Due to its central location, most areas of St. Louis County and St. Louis City are less than a 30-minute drive from Clayton. The city of Clayton features a bustling downtown area with high-rise building that employs an estimated 57,000 daytime employees and is headquarters to five Fortune 1000 companies- Graybar Electric, Olin, Centene, Brown Show, and Furniture Brands International. Standard and Poor’s rates Clayton is one of only three AAA-rated cities in Missouri.

Three higher educational institutions are located within the city limits- Fontbonne University, Concordia Seminary and a campus of Washington University (which is primarily located in neighboring University City).