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COUNTY

Jefferson County

Texas · 254,321 residents (2025 est.) · 877 sq mi
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The short version

Jefferson County is home to 253,878 people in Texas. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 20% of adults. The typical home is worth $169,500, having roughly tripled since 2000. That trails the Texas median by roughly 24%. 19.5% of people here live below the federal poverty line. The median household earns $60,026, about 27% below the national median.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 37.0
US median: 38.9
Less educated
20% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 60%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
253,878
+1%since 2000
from 252,051 in 2000
254,321 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
290 / sq mi
+5%since 2009
from 277 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
37.0
+5%since 2000
from 35.3 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
877 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
238K243K248K253K258K19902000201020202024Jefferson County
2024254K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.6%(16,757)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.9%(17,439)
US avg: 6%
10 to 147%(17,800)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.4%(16,182)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.3%(16,110)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3414%(35,643)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413.6%(34,404)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.7%(29,652)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.1%(30,628)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749.3%(23,647)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.3%(11,020)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.8%(4,596)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$60,026
−5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $34,706 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$32,101
+83%since 2000
from $17,571 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
40.7%
+16.0 ptssince 2009
from 24.7% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
19.5%
+2.1 ptssince 2000
from 17.4% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.477
+2%since 2010
from 0.468 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Wholesale trade11.9%
US avg: 6.9%
Retail trade10.4%
US avg: 9.9%
Information10.2%
US avg: 10.8%
Finance & insurance6.6%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical5.8%
US avg: 5.1%
Other services4.6%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration3%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing2.5%
US avg: 2.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.2%
US avg: 1.6%
Education & health services0.9%
US avg: 0.9%
Arts, entertainment, food0.8%
US avg: 1.9%
Manufacturing0.6%
US avg: 0.4%
Construction0.5%
US avg: 1.2%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$169,500
+60%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $58,300 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,117
+29%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $477 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
62.5%
−3.5 ptssince 2000
from 66.0% in 2000
37.5% rent
Vacancy rate
13.7%
+1.9 ptssince 2009
from 11.8% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.52 people
+3%since 2009
from 2.45 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
19.9%
+1.2 ptssince 2009
from 18.7% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
47.5%
+6.1 ptssince 2009
from 41.4% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.8
+39%since 2009
from 2.0 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.
Gentrification Score
35
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic51.8%(130,604)
Black33.5%(84,482)
Hispanic / Latino10.5%(26,536)
Asian2.9%(7,236)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic36.3%(92,242)
Black32.7%(83,053)
Hispanic / Latino24.1%(61,240)
Asian3.8%(9,581)
Other3.1%(7,762)
Diversity Score
88
+10%since 2009
from 80 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
51
−2%since 2020
from 52 in 2020
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
Mexican18.6%(47,102)
Central American2.5%(6,261)
Honduran0.8%(1,988)
Guatemalan0.7%(1,870)
Nicaraguan0.6%(1,405)
Puerto Rican0.4%(1,030)
Salvadoran0.3%(839)
Dominican0.3%(773)
Cuban0.3%(763)
Spaniard0.2%(522)
Colombian0.1%(315)
+ 6 more hispanic origin groups with data
Venezuelan0.1%(133)
Peruvian0%(80)
Argentine0%(16)
Asian origin
Vietnamese1.7%(4,218)
Asian Indian0.5%(1,386)
Filipino0.5%(1,177)
Pakistani0.3%(724)
Chinese0.2%(456)
Japanese0.1%(237)
Bangladeshi0.1%(187)
Malaysian0.1%(179)
Burmese0.1%(134)
Nepalese0%(126)
Korean0%(118)
Cambodian0%(86)
+ 4 more asian origin groups with data
Thai0%(50)
Laotian0%(25)
Uzbek0%(14)
Taiwanese0%(10)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(8)
Ancestry
German5.5%(13,989)
English5.2%(13,153)
Irish5.1%(12,825)
French4.4%(11,274)
American3%(7,656)
Italian2.1%(5,415)
Scottish0.9%(2,212)
French Canadian0.8%(2,049)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(1,575)
Polish0.6%(1,566)
Dutch0.6%(1,438)
+ 44 more ancestry groups with data
Norwegian0.5%(1,375)
West Indian0.4%(929)
Welsh0.2%(490)
Czech0.2%(460)
British0.2%(419)
Greek0.2%(383)
Swedish0.1%(368)
Nigerian0.1%(359)
Arab0.1%(289)
Russian0.1%(255)
Ethiopian0.1%(171)
Finnish0.1%(155)
Brazilian0.1%(147)
Jamaican0.1%(141)
Lebanese0.1%(139)
Canadian0.1%(136)
Portuguese0.1%(132)
Israeli0%(121)
Belgian0%(112)
Haitian0%(106)
Somali0%(92)
Ukrainian0%(87)
Hungarian0%(81)
Swiss0%(78)
Turkish0%(77)
Croatian0%(64)
Danish0%(43)
Syrian0%(35)
Bulgarian0%(33)
Romanian0%(32)
Barbadian0%(23)
Slovak0%(21)
Armenian0%(15)
Iranian0%(15)
Kenyan0%(14)
Slovene0%(10)
Ghanaian0%(10)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
19.7%
+3.4 ptssince 2000
from 16.3% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
85.1%
+6.6 ptssince 2000
from 78.5% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
6.3%
+1.5 ptssince 2000
from 4.8% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
21.2 min
+66%since 2000
from 12.8 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
85.7%
+2.6 ptssince 2009
from 83.1% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.8%
−3.6 ptssince 2009
from 11.4% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.5%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 0.8% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
3.4%
+1.7 ptssince 2009
from 1.7% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.3%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 1.7% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
8.1%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 8.9% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
6.3%
−3.2 ptssince 2011
from 9.5% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
56.3%
−1.3 ptssince 2011
from 57.6% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
67.0%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 65.9% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
13.5%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 14.9% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
31.9%
+1.7 ptssince 2009
from 30.2% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
51.6%
+1.0 ptssince 2009
from 50.6% in 2009
Female
48.4%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 49.4% in 2009
Foreign born
12.1%
+3.3 ptssince 2009
from 8.8% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
6.7%
−3.3 ptssince 2009
from 10.0% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
15.0%
+0.1 ptssince 2012
from 14.9% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
20.6%
−2.8 ptssince 2013
from 23.4% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
90.3%
+24.2 ptssince 2017
from 66.1% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
95.4%
+4.9 ptssince 2020
from 90.5% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
88.0%
+2.3 ptssince 2020
from 85.7% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
77.1%
−0.6 ptssince 2016
from 77.6% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
18.9%
+1.3 ptssince 2016
from 17.5% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married40.1%(41,804)
Married46.3%(48,229)
Widowed3.1%(3,256)
Divorced10.5%(10,906)
Women 15+
Never married31.2%(30,451)
Married47%(45,879)
Widowed9.2%(8,964)
Divorced12.7%(12,393)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
20.6%
−2.8 ptssince 2013
from 23.4% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
43.7%
−4.1 ptssince 2020
from 47.8% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
10.6%
+0.6 ptssince 2020
from 10.0% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
17.5%
+0.6 ptssince 2020
from 16.9% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
20.8%
+2.4 ptssince 2020
from 18.4% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.2%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 2.2% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
52.7%
−3.8 ptssince 2020
from 56.5% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
36.4%
+2.9 ptssince 2020
from 33.5% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

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, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)24.2%(3,076)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)27.1%(3,446)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era28.5%(3,631)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.4%(431)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.4%(50)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 12,733 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

Places similar to Jefferson County

Montgomery County
Pop 225,891
Clayton County
Pop 297,471
Harrison County
Pop 217,136
Mohave County
Pop 228,102
Places similar to Jefferson County
Head to head

Compare Jefferson County to nearby counties

JEFFERSON COUNTY VS
Orange County
Income$72,104+20%
Home value$173,400+2%
Population86,266−66%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
JEFFERSON COUNTY VS
Chambers County
Income$109,804+83%
Home value$329,500+94%
Population57,594−77%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
JEFFERSON COUNTY VS
Hardin County
Income$75,808+26%
Home value$205,700+21%
Population58,723−77%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
JEFFERSON COUNTY VS
Liberty County
Income$68,703+14%
Home value$181,700+7%
Population121,364−52%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Jefferson County, Texas?

Jefferson County, Texas has about 253,878 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Jefferson County, Texas earns about $60,026 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Jefferson County, Texas expensive?

In Jefferson County, Texas, the median home is worth about $169,500, and the typical rent is about $1,117 a month.

How educated are people in Jefferson County, Texas?

About 19.7% of adults age 25 and over in Jefferson County, Texas hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Jefferson County, Texas?

About 19.5% of people in Jefferson County, Texas live below the federal poverty line.

Has Jefferson County, Texas grown since 1990?

Yes, Jefferson County, Texas has grown since 1990. The population has added about 14,481 residents, a change of about 6 percent over that period.

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

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