Clay Center, KS housing market
The typical Clay Center home is worth about $168,000, up 8.5% in a year, 33% below the Kansas typical home.
Home values, sales, trends and how Clay Center compares with the towns next door — updated as new data is published.
Clay Center at a glance
Typical home value, 2016–2026
Show as a table
| January | Clay Center | Kansas |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $98,000 | $138,000 |
| 2018 | $101,000 | $144,000 |
| 2019 | $101,000 | $151,000 |
| 2020 | $106,000 | $160,000 |
| 2021 | $116,000 | $176,000 |
| 2022 | $138,000 | $198,000 |
| 2023 | $145,000 | $216,000 |
| 2024 | $149,000 | $225,000 |
| 2025 | $156,000 | $240,000 |
| 2026 | $163,000 | $246,000 |
| August 2026 | $168,000 | $250,000 |
9 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 9 new homes in Clay Center in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $1.9 million to build. That's 2.2 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Kansas (3.7). Over the past 10 years, Clay Center has permitted 53 homes in all.
Homes vs. people, 2010–2020
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Clay Center's population fell by 135 even though 35 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across Kansas: 1.1 new residents per new home.
Residents: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 and 2020 censuses. New homes: permits issued 2010–2019.
Show as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2025 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.9 million |
| 2024 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.9 million |
| 2023 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $703,000 |
| 2022 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $780,000 |
| 2018 | 24 | 24 | 0 | $2.4 million |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $130,000 |
| 2015 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $130,000 |
| 2014 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $380,000 |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $140,000 |
| 2011 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $315,000 |
| 2010 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $65,000 |
| 2009 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $515,000 |
| 2008 | 5 | 1 | 4 | $331,000 |
| 2007 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2006 | 13 | 7 | 6 | $2 million |
| 2005 | 6 | 4 | 2 | $748,000 |
| 2004 | 6 | 4 | 2 | $685,000 |
| 2003 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $795,000 |
| 2002 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $566,000 |
| 2001 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $460,000 |
| 2000 | 8 | 4 | 4 | $630,000 |
Clay Center's permit office didn't report to the Census in 2025, so the 2025 figures are Census estimates.
How Clay Center ranks on new homes being built →
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, through August 2026.
2.7 years of income
The typical Clay Center home costs about 2.7 years of the town's median household income, less than across Kansas (3.4 years).
How Clay Center ranks on affordability →
Home value ÷ ACS median household income.
Owners, rent & taxes
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024.
A two-bedroom rents for about $960
HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Clay Center is $960 a month, utilities included: roughly what a modest, recently rented unit costs. Renters already in Clay Center pay a median of $983. A two-bedroom takes about 18% of the town's median household income.
Studio $730 · 4 bedrooms $1,510
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FY2026 Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (67432; Manhattan, KS HUD Metro FMR Area), weighted by land area. A Fair Market Rent is the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, August 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Listings link to their publishers.