Jefferson County, Indiana Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Jefferson County, IN Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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C
Income Below averageLess wealthy than 77% of counties in Indiana
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Jefferson County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 32,998 | 6,845,048 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 90.9 | 188.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.20% | 0.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.4 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 12,790 | 2,713,821 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Jefferson County grew by 1.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 32,998 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Jefferson County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.3% of residents. That is 1.8 points above Indiana as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 6,942 21.0% -1.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 6,676 20.2% -0.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 7,026 21.3% +1.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 6,076 18.4% +1.7 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Indiana, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.8% of the people living in Jefferson County and men 48.2%.
- Women 51.8% Indiana 50.4%
- Men 48.2% Indiana 49.6%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Jefferson County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Jefferson County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Jefferson County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $65,739 | $71,967 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.14% | 4.54% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.4% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Jefferson County is about 9% lower than in Indiana.
Housing
| Metric | Jefferson County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $171,710 | $142,738 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $889 | $1,062 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 71.8% | 70.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Jefferson County is about 16.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $889 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Jefferson County spend about 33 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 139 hours, about 5.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Jefferson County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 16.7 | 21.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 33.4 | 42.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 139 | 176 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,311 | $5,455 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 5.8% | 10.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 10,183 | 8,333 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 730 | 1,308 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Indiana:
Knox County (15.8 min), Howard County (15.9 min), Daviess County (16.3 min).
Slowest:
Crawford County (33.6 min), Brown County (32.6 min), Franklin County (31.9 min).
The average commute time in Jefferson County is 17 minutes, shorter than the 21 minutes in Indiana.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Jefferson County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Jefferson County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.9% | 26.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.42 | 2.45 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Indiana:
Hamilton County (0.4), Boone County (0.4), Monroe County (0.3).
Lowest:
LaGrange County (0.1), Crawford County (0.2), Switzerland County (0.2).
Health
Jefferson County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Jefferson County | Indiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.6 | 77.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.7% | 17.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.8% | 22.4% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Indiana:
Hamilton County (0.8), Monroe County (0.8), Boone County (0.8).
Lowest:
LaGrange County (0.8), Daviess County (0.8), Switzerland County (0.8).
Jefferson County, IN Compared With Nearby Counties
Jefferson County, IN is the largest of the 4 counties compared here, 32,998 residents against a local median of 27,562. Jefferson County, IN's median home price, at $171,710, runs 86% above the $92,272 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 16.7 min against a local median of 21.7 min, 23% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 23% below the local median it puts Jefferson County, IN at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves sit within $60,377 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Jefferson County, IN, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Jefferson County, IN has the highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, IN | 32,998 | $65,739 #3/4 | $171,710 #1/4 | 16.7 min #1/4 |
| Jennings County, IN | 27,562 | $70,375 | $109,091 | 22.9 min |
| Scott County, IN | 24,526 | $57,315 | $48,713 | 21.1 min |
| Ripley County, IN | 29,095 | $69,592 | $92,272 | 21.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Jefferson County, Indiana.
How many people live in Jefferson County, Indiana?
About 32,998 people live in Jefferson County, Indiana, in 12,790 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 42.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
How densely populated is Jefferson County, Indiana?
Averaged over its land area, Jefferson County, Indiana has 91 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Jefferson County, Indiana?
The median home costs 2.6 times the median household income ($171,710 against $65,739), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $889 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Jefferson County, Indiana?
16.9% of adults in Jefferson County, Indiana hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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