# Clay, North Carolina — #189 of 3,144 counties > Liberty Moving composite score 7.40 of 10. FIPS 37043. Population 11,864. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values. About 11,900 people live in Clay, North Carolina. It ranks #189 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #1 of 100 in North Carolina. The combined sales tax is 7%, higher than in 56% of counties. Property tax takes about 0.46% of a home's value each year, less than in 84% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 96% of counties. The homicide rate is higher than in 57% of counties. Life expectancy is about 76.6 years, longer than in 59% of counties. Flood and hurricane risk is lower than in 65% of counties. On this site's state scores, North Carolina gets 7.59 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 | 7.59 | | | 2A | state | 10.00 | | | Air quality | county | 6.49 | est | | GOP + LP vote for President | county | 7.48 | | | Homicide rate | county | 8.22 | | | Sales tax | county | 3.64 | | | Property tax | county | 7.70 | | | Floods / hurricanes | county | 5.21 | | | Life expectancy | county | 6.60 | | | Government employees | county | 9.68 | | | Single-parent households | county | 9.12 | | "est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure. ## Neighbors - #592 Towns, Georgia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/13281.md - #718 Cherokee, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37039.md - #195 Union, Georgia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/13291.md - #873 Macon, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37113.md - #1065 Rabun, Georgia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/13241.md ## Links - Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/37043 - Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=37043 - Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology - Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy