St. Patrick's Farm · National Register of Historic Places
Clay Township’s story
Clay Township in pictures
The archive holds 4 maps from 1958 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Clay TownshipSt. Joseph County, IN
A town of 34,221.
6 bordering townsMap →
St. Patrick's Farm · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Population
34,221
2025 Census estimate · +0.1% since 2020
Median home value
$226K
Census ACS
Household income
$72K
median
Median age
39.6
years
Jobs based here
23,253
A job hub
TownGrade
B−
#397 of 585 in IN
What should you know before moving to Clay Township?
Clay Township's standout: natural-hazard risk is low. Overall it grades B−, 397th of 585 graded towns in Indiana. It is more walkable than 79% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is schools: its public schools trail 82% of Indiana towns on state tests and graduation. Only 68 of Indiana’s 1,096 towns score lower on cost of living. St. Patrick's Farm is on the National Register of Historic Places. On health, just 74 of Indiana’s 1,086 towns do better.
What makes Clay Township stand out
Where Clay Township beats most towns.
A job hub
Every workday, about 20,659 people come to Clay Township for work
Where Clay Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
23,253jobs based in Clay Township
19%of working residents work in town
6 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Clay Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Clay Township is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listA+Open →SchoolsC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.4 of 20; 5.6% of households have no carA−Open →HealthMemorial Hospital of South Bend 3.5 miles awayB+Open →Cost of livingTypical home $226K, 3.4 years of the South Bend metro’s $67K median household incomeC+Open →Jobs & income$72K median household income; 23,253 jobs based hereB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsB+Open →History1 place on the National Register; 1 notable person born hereC+Open →Civic life2.9 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsCOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 25 attractions →Notre Dame Stadium and 13 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Clay Township. Close and well known come first.
Big drawin town Stadium & arenaNotre Dame Stadium
33 mi National ParkIndiana Dunes National Park2.6M visitors a year
2 mi CaveGrotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, Notre Dame
6 mi Ancient siteFort St. Joseph
4 mi MuseumStudebaker National Museum4 mi Zoo & aquariumPotawatomi ZooSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Notre Dame Stadium: Tysto, Public domain · Indiana Dunes National Park: J. Crocker, Attribution · Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, Notre Dame: Know1one1, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort St. Joseph: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Studebaker National Museum: Unknown, Public domain
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.
PowerIndiana Michigan Power17.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSouth Bend Water WorksNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNearest public drop-offSt. Joseph County Household Hazardous Waste Center, 5 miOpenStreetMap
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 hereSt. Joseph Election and Voter Registration OfficeSt. Joseph County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP codes46637, 46530, 46635, 4654546637 46% · 46530 20% · 46635 19% · 46545 9%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 carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Indiana (mostly inland flooding), draws workers from South Bend and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
OutdoorsB+
8% of Clay Township is conserved land
In the comparison, Clay Township comes where Indiana’s towns sit at 1.9% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. 13 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. St. Patrick's County Park, at 387 acres with 3.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
#74for trails in IN
| Clay Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
8%
conserved · 1,019 of 12,685 acres
13 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. St. Patrick's County Park | 3.9 mi | 387 |
| 2. Izaak Walton League Park | 0.5 mi | 113 |
| 3. Clay Township Park | — | 39 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SchoolsC−
For schools, Clay Township earns a C−
Its public schools are run by South Bend Community School Corp. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
18%of IN districts it outscoresC−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay International AcademyLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 496 | D |
| Clay High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | – | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IN on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
About one in five working residents works right in Clay Township
23,253 jobs are based in Clay Township, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Clay Township for work: only 19% work in town. At 20 minutes, Clay Township’s average trip to work is below both Indiana’s towns (24 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). The top destinations are South Bend (27%), Mishawaka (15%) and Notre Dame (9%).
19%work in town
| Clay Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 11% | 8% |
| Work from home | 12% | 7.8% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Clay Township19%
South Bend27%
Mishawaka15%
Notre Dame9%
Elkhart7%
6 mi
median commute distance
23,253
jobs based in Clay Township
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 79% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A+
Very low risk in Clay Township, with inland flooding at the top
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 95% of Indiana towns, with expected losses of about $193 per resident a year; that rating is what its A+ for hazard risk is built on.
Clay Township’s FEMA risk score is 8 of 100. Since 1981, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Clay Township.
8risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
6
paid flood claims since 1981
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthB+
On CDC estimates, Clay Township is healthier than 70% of U.S. towns
Against the 10,707 U.S. towns with household incomes like Clay Township’s, it is healthier than 85%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Within Indiana it is healthier than 90% of the 589 graded towns: much of Indiana scores lower on these measures.
Clay Township beats the Indiana average on 14 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 12% of adults report frequent physical distress in Clay Township.
70%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| Clay Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 39% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 17% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 26% | 23% |
32 measures vs. Indiana
14 better18 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Clay Township | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11.7% | 15.4% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.9% | 8.9% |
Memorial Hospital of South Bend
3.5 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
90th
percentile among IN towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Clay Township
Clay Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 18° and about 65 inches of snow falls in a winter.
65″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–35°
Spring38–59°
Summer60–81°
Fall42–62°
Oct 23
typical first frost
Apr 23
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Clay Township
19pages on Clay Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
7 within 15 miles of the center of Clay Township
University of Notre DameUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Notre Dame2.1 mi$65,025 tuitionSaint Mary's CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Notre Dame2.4 mi$53,230 tuitionIndiana University-South BendUniversity or college · Public · South Bend4.5 mi$8,424 in-state tuition
About 13 of every 100 Clay Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
About Clay Township
Township in Indiana, United States
Clay Township is one of 13 townships in St. Joseph County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 census, its population was 34,235.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 20 sq mi
- Elevation
- 761 ft
Clay Township’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Clay Township.
Portage TownshipGerman TownshipNiles TownshipPenn TownshipNotre DameHarris TownshipClay Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay Township | #397 | B− | C+ | — | C− | B+ |
| Portage Township | #515 | C | B+ | — | C− | D |
| German Township | #552 | C− | C+ | — | C− | C− |
| Penn Township | #147 | A− | B | — | A+ | C+ |
| Notre Dame | — | — | — | — | C− | A− |
| Harris Township | #95 | A | C | — | A+ | A− |
Clay Township, Portage Township, German Township, Penn Township, Notre Dame and Harris Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Notre Dame isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). 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?
Clay Township grades B− overall, better than 46% of U.S. towns and #397 of 585 in Indiana. It grades B+ for health and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Clay Township, IN 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+.