Clay is a somewhat small town located in the state of New York. With a population of 12,604 people and three associated neighborhoods, Clay is the 152nd largest community in New York.Unlike some towns where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Clay is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Clay is a town of professionals, sales and office workers, and managers. There are especially a lot of people living in Clay who work in office and administrative support (13.62%), management occupations (12.22%), and teaching (9.24%). Also of interest is that Clay has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US. A relatively large number of people in Clay telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 10.19% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes. Because of many things, Clay is a great place for families with children to consider. First of all, many other families with children live here, making Clay a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families, as well as find family-oriented services and community. The town’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic values. With regard to real estate, Clay has a high rate of owner-occupied single family homes, which tends to reflect stability in the local community. Finally, Clay’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country.The population of Clay is very well educated relative to most cities and towns in the nation, where the average community has 21.84% of its adult population holding a 4-year degree or higher: 39.54% of adults in Clay have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree. The per capita income in Clay in 2022 was $47,982, which is upper middle income relative to New York, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $191,928 for a family of four. Clay is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Clay home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Clay residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Clay include Irish, Italian, German, English, and Polish. The most common language spoken in Clay is English. Other important languages spoken here include Italian and Polish.
