Clay County, North Carolina
Precinct data
Results by precinct
9 precincts · 7,728 votes
Precinct boundaries and identifiers are cycle-specific. This table does not join rows across years without a validated crosswalk.
| Precinct -HAY2HAY2 | 353 | 946 | 8 | 1,307 | 27.0% | 72.4% | R+45.4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precinct -HIAWHIAW | 333 | 943 | 16 | 1,292 | 25.8% | 73.0% | R+47.2 |
| Precinct -SHCRSHCR | 195 | 906 | 13 | 1,114 | 17.5% | 81.3% | R+63.8 |
| Precinct -HAY1HAY1 | 244 | 727 | 7 | 978 | 24.9% | 74.3% | R+49.4 |
| Precinct -BRASBRAS | 196 | 503 | 9 | 708 | 27.7% | 71.0% | R+43.4 |
| Precinct -WARNWARN | 162 | 522 | 7 | 691 | 23.4% | 75.5% | R+52.1 |
| Precinct -TUSQTUSQ | 174 | 471 | 4 | 649 | 26.8% | 72.6% | R+45.8 |
| Precinct -SWEESWEE | 160 | 470 | 1 | 631 | 25.4% | 74.5% | R+49.1 |
| Precinct -HAYCHAYC | 82 | 273 | 3 | 358 | 22.9% | 76.3% | R+53.4 |
Presidential margin, 1892–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +17.6% |
| 1896 | +22.8% |
| 1900 | +1.3% |
| 1904 | +1.6% |
| 1908 | +3.3% |
| 1912 | +45.7% |
| 1916 | −6.2% |
| 1920 | −9.4% |
| 1924 | −6.6% |
| 1928 | −10.1% |
| 1932 | +2.9% |
| 1936 | −6.5% |
| 1940 | +6.9% |
| 1944 | −0.7% |
| 1948 | +3.7% |
| 1952 | −0.1% |
| 1956 | −5.7% |
| 1960 | −13.5% |
| 1964 | +6.2% |
| 1968 | −21.5% |
| 1972 | −31.6% |
| 1976 | +4.7% |
| 1980 | −22.9% |
| 1984 | −25.4% |
| 1988 | −25.4% |
| 1992 | −7.3% |
| 1996 | −8.4% |
| 2000 | −27.4% |
| 2004 | −32.5% |
| 2008 | −35.6% |
| 2012 | −42.4% |
| 2016 | −51.1% |
| 2020 | −49.5% |
| 2024 | −50.0% |
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | R | 24.3%1,339 | 73.9%4,073 | 5,514 |
| 2020 | R | 24.6%1,676 | 71.9%4,897 | 6,811 |
Registered voters
By party of registration, over time
Registration leans Republican; the presidential vote runs 14 points more Democratic.
| Year | Total registered | Democratic | Republican | Unaffiliated | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 8,295 | 2,856 | 3,329 | 2,107 | 3 |
| 2012 | 9,093 | 2,711 | 3,513 | 2,848 | 21 |
| 2016 | 9,040 | 2,232 | 3,627 | 3,145 | 36 |
| 2020 | 9,135 | 1,636 | 4,185 | 3,245 | 69 |
| 2022 | 9,691 | 1,472 | 4,634 | 3,527 | 58 |
| 2024 | 10,356 | 1,392 | 5,125 | 3,774 | 65 |
Who moves in and out
Net migration over time, and who arrivals are — where they came from and what those places vote
+324 net domestic migration · 2025
Net +2,669 over 2011–2025 · gain loss
Arrivals reported $71,724 in average income, against $69,968 for residents who stayed — 3% higher. (IRS SOI, 2022–23)
The places arrivals came from lean R+59.7 on average — 9.7 points more Republican-leaning than Clay County, NC itself (R+50.0).
Where arrivals came from lean of each source
- Cherokee County, NC77R+57.2
- Towns County, GA49R+62.3
- Union County, GA21R+62.5
Where departures went households, 2022–23
- Cherokee County, NC50
- Towns County, GA31
Migration is one input to a place’s political change, not its cause — a shift can also come from residents changing their minds, generational turnover, or turnout. These figures describe the places people moved between; they do not measure how any mover voted.
| Year | Net domestic migration |
|---|---|
| 2011 | +119 |
| 2012 | +29 |
| 2013 | +12 |
| 2014 | +46 |
| 2015 | +124 |
| 2016 | +184 |
| 2017 | +305 |
| 2018 | +206 |
| 2019 | +189 |
| 2021 | +322 |
| 2022 | +310 |
| 2023 | +304 |
| 2024 | +195 |
| 2025 | +324 |
Tucked into the Blue Ridge highlands on North Carolina's southwestern tip, Clay County delivered a 50-point Republican presidential margin in 2024, reflecting the deep rural conservatism that has steadily reshaped mountain communities across the region.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 45.7 points in 1912 and a Republican high of 51.1 points in 2016. The 2024 margin was 50.0 points.
A population of 11,610, a 90% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $56,971 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Fannin County and Rabun County.
The counties whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
Browse places by community — income, education, race & ethnicity, language — all community cuts →
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Clay County, North Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/37043/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.