Jefferson County, Kentucky Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Jefferson County, KY 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 88% of counties in Kentucky
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 92% of counties in Kentucky
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B
Education Around averageAmong the top 5 best educated counties in Kentucky
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Jefferson County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 781,949 | 4,533,530 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1967.6 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.34% | 0.33% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 36.5 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 331,047 | 1,813,524 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Jefferson County grew by 9.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 781,949 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Jefferson County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 22.5% of residents. That is 1.6 points above Kentucky as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 163,969 21.0% -0.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 176,304 22.5% +1.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 153,810 19.7% -0.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 134,187 17.2% -0.7 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 Kentucky, 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 51.4% of the people living in Jefferson County and men 48.6%.
- Women 51.4% Kentucky 50.5%
- Men 48.6% Kentucky 49.5%
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 | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $69,976 | $64,312 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.27% | 4.62% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.2% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Jefferson County is about 9% higher than in Kentucky.
Housing
| Metric | Jefferson County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $162,419 | $118,017 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,148 | $967 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 62.1% | 68.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Jefferson County is about 11.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,148 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Jefferson County spend about 43 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 177 hours, about 7.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Jefferson County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.3 | 20.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 42.6 | 41.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 177 | 173 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,498 | $5,369 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 14.2% | 10.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 13,935 | 6,995 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,544 | 832 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Kentucky:
Calloway County (13.9 min), Owsley County (15.0 min), Taylor County (15.3 min).
Slowest:
Owen County (37.7 min), Spencer County (33.3 min), Bracken County (33.2 min).
The average commute time in Jefferson County is about the same as in Kentucky.
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 B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Jefferson County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 33.7% | 24.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.32 | 2.43 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Kentucky:
Fayette County (0.4), Oldham County (0.4), Campbell County (0.3).
Lowest:
Leslie County (0.1), Lee County (0.1), Elliott County (0.1).
Health
Jefferson County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Jefferson County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.0 | 75.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.1% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.7% | 26.0% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Kentucky:
Oldham County (0.8), Boone County (0.8), Scott County (0.8).
Lowest:
Clay County (0.7), Bell County (0.7), McCreary County (0.7).
Jefferson County, KY Compared With Nearby Counties
Jefferson County, KY is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 781,949 residents against a local median of 80,920. The measure that sets Jefferson County, KY apart most is median home price: $162,419, 49% below the local median of $316,669.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 21.3 min against a local median of 27.4 min, 22% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 22% below the local median it puts Jefferson County, KY at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $256,635 on median home price, so Jefferson County, KY sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Jefferson County, KY has the 6th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, KY | 781,949 | $69,976 #6/6 | $162,419 #6/6 | 21.3 min #2/6 |
| Bullitt County, KY | 84,027 | $81,944 | $187,115 | 28.5 min |
| Floyd County, IN | 80,920 | $80,118 | $388,053 | 21.9 min |
| Clark County, IN | 124,346 | $74,105 | $192,770 | 21.3 min |
| Oldham County, KY | 69,249 | $123,816 | $316,669 | 27.4 min |
| Spencer County, KY | 20,193 | $100,880 | $443,750 | 33.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Jefferson County, Kentucky.
How big is Jefferson County, Kentucky by population?
About 781,949 people live in Jefferson County, Kentucky, in 331,047 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 36.5, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Jefferson County, Kentucky urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Jefferson County, Kentucky has 1,968 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 23 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Jefferson County, Kentucky?
The median home costs 2.3 times the median household income ($162,419 against $69,976), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,148 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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