Jefferson County, Kansas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Jefferson County, KS 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 averageHealthier than 79% of counties in Kansas
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 91% of counties in Kansas
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Jefferson County | Kansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 18,348 | 2,945,842 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 33.0 | 35.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.35% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.9 | 38.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 7,412 | 1,173,585 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Jefferson County declined by 0.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 18,348 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Jefferson County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 23.9% of residents. That is 5.2 points above Kansas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,270 17.8% -5.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,511 19.1% -1.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,393 23.9% +5.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,665 20.0% +3.3 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 Kansas, 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 49.7% of the people living in Jefferson County and men 50.3%.
- Women 49.7% Kansas 50.0%
- Men 50.3% Kansas 50.0%
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 B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Jefferson County | Kansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $85,263 | $74,287 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.05% | 4.08% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.4% | 3.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Jefferson County is about 15% higher than in Kansas.
Housing
| Metric | Jefferson County | Kansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $115,908 | $104,644 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $835 | $1,060 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 85.7% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Jefferson County is about 11.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $835 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Jefferson County spend about 61 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 252 hours, about 10.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Jefferson County | Kansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 30.3 | 17.2 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 60.6 | 34.4 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 252 | 143 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,824 | $4,448 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.7% | 11.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,343 | 4,500 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 805 | 662 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Kansas:
Wichita County (7.0 min), Scott County (7.1 min), Greeley County (7.2 min).
Slowest:
Linn County (31.3 min), Miami County (30.8 min), Jefferson County (30.3 min).
The average commute time in Jefferson County is 30 minutes, longer than the 17 minutes in Kansas.
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 | Kansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 22.6% | 31.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.48 | 2.44 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Kansas:
Johnson County (0.4), Douglas County (0.4), Riley County (0.3).
Lowest:
Seward County (0.2), Grant County (0.2), Kearny County (0.2).
Health
Jefferson County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Jefferson County | Kansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.8 | 78.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.1% | 15.3% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.0% | 18.7% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Kansas:
Johnson County (0.8), Riley County (0.8), Douglas County (0.8).
Lowest:
Wyandotte County (0.8), Woodson County (0.8), Chautauqua County (0.8).
Jefferson County, KS Compared With Nearby Counties
Jefferson County, KS is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 18,348 residents against a local median of 120,302. The measure that sets Jefferson County, KS apart most is commute: 30.3 min, 77% above the local median of 17.1 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $115,908 against a local median of $152,982, 24% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: median household income runs ahead of the neighbourhood while commute runs behind it, so Jefferson County, KS is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves sit within 5.9 min of each other on commute, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Jefferson County, KS, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Jefferson County, KS has the 4th lowest commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, KS | 18,348 | $85,263 #2/4 | $115,908 #3/4 | 30.3 min #4/4 |
| Leavenworth County, KS | 83,123 | $88,191 | $88,571 | 22.1 min |
| Douglas County, KS | 120,302 | $70,602 | $291,236 | 17.1 min |
| Shawnee County, KS | 178,025 | $68,459 | $152,982 | 16.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Jefferson County, Kansas.
How big is Jefferson County, Kansas by population?
About 18,348 people live in Jefferson County, Kansas, in 7,412 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 41.9, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Jefferson County, Kansas urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Jefferson County, Kansas has 33 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 38% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Jefferson County, Kansas?
The median home costs 1.4 times the median household income ($115,908 against $85,263), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $835 a month takes about 12% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Jefferson County, Kansas?
Unemployment in Jefferson County, Kansas is only 2.4%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How educated are people in Jefferson County, Kansas?
22.6% of adults in Jefferson County, Kansas hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 4), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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