Jefferson County Demographics

A map of Jefferson County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	317,409	324,252	47.5%	48.1%
Black	281,174	280,112	42.1%	41.5%
Hispanic	36,545	34,856	5.5%	5.2%
Multiracial	15,627	18,974	2.3%	2.8%
Asian	12,366	13,043	1.9%	1.9%
Native American/Other	4,634	3,484	0.7%	0.5%

Jefferson County, Alabama has an estimated population of 667,755, a slight decrease from the 674,721 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 47.5% White, 42.1% Black, 5.5% Hispanic, 2.3% Multiracial, 1.9% Asian, and 0.7% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Jefferson County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Jefferson is about as racially diverse as it was in the 2020 Census. It is considerably more diverse than Alabama overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Jefferson County, that probability was 59.3% in 2020 and 59.3% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Jefferson County is ranked the most populous county in Alabama, out of 67 counties. Jefferson County was ranked the 1st most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Jefferson County's White Population

317,409 residents of Jefferson County, or 47.5% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Jefferson County is significantly lower than in Alabama overall, where 63.4% of the population is White. Jefferson County ranks 54th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 67 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's White population has declined by an estimated 2.1%. White residents' share of Jefferson County's population has decreased from 48.1% to 47.5%.

Jefferson County is less White than neighboring Shelby County (73.2% White), Walker County (86.2% White), Blount County (84.5% White), Cullman County (89.5% White), and Bibb County (73.4% White).

Jefferson County's Black Population

281,174 residents of Jefferson County, or 42.1% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Jefferson County is significantly higher than in Alabama overall, where 25.6% of the population is Black. Jefferson County ranks 18th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 67 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Black population has remained roughly the same. Black residents' share of Jefferson County's population has increased from 41.5% to 42.1%.

Jefferson County is more Black than neighboring Shelby County (13.4% Black), Walker County (6.3% Black), Blount County (1.2% Black), Cullman County (1% Black), and Bibb County (19.7% Black).

Jefferson County's Asian Population

12,366 residents of Jefferson County, or 1.9% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Jefferson County is comparable to the share in Alabama overall, where 1.4% of the population is Asian. Jefferson County ranks 6th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 67 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 5.2%. Asian residents' share of Jefferson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.9%.

Jefferson County is more Asian than neighboring Walker County (0.4% Asian), Blount County (0.1% Asian), Cullman County (0.5% Asian), and Bibb County (0.4% Asian). Jefferson County is less Asian than neighboring Shelby County (2.2% Asian).

Jefferson County's Hispanic Population

36,545 residents of Jefferson County, or 5.5% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Jefferson County is comparable to the share in Alabama overall, where 5.6% of the population is Hispanic. Jefferson County ranks 18th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 67 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 4.8%. Hispanic residents' share of Jefferson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 5.5%.

Jefferson County is more Hispanic than neighboring Walker County (3.8% Hispanic), Cullman County (5% Hispanic), and Bibb County (3.5% Hispanic). Jefferson County is less Hispanic than neighboring Shelby County (7.6% Hispanic), and Blount County (10.3% Hispanic).

Jefferson County's Native American/Other Population

4,634 residents of Jefferson County, or 0.7% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Jefferson County is comparable to the share in Alabama overall, where 0.7% of the population is Native American/Other. Jefferson County ranks 42nd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 67 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 33.0%. Native American/Other residents' share of Jefferson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.7%.

Jefferson County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Walker County (0.5% Native American/Other), Blount County (0.5% Native American/Other), Cullman County (0.4% Native American/Other), and Bibb County (0.2% Native American/Other).

Jefferson County's Multiracial Population

15,627 residents of Jefferson County, or 2.3% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Jefferson County is comparable to the share in Alabama overall, where 3.3% of the population is Multiracial. Jefferson County ranks 44th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 67 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 17.6%. Multiracial residents' share of Jefferson County's population has decreased from 2.8% to 2.3%.

Jefferson County is less Multiracial than neighboring Shelby County (3% Multiracial), Walker County (2.9% Multiracial), Blount County (3.3% Multiracial), Cullman County (3.6% Multiracial), and Bibb County (2.8% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.