| | Clayton, NC | Merced, CA | United States |
| Population | 25,486 | 85,993 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 51.2% | 50.4% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 48.8% | 49.7% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 33.9 | 29.6 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 16,307 | 79,097 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 6,973 | 63,893 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 4,756 | 56,216 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | 279.4% | 38.1% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 456.3% | 57.0% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 1,706.5 | 3,702.5 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 14.9 | 23.2 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 0.0 | 0.0 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Clayton, NC | Merced, CA | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 5.8% | 7.3% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 7.8% | 8.9% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 7.9% | 8.8% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 5.3% | 5.2% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 2.4% | 6.0% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 6.6% | 6.9% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 15.2% | 15.5% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 13.1% | 11.9% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 13.9% | 10.4% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 6.6% | 5.3% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 4.7% | 4.1% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 5.8% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 4.0% | 2.7% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Clayton, NC | Merced, CA | United States |
| White | 59.3% | 23.8% | 59.4% |
| Black | 22.4% | 3.9% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 1.0% | 10.8% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.1% | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Other | 1.6% | 0.3% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 2.5% | 2.7% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 13.2% | 58.1% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Clayton, NC | Merced, CA | United States |
| Married Population | 51.0% | 40.8% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 48.4% | 38.1% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 2.6% | 2.7% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 49.0% | 59.2% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 31.9% | 44.5% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 13.0% | 9.9% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 4.1% | 4.9% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 2.79 | 3.19 | 2.60 |
| Households | 9,090 | 26,673 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 6,435 | 18,884 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 35.3% | 29.1% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 35.7% | 27.3% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 2,655 | 7,789 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 21.6% | 29.9% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 7.4% | 13.7% | 10.8% |