miles of trail in 67 parks and preserves. Central Park, at 159 acres with 1.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. The trail density in Clay Township is 0.6 miles per square mile.
#88for trails in IN
| Clay Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.1% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
5.1%
conserved · 1,617 of 31,953 acres
28 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Northview Church Open Space | 2.6 mi | 52 |
| 2. Central Park | 1.6 mi | 159 |
| 3. River Heritage Park | 0.9 mi | 44 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SchoolsA+
For schools, Clay Township earns an A+
Its A+ ranks #5 of the 592 Indiana towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $487K.
Its public schools are run by the Carmel Clay Schools. Three of its 28 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
98%of IN districts it outscoresA+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creekside Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,428 | A+ |
| Carmel High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 5,239 | A+ |
| West Clay Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 580 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IN on state tests and graduation
HealthA+
A smaller share of adults report frequent physical distress in Clay Township than in most of Indiana or the rest of the country
It ranks #2 of the 589 Indiana towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with Indiana is tooth loss: 6.8% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 15.4% statewide.
9.3% of Clay Township adults report frequent physical distress. Among 589 Indiana towns, just 1 have a lower share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Clay Township. 27% of Clay Township adults feel lonely.
95%healthier than U.S. townsA+Health Grade
| Clay Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 18% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.5% | 17% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 32% | 33% |
32 measures vs. Indiana
24 better8 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Clay Township | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.8% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.6% | 14.7% |
Indiana University Health North Hospital
0.7 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
99th
percentile among IN towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+
The median household income in Clay Township is higher than in the typical Indiana or U.S. town
75,738 jobs are based in Clay Township, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 56,072 in 2013 to 75,738.
3.9% of residents live below the poverty line in Clay Township. Since 2013, Clay Township has added 19,666 jobs, to 75,738 in 2023. 23% of working residents work locally in Clay Township.
23%work in town
| Clay Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $142,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 11% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 3.9% | 10% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Clay Township23%
Indianapolis47%
Carmel23%
Fishers3%
Westfield2%
10 mi
median commute distance
75,738
jobs based in Clay Township
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 62% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Clay Township, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Clay Township has chilly winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 19° and about 20 inches of snow falls in a winter.
20″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter22–38°
Spring41–62°
Summer62–82°
Fall43–64°
Oct 21
typical first frost
Apr 21
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Clay Township
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 56 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Clay Township.
41risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
56
paid flood claims since 1978
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Clay Township
18pages on Clay Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
9 within 15 miles of the center of Clay Township
Chamberlain University-IndianaUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Indianapolis3.8 mi$19,975 tuitionIvy Tech Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Indianapolis11.2 mi$5,154 in-state tuitionIndiana University-IndianapolisUniversity or college · Public · Indianapolis13.4 mi$10,762 in-state tuition
About 5 of every 100 Clay Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Indiana.
A job hub
Every workday, about 64,893 people come to Clay Township for work
Where Clay Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
75,738jobs based in Clay Township
23%of working residents work in town
10 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Clay Township
Township in Indiana, United States
Clay Township is one of nine townships in Hamilton County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 99,093. Since the annexation of Home Place, Indiana, Carmel is now completely coterminous with the township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 50 sq mi
- Elevation
- 843 ft
Clay Township’s neighbors
9 towns share a border with Clay Township.
CarmelDelaware TownshipFishersZionsvilleWestfield Washington TownshipWashington TownshipIndianapolisNoblesvilleNoblesville TownshipClay Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay Township | #35 | A | C− | — | A+ | A+ |
| Carmel | #28 | A+ | C− | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Delaware Township | #22 | A+ | C | — | A+ | A |
| Fishers | #23 | A+ | C− | A− | A+ | A |
| Zionsville | #18 | A+ | C− | A+ | A+ | A |
| Westfield Washington Township | #77 | A | C− | — | A+ | A |
| Washington Township | #385 | B− | C | — | C− | A− |
| Indianapolis | — | — | C | D | — | — |
Clay Township, Delaware Township, Westfield Washington Township and Washington Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Indianapolis isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Noblesville Township and Noblesville are one community, graded once. Compare Clay Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Clay Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Clay Township, IN a good place to live?
Yes, by almost any measure. Clay Township grades A overall, better than 94% of U.S. towns and #35 of 585 in Indiana. It grades A+ for health and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Clay Township, IN expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.