Clayton Graded School and Clayton Grammar School-Municipal Auditorium · Photo: LikeGrantTookRichmond · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Clayton run?
Clayton’s town government spent $53.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,807 per resident. Water and other utilities ($30.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Clayton is run
Read from the town’s budget, meetings and official records.
6 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Clayton’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov9Downtown Development Advisory BoardMonday · 6:00 pm · Wooten Room, Town Hall, 111 E. Second StreetDowntown Development Association Advisory Board MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov9Parks and Recreation Advisory BoardMonday · 6:00 pm · The Community Center, 715 Amelia Church RoadParks and Recreation Advisory Board MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov16Town CouncilMonday · 6:00 pm · Council Chambers, 111 E. Second StreetTown Council Regular MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov17Public Art Advisory BoardTuesday · 5:00 pm · Wooten Room, Town Hall, 111 E. Second StreetPublic Art Advisory Board MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov17Planning BoardTuesday · 6:00 pm · Council Chambers, 111 E. Second StreetPlanning Board MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov18Board of AdjustmentWednesday · 6:00 pm · Council Chambers, Town Hall, 111 E. Second StreetBoard of Adjustment MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Nov2Town CouncilMonday · 6:00 pm · Council Chambers, 111 E. Second StreetTown Council Regular MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Nov2Town CouncilMonday · 3:00 pm · Council Chambers, 111 E. Second StreetTown Council Work SessionAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct26Planning BoardMonday · 6:00 pm · Council Chambers, 111 E. Second StreetPlanning Board MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct21Board of AdjustmentWednesday · 6:00 pm · Council Chambers, Town Hall, 111 E. Second StreetBoard of Adjustment MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct21Town CouncilWednesday · 8:00 am · Hocutt-Ellington Memorial Library, 100 S. Church StreetCouncil RetreatAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $1,807 per resident a year, or $4.95 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 17%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,204 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Clayton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,204 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 19 North Carolina cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,283, and the middle half spent $966–$1,486. Clayton spent less than 53% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($7.4 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
North Carolina cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Clayton itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 67% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Clayton reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,204 · 2023: $1,322 · 2024: $1,807. Per resident it went from $1,204 to $1,807 (up 50%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 26,458 to 29,445.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,597 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.79% of the home’s value, vs 0.66% across North Carolina.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Clayton’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Clayton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Clayton →
Who’s in charge in Clayton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 115 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (29,445).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Johnston County Schools
Clayton’s K–12 school district, shared with Archer Lodge, Four Oaks, Micro, Pine Level, Princeton and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,420 per pupil, $7,936 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
North Carolina districts overall: 26% local, 57% state, 17% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Clayton’s votes are counted by county
North Carolina reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Clayton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Johnston County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican60.1%74,878 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat38.6%48,116 votesOthers: 1.4% (1,684 votes).
Most votes in Johnston County: Donald J Trump
North Carolina: Trump 50.9%, Harris 47.6%
100% of Clayton lies in Johnston County; the rest in Wake County. Every 2024 race in Johnston County is on the county’s page.
Johnston County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Clayton.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: townofclaytonnc.org ↗
- 2North Carolina HouseState representatives
- 3North Carolina SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of North Carolina
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Clayton compares with the towns next door
Clayton spent $1,204 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $183. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Archer Lodge | $183 | $2,546 |
| Clayton | $1,204 | $2,597 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Clayton’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Clayton’s government
How much does Clayton spend per resident?
About $1,807 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,204 was less than 53% of 19 North Carolina cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Clayton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,597 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.79% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.66% across North Carolina. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see townofclaytonnc.org.
Who runs Clayton’s government?
See townofclaytonnc.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Clayton yet.
How did Clayton vote in 2024?
North Carolina counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Clayton alone. Johnston County, where 100% of Clayton lies, voted Trump 60.1%, Harris 38.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Clayton?
256 full-time and 44 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $1.3M (about $15.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Clayton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 10 (Benton Sawrey) and State House District 26 (Donna White). The House district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
When is the next public meeting in Clayton?
The next posted meeting is Downtown Development Advisory Board on Monday, November 9, at 6:00 pm in Wooten Room, Town Hall, 111 E. Second Street, from the town’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Clayton’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →