Clay County, Missouri

Clay County
County
South side of the Clay County Courthouse (designed by Wight and Wight) in Liberty
Flag
Location within the U.S. state of Missouri
Missouri's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°19′N 94°25′W / 39.31°N 94.42°W / 39.31; -94.42
Country	United States
State	Missouri
Founded	January 2, 1822
Named for	Henry Clay
Seat	Liberty
Largest city	Kansas City
Area
• Total	409 sq mi (1,060 km2)
• Land	397 sq mi (1,030 km2)
• Water	11 sq mi (30 km2)  2.8%
Population  (2020)
• Total	253,335
• Density	620/sq mi (240/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	5th, 6th
Website	www.claycountymo.gov

Clay County is located in the U.S. state of Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 253,335,^[1] making it the fifth-most populous county in Missouri. Its county seat is Liberty.^[2] The county was organized January 2, 1822, and named in honor of U.S. Representative Henry Clay from Kentucky, later a member of the United States Senate and United States Secretary of State.^[3][4]

Clay County contains many of the area's northern suburbs, along with a substantial portion of the city of Kansas City, Missouri. It also owns and operates the Midwest National Air Center in Excelsior Springs.