Henry Clay Township is in the southeast corner of Fayette County. It is bordered by Stewart Township to the north, Lower Turkeyfoot Township in Somerset County to the northeast, the borough of Confluence and Addison Township in Somerset County to the east, and Wharton Township to the west. To the south, it borders both West Virginia and Maryland. The borough of Markleysburg is in the southern part of the township but is a separate municipality. According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of, of which is land and, or 3.41%, is water. The Youghiogheny River forms the eastern border of the township, which is the border with Somerset County. The south end of Laurel Hill is in the northern part of the township, with a high point in the township of above sea level. The Youghiogheny River cuts a gorge through Laurel Hill just to the north, where the lowest point in the township is above sea level. U.S. Route 40, the National Road, crosses Henry Clay Township, leading southeast to Cumberland, Maryland, and northwest to Uniontown. Pennsylvania Route 281 crosses US 40 near the center of the township, leading northeast to Confluence and southwest through Markleysburg to the West Virginia border.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,984 people, 742 households, and 549 families residing in the township. The population density was 38.7 people per square mile. There were 1,306 housing units at an average density of 25.5/sq mi. The racial makeup of the township was 99.45% White, 0.35% Native American, 0.10% Asian, and 0.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.35% of the population. There were 742 households, out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.1% were married couplesliving together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 2.95. In the township the population was spread out, with 22.4% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.5 males. The median income for a household in the township was $27,256, and the median income for a family was $30,417. Males had a median income of $24,602 versus $19,333 for females. The per capita income for the township was $12,491. About 15.5% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.1% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.
