# Clay, South Dakota — #304 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 7.17 of 10. FIPS 46027. Population 15,431. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 15,400 people live in Clay, South Dakota. It ranks #304 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #50 of 66 in South Dakota. The combined sales tax is 4.2%, lower than in 92% of counties. Property tax takes about 1.13% of a home's value each year, more than in 78% 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 77.3 years, longer than in 67% of counties. Air quality is better than in 63% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 39), and flood and hurricane risk is lower than in 81% of counties. On this site's state scores, South Dakota gets 8.18 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 | 8.18 |  |
| 2A | state | 10.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 6.13 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 4.62 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 10.00 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 6.18 |  |
| Property tax | county | 4.35 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 7.13 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 7.30 |  |
| Government employees | county | 6.20 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 7.44 |  |

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

## Neighbors

- #111 Turner, South Dakota — https://libertymoving.org/counties/46125.md
- #137 Yankton, South Dakota — https://libertymoving.org/counties/46135.md
- #173 Lincoln, South Dakota — https://libertymoving.org/counties/46083.md
- #127 Union, South Dakota — https://libertymoving.org/counties/46127.md
- #411 Dixon, Nebraska — https://libertymoving.org/counties/31051.md
- #288 Cedar, Nebraska — https://libertymoving.org/counties/31027.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/46027
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=46027
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
- Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy