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COUNTY · 2020 ACS

Jefferson County

Alabama · 674,721 residents · 1,112 sq mi
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The short version

Jefferson County is a county of 674,721 people in Alabama. The foreign-born share is 4%. The typical home is worth $165,000, having more than doubled since 2000. The median household earns $55,088, about 17% below the national median. About 34% of adults have finished a four-year degree. The population has held roughly steady since 2000.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $66,278
Mid-age
median age 38.3
US median: 38.8
Average education
34% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
674,721
+2%since 2000
from 662,047 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
38.3
+6%since 2000
from 36.0 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
1,112 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
649K656K663K670K677K19902000201020202024Jefferson County
2024668K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.8%(39,075)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.1%(41,004)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 146.4%(42,916)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.4%(43,161)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.9%(46,640)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3414.1%(95,212)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4412.7%(85,996)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5411.8%(79,937)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6413%(87,562)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 7410.2%(68,723)
US avg: 10%
75 to 844.6%(31,231)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over2%(13,264)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$55,088
−1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $36,868 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$33,343
+60%since 2000
from $20,892 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
36.9%
+9.6 ptssince 2009
from 27.3% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
15.7%
+0.9 ptssince 2000
from 14.8% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information10.9%
US avg: 11.1%
Retail trade9%
US avg: 10%
Other services8.7%
US avg: 6.6%
Public administration7%
US avg: 4.7%
Finance & insurance5.7%
US avg: 5.5%
Wholesale trade5.3%
US avg: 6.7%
Professional, scientific, technical4.1%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing2.7%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food2.2%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services1.6%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.6%
US avg: 1.7%
Manufacturing0.4%
US avg: 0.5%
Construction0.2%
US avg: 1.2%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$165,000
+25%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $88,100 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$934
+24%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $500 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
61.4%
−5.1 ptssince 2000
from 66.5% in 2000
38.6% rent
Persons per household
2.44 people
+1%since 2009
from 2.41 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
3.0
+1%since 2009
from 3.0 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic57.4%(379,707)
Black39.2%(259,623)
Hispanic / Latino1.6%(10,284)
Asian0.9%(5,909)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic48.1%(324,252)
Black41.5%(280,112)
Hispanic / Latino5.2%(34,856)
Asian1.9%(13,043)
Other2.1%(14,392)
Segregation Score
58
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican2.5%(16,584)
Central American0.5%(3,237)
Puerto Rican0.4%(2,470)
South American0.2%(1,512)
Guatemalan0.2%(1,106)
Honduran0.1%(958)
Salvadoran0.1%(706)
Cuban0.1%(417)
Peruvian0.1%(393)
Spaniard0.1%(335)
Colombian0%(305)
Ecuadorian0%(259)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Venezuelan0%(233)
Dominican0%(224)
Panamanian0%(220)
Chilean0%(165)
Argentine0%(134)
Nicaraguan0%(132)
Bolivian0%(19)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.6%(3,636)
Chinese0.3%(2,246)
Filipino0.1%(953)
Vietnamese0.1%(754)
Pakistani0.1%(690)
Korean0.1%(686)
Taiwanese0.1%(352)
Nepalese0%(294)
Japanese0%(258)
Thai0%(150)
Malaysian0%(89)
+ 3 more asian origin groups with data
Laotian0%(15)
Cambodian0%(10)
Hmong0%(9)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(34)
Chamorro0%(28)
Ancestry
American11.9%(78,342)
English7%(45,975)
Irish6.3%(41,663)
German5%(32,744)
Subsaharan African2.3%(15,010)
Scottish2%(12,982)
Italian1.9%(12,338)
Scotch-Irish1.5%(9,879)
French1.3%(8,533)
British0.6%(3,748)
Dutch0.5%(3,536)
Polish0.5%(3,348)
+ 48 more ancestry groups with data
Welsh0.5%(3,343)
Swedish0.3%(1,825)
Norwegian0.3%(1,799)
Greek0.3%(1,698)
West Indian0.2%(1,612)
Lebanese0.2%(1,565)
Russian0.2%(1,197)
Hungarian0.2%(1,043)
Finnish0.1%(827)
Danish0.1%(766)
Swiss0.1%(693)
Palestinian0.1%(607)
Jamaican0.1%(575)
Moroccan0.1%(501)
Nigerian0.1%(441)
Slovak0.1%(420)
Lithuanian0.1%(418)
Czech0.1%(410)
Belgian0.1%(397)
Canadian0.1%(343)
Austrian0.1%(339)
Kenyan0%(322)
Brazilian0%(315)
Ukrainian0%(264)
Ethiopian0%(245)
Romanian0%(230)
Haitian0%(219)
Arab0%(218)
Turkish0%(172)
Iranian0%(164)
Portuguese0%(163)
Latvian0%(150)
Syrian0%(144)
Iraqi0%(135)
Egyptian0%(133)
Croatian0%(133)
Armenian0%(115)
Serbian0%(101)
Israeli0%(58)
Bulgarian0%(51)
Slovene0%(28)
Jordanian0%(25)
Guyanese0%(11)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
34.1%
+9.4 ptssince 2000
from 24.6% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
90.5%
+9.6 ptssince 2000
from 80.9% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
13.1%
+4.4 ptssince 2000
from 8.7% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
24.3 min
+59%since 2000
from 15.3 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
82.2%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 83.6% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
7.8%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 8.0% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
6.3%
−3.1 ptssince 2011
from 9.3% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
61.5%
−1.8 ptssince 2011
from 63.2% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
71.8%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
40.3%
+5.2 ptssince 2009
from 35.1% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
47.3%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 47.4% in 2009
Female
52.7%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 52.6% in 2009
Foreign born
3.8%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 3.8% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
9.0%
−3.8 ptssince 2013
from 12.8% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
89.7%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
84.8%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married39.2%(99,012)
Married47.5%(119,919)
Widowed3%(7,642)
Divorced10.2%(25,729)
Women 15+
Never married35.4%(102,232)
Married41.1%(118,653)
Widowed9.9%(28,495)
Divorced13.6%(39,177)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
9.0%
−3.8 ptssince 2013
from 12.8% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
55.8%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
13.4%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
18.5%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
19.7%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
2.8%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
67.6%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
35.4%
US average: 35.2%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)17.9%(6,498)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)20.7%(7,515)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era34.3%(12,423)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War8%(2,908)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II3.4%(1,216)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 36,250 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Jefferson County to nearby counties

JEFFERSON COUNTY VS
Shelby County
Income$97,961+78%
Home value$326,100+98%
Population238,552−64%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
JEFFERSON COUNTY VS
Walker County
Income$56,509+3%
Home value$135,900−18%
Population65,140−90%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
JEFFERSON COUNTY VS
Blount County
Income$64,190+17%
Home value$175,200+6%
Population60,156−91%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
JEFFERSON COUNTY VS
St. Clair County
Income$77,463+41%
Home value$226,300+37%
Population98,206−85%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Jefferson County, Alabama?

Jefferson County, Alabama has about 674,721 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Jefferson County, Alabama?

The typical household in Jefferson County, Alabama earns about $55,088 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Jefferson County, Alabama expensive?

In Jefferson County, Alabama, the median home is worth about $165,000, and the typical rent is about $934 a month.

How educated are people in Jefferson County, Alabama?

About 34.1% of adults age 25 and over in Jefferson County, Alabama hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Jefferson County, Alabama?

About 15.7% of people in Jefferson County, Alabama live below the federal poverty line.

Has Jefferson County, Alabama grown since 1990?

Yes, Jefferson County, Alabama has grown since 1990. The population has added about 23,196 residents, a change of about 4 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →