Jefferson County Demographics

A map of Jefferson County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
Black	36,455	37,712	56.3%	56.1%
White	23,783	25,230	36.7%	37.5%
Multiracial	1,914	1,697	3.0%	2.5%
Hispanic	1,735	1,488	2.7%	2.2%
Asian	500	664	0.8%	1.0%
Native American/Other	415	469	0.6%	0.7%

Jefferson County, Arkansas has an estimated population of 64,802, a decrease from the 67,260 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 56.3% Black, 36.7% White, 3.0% Multiracial, 2.7% Hispanic, 0.8% Asian, and 0.6% 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 more diverse than Arkansas 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 54.4% in 2020 and 54.7% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Jefferson County is ranked the 11th most populous county in Arkansas, out of 75 counties. Jefferson County was ranked the 11th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Jefferson County's White Population

23,783 residents of Jefferson County, or 36.7% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Jefferson County is significantly lower than in Arkansas overall, where 67.4% of the population is White. Jefferson County ranks 74th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's White population has declined by an estimated 5.7%. White residents' share of Jefferson County's population has decreased from 37.5% to 36.7%.

Jefferson County is less White than neighboring Lincoln County (61.7% White), Cleveland County (83.5% White), Lonoke County (83% White), Grant County (91.1% White), and Arkansas County (67.1% White).

Jefferson County's Black Population

36,455 residents of Jefferson County, or 56.3% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Jefferson County is significantly higher than in Arkansas overall, where 14.6% of the population is Black. Jefferson County ranks 2nd statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Black population has declined by an estimated 3.3%. Black residents' share of Jefferson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 56.3%.

Jefferson County is more Black than neighboring Lincoln County (27.7% Black), Cleveland County (12.5% Black), Lonoke County (5.5% Black), Grant County (2.7% Black), and Arkansas County (26.1% Black).

Jefferson County's Asian Population

500 residents of Jefferson County, or 0.8% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Jefferson County is comparable to the share in Arkansas overall, where 1.6% of the population is Asian. Jefferson County ranks 15th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 24.7%. Asian residents' share of Jefferson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.8%.

Jefferson County is more Asian than neighboring Lincoln County (0.2% Asian), Cleveland County (0.3% Asian), Grant County (0.5% Asian), and Arkansas County (0.1% Asian). Jefferson County is less Asian than neighboring Lonoke County (1% Asian).

Jefferson County's Hispanic Population

1,735 residents of Jefferson County, or 2.7% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Jefferson County is lower than in Arkansas overall, where 9% of the population is Hispanic. Jefferson County ranks 64th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 16.6%. Hispanic residents' share of Jefferson County's population has increased from 2.2% to 2.7%.

Jefferson County is more Hispanic than neighboring Cleveland County (1.4% Hispanic). Jefferson County is less Hispanic than neighboring Lincoln County (5.1% Hispanic), Lonoke County (5.4% Hispanic), Grant County (2.9% Hispanic), and Arkansas County (4.1% Hispanic).

Jefferson County's Native American/Other Population

415 residents of Jefferson County, or 0.6% 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 Arkansas overall, where 1% of the population is Native American/Other. Jefferson County ranks 43rd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 11.5%. Native American/Other residents' share of Jefferson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.6%.

Jefferson County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Lincoln County (0.1% Native American/Other), Cleveland County (0% Native American/Other), Lonoke County (0.3% Native American/Other), Grant County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Arkansas County (0.1% Native American/Other).

Jefferson County's Multiracial Population

1,914 residents of Jefferson County, or 3.0% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Jefferson County is slightly lower than in Arkansas overall, where 6.3% of the population is Multiracial. Jefferson County ranks 72nd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 12.8%. Multiracial residents' share of Jefferson County's population has increased from 2.5% to 3.0%.

Jefferson County is more Multiracial than neighboring Cleveland County (2.2% Multiracial), Grant County (2.4% Multiracial), and Arkansas County (2.4% Multiracial). Jefferson County is less Multiracial than neighboring Lincoln County (5.1% Multiracial), and Lonoke County (4.8% 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.