# Clay, Iowa — #598 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 6.86 of 10. FIPS 19041. Population 16,511. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 16,500 people live in Clay, Iowa. It ranks #598 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #28 of 99 in Iowa. The combined sales tax is 7%, higher than in 56% of counties. Property tax takes about 0.93% of a home's value each year, more than in 65% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 62% of counties. The homicide rate is lower than in 77% of counties. Life expectancy is about 79.5 years, longer than in 87% of counties. Air quality is better than in 68% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 38), and flood and hurricane risk is lower than in 59% of counties. On this site's state scores, Iowa gets 6.91 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 10 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 6.91 |  |
| 2A | state | 10.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 6.23 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 7.12 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 10.00 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 3.64 |  |
| Property tax | county | 5.35 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 4.62 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 9.50 |  |
| Government employees | county | 6.13 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 4.72 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #570 Buena Vista, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19021.md
- #255 Palo Alto, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19147.md
- #415 O'Brien, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19141.md
- #291 Dickinson, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19059.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/19041
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=19041
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
- Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy