Public data about the Town of Clay, assembled from official sources — every figure links to where it came from. Different figures carry different vintages: the census counts once a decade, surveys average five years, and market estimates update monthly. Each table says which is which.
On this page: the town over time · what households earn · what homes are worth · what's being built · the school districts · the tax picture · work and employers · the micron numbers · the development timeline →
Clay held steady around 58–60,000 people for a quarter century: down slightly in the 2000s, up 4% in the 2010s, and drifting down again since 2020 — before any Micron population effect could show up. The housing stock grew anyway: nearly 2,900 more units than in 2000.
| 2000 | 2010 | 2020 | Latest | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 58,805 | 58,206 | 60,527 | 59,285 (2025 est.) |
| Housing units | 23,398 | 24,195 | 26,314 | 26,282 (ACS 2020–24) |
| Homeownership | — | 73.3% (ACS 2006–10) | — | 71.2% (ACS 2020–24) |
| Onondaga County pop. | 458,336 | 467,026 | 476,516 | 466,584 (2025 est.) |
Median household income has grown every survey period since 2000 — $50,412 then, $90,707 now (both in the dollars of their day). The sharpest climb came after 2020.
| Period | Median household income | Survey |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | $50,412 | Census 2000 |
| 2006–2010 | $62,193 | ACS 5-year |
| 2011–2015 | $64,717 | ACS 5-year |
| 2016–2020 | $73,890 | ACS 5-year |
| 2019–2023 | $89,837 | ACS 5-year |
| 2020–2024 | $90,707 | ACS 5-year (latest) |
Two different rulers, both real: the census survey asks owners what their home is worth (a five-year average of self-reports); Zillow models what it would sell for this month. Both tell the same story — Clay home values have roughly tripled since 2000, with the steepest run-up since 2020.
| 2000 | 2020 | 2022 | Latest | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACS median value (owner-reported) | $84,900 | $150,500 | — | $205,900 (2020–24 avg.) |
| Zillow ZHVI, ZIP 13041 (Clay) | $90,337 | $180,514 | $235,904 | $320,775 (Jun 2026) |
| Zillow ZHVI, ZIP 13090 (Liverpool) | $91,574 | $172,189 | $226,438 | $309,501 (Jun 2026) |
| Zillow ZHVI, ZIP 13212 (N. Syracuse) | $73,963 | $140,496 | $178,269 | $248,575 (Jun 2026) |
The town's own permit numbers tell the growth story in one line: steady building through the 2000s, a post-2021 collapse to just 25–37 units a year — and then 2025, when Clay authorized 129 units, its biggest year since 2005 and the first multifamily construction since 2021. If a Micron housing wave is coming, this is where it first showed up in official data.
| Year | Units authorized | Single-family / multifamily | Value (single-family) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 123 | 103 / 20 | $10.8M |
| 2005 | 151 | 143 / 8 | $20.7M |
| 2010 | 128 | 88 / 40 | $15.9M |
| 2015 | 100 | 100 / 0 | $20.1M |
| 2020 | 69 | 45 / 24 | $11.1M |
| 2021 | 81 | 45 / 36 | $13.7M |
| 2022 | 25 | 25 / 0 | $8.2M |
| 2023 | 27 | 27 / 0 | $10.9M |
| 2024 | 37 | 37 / 0 | $13.2M |
| 2025 | 129 | 58 / 71 | $26.8M |
Clay's two districts have lost roughly a fifth of their students since 2000 — Liverpool down 24%, North Syracuse down 22% — while both graduate 88% of their students in four years. Falling enrollment against rising costs is the tension behind the budget fights in our school-board coverage, and the baseline any Micron-driven enrollment wave would be measured against.
| Fall of | Liverpool CSD | North Syracuse CSD |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 8,722 | 10,156 |
| 2010 | 7,399 | 9,661 |
| 2020 | 6,909 | 8,223 |
| 2023 | 6,750 | 7,990 |
| 2024–25 (incl. pre-K) | 6,853 | 7,874 |
The town's levy has grown modestly — but the tax base grew much faster. Clay's taxable full value jumped 52% between 2020 and 2025, so the effective town rate fell from $5.57 to $4.14 per $1,000. The comptroller scores Clay's fiscal stress at 3.3 out of 100 — no designation — with a fund balance cushion of 168% of annual spending, an unusually deep reserve.
| Year | Town levy | All-district levy | Taxable full value | Rate per $1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $8.82M | $19.29M | $3.39B | $5.68 |
| 2020 | $9.85M | $21.15M | $3.79B | $5.57 |
| 2025 | $10.30M | $23.85M | $5.77B | $4.14 |
Clay's unemployment rate is almost exactly where it was in 2000 — 3.1% then, 3.4% now — through two recessions and a pandemic in between. The town's biggest single workplace arrived in 2022: Amazon's SYR1 fulfillment center on Morgan Road, a five-story, 3.7-million-square-foot building (the company's largest in New York) that opened with about 1,500 full-time jobs. Micron's promise, per the state: 9,000 direct jobs averaging over $100,000, among nearly 50,000 statewide.
| 2000 | 2024 | 2025 | Jun 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Clay unemployment | 3.1% | 3.0% | 3.1% | 3.4% (prelim.) |
| Onondaga County unemployment | 3.5% | — | 3.6% | 3.8% |
The figures the next decade will be measured against: $100 billion over 20+ years, four fabs, 9,000 direct jobs averaging over $100,000, nearly 50,000 jobs statewide. As of mid-2026: first concrete poured a quarter ahead of schedule, $675 million already paid to New York contractors, over 80% of site workers state residents, and first production targeted around 2030. The full paper trail is on our development timeline.
| Figure | Value | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Planned investment (NY) | $100B over 20+ years | Oct 2022 announcement |
| Direct Micron jobs promised | 9,000 (avg. salary $100k+) | Oct 2022 announcement |
| Total NY jobs projected | ~50,000 | Oct 2022 announcement |
| Federal CHIPS award (NY share) | $4.6B of $6.165B | Dec 2024, signed |
| 49-year PILOT | Micron pays ~$84.5M vs ~$368M full taxes | Nov 2025, OCIDA |
| Paid to NY contractors so far | $675M | Jul 2026, Micron |
| Fab 1 first production | ~2030 (was 'late this decade') | Nov 2025 FEIS |