CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

38.31° N · 121.16° W · GEOID 0613854

Clay

Sacramento County, California · part of the Sacramento, CA metro

Limited data population under 5,000

CaliforniaClay, CAClayClay

The short answer

Clay is home to 1,302 people. Median household income is $102,847 a year and median rent is $1,469 a month, 17.1% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $796,100, about 7.7x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,469
8% above the median place
Median household income
$102,847
28% above the median place
Median home value
$796,100
149% above the median place
Unemployment
6.7%
37% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Clay

  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $1,807 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 97% of the 2,469 places under 10,000 people we track.
  • The median home is worth 7.7 years of the median household's income, more than in 95% of places its size.
  • 85% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 82% of places its size.
  • 17% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a smaller share than in 82% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 98 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Clay

Sacramento County loses about 4.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in51,321
Moved out57,099
Net−5,778

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Placer County, CA5,0888,918−3,830
Yolo County, CA3,3842,795+589
El Dorado County, CA2,0882,695−607
Alameda County, CA2,7361,527+1,209
Santa Clara County, CA2,7231,270+1,453

Within California, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within CaliforniaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$72K
Leavers$74K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Sacramento County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
4.8% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Sacramento County report $71,700 a year in income on average; those leaving, $73,700.
Income you would need
$58,800 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,469 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $3,276 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $796,100.
Getting to work
35 minutes each way on average; 19.1% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Kahului, HI matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people7
-4.5
below the median place (median -0.6)
Moved here in the past year1
4.8%
17% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureClayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure4.8%17% below
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-4.5below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$71,6742% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$73,6865% above
02

What it costs to live here

Property tax rate is 0.4%, 57% below the median place.

Clay17.1%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$58,760
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
17.1%
16% below the median place
Home price to income
7.7x
104% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
17%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$83,800
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Clay, $1,469 a month, and local prices for everything else (101.8 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Clay.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Clay? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax rate1
0.4%
57% below the median place
Median home value1
$796,100
149% above the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$3,276
75% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureClayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,4698% above
Rent to income117.1%16% below
Property tax rate10.4%57% below
Home price to income17.7x104% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure106.76% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,20136% above
HUD area median income4County figure$124,00016% above
Property tax paid (median)1$3,1155% below
Median home value1$796,100149% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure0.6%82% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure36.9%28% below
Homeownership185.1%28% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure56.1%11% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$3,27675% above
Vacant homes1County figure4.6%35% below
Median year built119860% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Mean commute1
35 min
41% above the median place
Median household income1
$102,847
28% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureClayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$102,84728% above
Income per person1$41,9165% above
Unemployment1County figure6.7%37% above
Average annual pay6County figure$82,00324% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure2.3%38% below
Jobs6County figure733,061387% above
Poverty rate1County figure12.5%16% above
Mean commute135 min41% above
Works from home1County figure19.1%53% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Bachelor's or higher is 16.8%, 48% below the median place.

Bachelor's or higher1
16.8%
48% below the median place
Median age1
44.1
13% above the median place
Household size1
2.8
11% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband94.7% +3%
Born abroad12.3% +39%
High school or higher90.3% −2%
All 8 people measures
MeasureClayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,3026646th largest
Median age144.113% above
Bachelor's or higher116.8%48% below
High school or higher190.3%2% below
Household size12.811% above
Born abroad112.3%39% above
No health insurance1County figure4.9%23% below
Homes with broadband194.7%3% above
05

Life in Clay

112 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 7 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars20.5 −1%
Shops23.5 −22%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.2 −22%
Doctors' offices and clinics18.0 −11%
Child care centers2.1 −9%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public school students11
259,342
above the median place (median 4,897)
Public schools11
387
above the median place (median 9)
Students per teacher11
23.2
51% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureClayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure387above (median 9)
Public school students11County figure259,342above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher11County figure23.251% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure20.51% below
Shops per 10k8County figure23.522% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure3.222% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure18.011% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.19% below
Parks per 10k90.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k90.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k90.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure112above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

July average high is 94°F, 8% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Clay. Larger places are fetched first.

July average high12
94°F
8% above the median place
Annual precipitation12
19.5 in
55% below the median place
Wildfire risk13
95.9
57% above the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasureClayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure94°F8% above
January average low12County figure39°F55% above
Average temperature12County figure62°F13% above
Annual precipitation12County figure19.5 in55% below
Natural hazard risk13County figure98.16% above
Tornado risk13County figure65.020% below
Wildfire risk13County figure95.957% above
Heat wave risk13County figure96.17% above
Median air quality index14County figure4914% above
Good air days14County figure54.2%21% below
08

Clay in 2030: where the trends point

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median household income$102,847 (2024)$130,000$110,000 to $154,000+4.0%
Median home value$796,100 (2024)$1,122,000$815,000 to $1,546,000+5.9%

The median home would be worth 8.6 years of the median income in 2030, against 7.7 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Clay

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Kahului, HI$1,488$98,077Compare
Mammoth Lakes, CA$1,645$98,056Compare
Waipahu, HI$1,658$103,895Compare
Wahiawa, HI$1,546$87,143Compare
Wahiawa, HIWaipahu, HIMammoth Lakes, CAKahului, HIClay, CAClayKahuluiMammoth LakesWaipahuWahiawaClayKahuluiMammoth LakesWaipahuWahiawa

Common questions

Is Clay a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Owning with a mortgage costs about $1,807 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 97% of the 2,469 places under 10,000 people we track. The median home is worth 7.7 years of the median household's income, more than in 95% of places its size. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Clay expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 17.1% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $796,100.

What salary do you need to live in Clay?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $58,760 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Clay?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Kahului, HI, Mammoth Lakes, CA, Waipahu, HI and Wahiawa, HI.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Clay with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Clay itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/clay-california

Citytistics. “Clay, California.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/clay-california/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.