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Clayton, NC

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Quality of Life

Overall Quality Of Life
A
Great

A high quality of life with strong walkability, manageable living costs, healthy neighborhood signals, and solid amenity access.

Quality of Life blends cost of living, nearby amenities, socioeconomic signals, and neighborhood character. City-level scores represent the whole municipality; individual neighborhoods can differ.

The Hood Index™

A metric tracking the socioeconomic signals of the area.

A
Hood Index scan area
Luxury Lean85%
RisksNeutralGrowth
Premium
40
Positive
31
Poor
6
Negative
7

Groceries

6 within 10 miles

1.3mi

Gas

20 within 10 miles

0.9mi

Hospital

14 within 20 miles

3.7mi

Airport

RDU — Raleigh–Durham International

24.4mi

Post Office

USPS — Clayton, NC

0.8mi

Critical Amenities

Golf4Nearest 2.1 mi
Camping6Nearest 21.4 mi
Marina0Nearest 10.6 mi
Winery0Nearest 15 mi
Ice Rink0 
Gun Range0 

Affluence Level

Overall Affluence Grade
C
Average

A middle-class area roughly in line with national averages across income, home values, education, and employment.

Est. Avg Net Worth
$551k
16% below US avg
Avg HH Debt
$20k
9% above US avg

Crime

Overall Crime Grade
C
Moderate

Crime rates similar to the national median for U.S. locations.

Crime Rate
19.6
Incidents per 1,000 residents
5yr Trend
−23.6%
Overall crime change since 2020

Violent Crime

5yr−27.6%
Homicide*
0.06 / 1k ResidentsEqual to state avg
Robbery*
0.38 / 1k ResidentsEqual to state avg
Aggravated Assault*
2.32 / 1k ResidentsEqual to state avg

Property Crime

5yr−19.5%
Burglary*
2.73 / 1k ResidentsEqual to state avg
Larceny-Theft*
11.86 / 1k ResidentsEqual to state avg
Motor Vehicle Theft*
1.90 / 1k ResidentsEqual to state avg
Source: FBI Crime Data · 2025* = State-level data substituted where local agency has not published figures

Political Climate

Cook PVI: R+8Leans Conservative

District shown is the primary district for this city’s centroid. Cities may span multiple districts.

Presidential Voting Trends for Clayton, North Carolina
Dem Rep
30%40%50%60%2000200420082012201620202024

Personal Sovereignty

Personal Sovereignty measures your capacity for self-reliance and independence with minimal government friction. Higher scores mean fewer barriers between you and the way you want to live... but it assumes you have the space you need and good neighbors.

Overall Sovereignty Grade
B
Self-Reliant

Viable for self-reliance. Generally workable, though some barriers may limit total independence.

State Policy

Tax Burden
C+
Weak9.9% of income
Property Rights
C+
FairIJ Grade C+
Firearm Rights
A
GreatFPC Grade A
Homeschooling
D-
PoorHigh regulation

Energy independence: Importer (15% of energy produced in-state)

Personal Liberty

Raw Milk
C+
LimitedHerd shares only
Gambling Laws
B
Broadly OpenTribal · Poker · Sportsbetting
Marijuana Laws
A-
Broadly LegalMedical + Decrim.

Homesteading

Growing Season240 days329 frost-free
Annual Rainfall52.6"
Elevation289 ft

Strategic Assessment

Strategic Assessment grades tactical survivability using Joel Skousen's Strategic Relocation framework. Major population centers, blast zones, natural disasters, and border exposure all drive risk — lower exposure means a more defensible position in a crisis.

Learn more about Strategic Relocation ($)
Overall Strategic Grade
C
Exposed

Meaningful friction. Expect exposure to either population pressure, blast zones, or natural disaster risk. Consider buying a retreat property.

Strategic Pillars

City Proximity
D-
Poor14 mi to nearest major city
Fallout Danger
B+
Good5 within ~30 mi
Natural Disaster
F
PoorInland Flooding, Tornado, Hurricane, Heat Wave, Cold Wave
Border / Coast
A+
Greatborder 506 mi · coast 102 mi
FEMA Expected Loss$61.5M/yrfor the county

Key Distances

Nearest Major CityRaleigh468k people are 14 mi away
Nearest Major AirportRDU24 mi away
Distance to State Capital14 miRaleigh, NC
Nearest Prison12 mi2 within 25 mi

* Values derived from national, state, county, city and local statistics and may differ in a specific area.

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