Clay County Courthouse · Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainHow is Clay Center run?
Clay Center’s city government spent $771,000 on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $1,066 per resident. Water and other utilities ($124,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Clay Center is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
The typical homeowner pays $1,921 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.36% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Nebraska.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Clay Center’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Clay Center’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Clay Center →
About $1,066 per resident a year, or $2.92 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 40%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,066 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Clay Center’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,066 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 472 Nebraska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,038, and the middle half spent $774–$1,452. Clay Center spent more than 53% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($35,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Nebraska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Clay Center itself left out).
No trend yet
Clay Center reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
Who’s in charge in Clay Center
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Clay Center’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.clay-center.ne.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 181 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (723).
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.
Clay Center’s votes are counted by county
Nebraska reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Clay Center alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Clay County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican80.9%2,677 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat17.4%577 votesOthers: 1.7% (56 votes).
Most votes in Clay County: Donald J Trump
Nebraska: Trump 59.3%, Harris 38.9%
100% of Clay Center lies in Clay County. Every 2024 race in Clay County is on the county’s page.
Clay 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 Clay Center.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.clay-center.ne.us ↗
- 2Nebraska SenateState senator
- 3GovernorStatewide
- 4U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 5U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Nebraska
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Clay Center compares with the towns next door
Clay Center spent $1,066 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Lewis Township | $70 | $1,625 |
| Lone Tree Township | $74 | $1,392 |
| Lynn Township | $140 | $3,950 |
| Marshall Township | $182 | — |
| Clay Center | $1,066 | $1,921 |
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 Clay Center’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Clay Center’s government
How much does Clay Center spend per resident?
About $1,066 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,066 was more than 53% of 472 Nebraska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Clay Center?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,921 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.36% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Nebraska. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.clay-center.ne.us.
Who runs Clay Center’s government?
See ci.clay-center.ne.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Clay Center yet.
How did Clay Center vote in 2024?
Nebraska counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Clay Center alone. Clay County, where 100% of Clay Center lies, voted Trump 80.9%, Harris 17.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Clay Center?
4 full-time and 1 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $19,534 (about $234,408 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Clay Center in the state legislature?
State Senate District 38 (Dave Murman). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Clay Center’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 →