Clay County
Also known as Clay County, Missouri, Clay County, MO
county in northwestern Missouri, United States
Key facts
- Country
- United States
- State
- Missouri
- Founded
- January 2, 1822
- Named after
- Henry Clay
- Seat
- Liberty
- Largest city
- Kansas City
- Total
- 409 sq mi (1,060 km )
- Land
- 397 sq mi (1,030 km )
- Water
- 11 sq mi (28 km ) 2.8%
- Estimate 2025
- 265,032
- Density
- 620/sq mi (240/km )
- Time zone
- UTC−6 ( Central )
- Summer dst
- UTC−5 ( CDT )
Article
Clay County is located in the U.S. state of Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 253,335, making it the fifth-most populous county in Missouri. Its county seat is Liberty. The county was organized January 2, 1822, and named in honor of U.S. Representative Henry Clay from Kentucky, later a member of the United States Senate and United States Secretary of State. Clay County contains many of the area's northern suburbs, along with a portion of the city of Kansas City, Missouri. It also owns and operates the Midwest National Air Center in Excelsior Springs.
History