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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

Clayton, MO
Real Estate & Demographic Data






Clayton profile


Living in Clayton



Clayton is a medium-sized city located in the state of Missouri. With a population of 17,130 people and four associated neighborhoods, Clayton is the 43rd largest community in Missouri. Much of the housing stock in Clayton was built prior to World War II, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country.

Clayton home prices are not only among the most expensive in Missouri, but Clayton real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Also of interest is that Clayton has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 18.38% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. 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.

Clayton is a small town where college students really create the town feel and character. So many small towns have lost population over the last 20-30 years that having the local college presence in the Clayton area, with all of the energy of the students filling area dorms and apartments each fall, really helps Clayton maintain a good economy.

Clayton, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the city.

One of the benefits of Clayton is that there is very little traffic. The average commute to work is 18.58 minutes, which is substantially less than the national average. Not only does this mean that the drive to work is less aggravating, but noise and pollution levels are lower as a result.

Do you have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in Clayton. 80.54% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 21.84%.

The per capita income in Clayton in 2018 was $70,772, which is wealthy relative to Missouri and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $283,088 for a family of four.

Clayton is a very ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Clayton home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Clayton residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Clayton include German, Irish, English, Italian, and Eastern European.

The most common language spoken in Clayton is English. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese and Arabic.