Census Data for Clayton

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Clayton a population of 24,979 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Clayton a population of 16,116 people.

The town of Clayton is located in Johnston County. The 2010 Census gave Johnston County; a population of 169,678 people. This means that Clayton had 9.5% of the county's total population, making it Johnston's most populous community.

At the same time, North Carolina had a population of 9,535,483 people, meaning that Clayton had 0.17% of the total population of North Carolina - making it the state's 54th most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Clayton has a total area of 13.53 square miles [35.1 km²]. Of this total, a small amount of the area is covered by water (0.02 square miles [0.1 km²]).

Johnston County has a land area of 791 square miles [2,049.5 km²]. At 13.51 square miles [35 km²], Clayton has 1.71% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a town like Clayton, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the town.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Clayton reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Clayton might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   35° 39' 58"   (or 35.67°)
  • Lon:   -78° 26' 40"   (or -78.44°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Clayton had 6,648 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 16,116 people, this averages 2.42 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Clayton had a land area of 13.51 square miles [35 km²]. This translates to 491.2 Housing Units per square mile [189.7 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Clayton had 3,006 Housing Units, a population of 6,973 people and a land area of 5.4 square miles [14 km²]. This gives a density of 2.32 people per Housing Unit and 557 Housing Units per square mile [215.1 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Clayton and you need to be careful when comparing values between the censuses. More information about these differences can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Johnston County ...

The community of Clayton is primarily located in Johnston County<4>. A portion of Clayton extends into Wake County.

The county had a population of 169,678 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 16,116 people, Clayton represented 9.5% of the county's total.

In addition, where the town of Clayton has a population density of 1,190 people per square mile [459.8 people/km²], Johnston County averages 214.4 people per square mile [82.8 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Johnston County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Clayton, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Clayton. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Clayton or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Clayton, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Clayton.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   35.666192°   (or 35°39'58" N)
  • Lon:   -78.444539°   (or -78°26'40" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   35.647165°   (or 35°38'49" N)
  • Lon:   -78.458069°   (or -78°27'29" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 8,011 feet to the northeast<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#2406276) to Clayton. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Clayton. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   35.639795°   (or 35°38'23" N)
  • Lon:   -78.469723°   (or -78°28'11" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 2 miles to the northeast<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Clayton. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Clayton.

Miscellaneous Information for Clayton ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Johnston County or the town of Clayton:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Clayton:
  • GNIS ID for Clayton: 2406276
  • GNIS ID for Johnston County: 1026327
  • GNIS ID for State of North Carolina: 1027616

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 37 (North Carolina)
  • County Code: 101 (Johnston County)
  • Place Code: 12860 (Clayton)
  • State & County Code: 37/101 (North Carolina / Johnston County)
  • State & Place Code: 37/12860 (North Carolina / Clayton)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Clayton is located in Census Region #3 (the South Region) and Division #5 (the South Atlantic Division).

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Clayton.

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Clayton. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Johnston County: www.co.johnston.nc.us/

The official website for State of North Carolina: https://www.nc.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)