Clayton is a town in and the county seat of Union County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, Clayton had a population of 2,643. Clayton is home to the historic Luna Theater, a municipal airport, Clayton High School, and Herzstein Memorial Museum. Clayton Lake State Park is about 15 miles away.

Official town website ↗

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

How Clayton ranks

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#7Shortest commute in NM #7Cheapest rent in NM #3Safest in NM All NM rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code88415

Area code575

Living in Clayton

Housing in Clayton

$109K▼ 13% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Clayton home is worth about $109,000, down 13% in a year, 66% below the New Mexico typical home.

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Clayton

Safety Grade B

Clayton reports less crime per resident than 61% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade.

Violent crime per 1,000

Clayton 0.8

New Mexico 6.5

U.S. 3.3

Property crime per 1,000

Clayton 2.8

New Mexico 23.5

U.S. 15.5

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Schools in Clayton

All Clayton schools →

B⁺

School Grade B+

The public schools Clayton’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 69% of New Mexico’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the top.

DistrictCLAYTONSchools5

ALVIS ELEMENTARYElementary · Grades PK–4 · 152 students KISER ELEMENTARYMiddle · Grades 5–6 · 63 students CLAYTON JUNIOR HIGHMiddle · Grades 7–8 · 61 students CLAYTON HIGH C+High · Grades 9–12 · 121 students NORTHEASTERN NM CORRECTIONAL FACILITYHigh · Grades 8–12 · 5 students

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within NM. Ratings are from neighbors.