Jefferson County Demographics

A map of Jefferson County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	6,478	6,558	90.5%	90.6%
Hispanic	420	361	5.9%	5.0%
Multiracial	220	226	3.1%	3.1%
Black	22	20	0.3%	0.3%
Native American/Other	19	60	0.3%	0.8%
Asian	2	15	0.0%	0.2%

Jefferson County, Nebraska has an estimated population of 7,161, a slight decrease from the 7,240 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 90.5% White, 5.9% Hispanic, 3.1% Multiracial, 0.3% Black, 0.3% Native American/Other, and 0.0% Asian. 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 less diverse than Nebraska 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 17.6% in 2020 and 17.7% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Jefferson County is ranked the 40th most populous county in Nebraska, out of 93 counties. Jefferson County was ranked the 40th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Jefferson County's White Population

6,478 residents of Jefferson County, or 90.5% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Jefferson County is significantly higher than in Nebraska overall, where 75.3% of the population is White. Jefferson County ranks 52nd statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.2%. White residents' share of Jefferson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 90.5%.

Jefferson County is more White than neighboring Saline County (64.8% White), and Washington County (89.9% White). Jefferson County is less White than neighboring Thayer County (93.1% White), Gage County (92.5% White), and Fillmore County (92.5% White).

Jefferson County's Black Population

22 residents of Jefferson County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Jefferson County is slightly lower than in Nebraska overall, where 4.6% of the population is Black. Jefferson County ranks 56th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Black population has grown by an estimated 10.0%. Black residents' share of Jefferson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Jefferson County is more Black than neighboring Washington County (0.1% Black), and Thayer County (0.1% Black). Jefferson County is less Black than neighboring Saline County (0.4% Black), Gage County (0.5% Black), and Fillmore County (0.6% Black).

Jefferson County's Asian Population

2 residents of Jefferson County, or 0.0% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Jefferson County is slightly lower than in Nebraska overall, where 2.6% of the population is Asian. Jefferson County ranks 57th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 86.7%. Asian residents' share of Jefferson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.0%.

Jefferson County is less Asian than neighboring Saline County (2.4% Asian), Washington County (0.4% Asian), Thayer County (0.1% Asian), Gage County (0.7% Asian), and Fillmore County (0.1% Asian).

Jefferson County's Hispanic Population

420 residents of Jefferson County, or 5.9% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Jefferson County is lower than in Nebraska overall, where 12.7% of the population is Hispanic. Jefferson County ranks 42nd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 16.3%. Hispanic residents' share of Jefferson County's population has increased from 5.0% to 5.9%.

Jefferson County is more Hispanic than neighboring Washington County (4.9% Hispanic), Thayer County (3.2% Hispanic), Gage County (3.4% Hispanic), and Fillmore County (3.8% Hispanic). Jefferson County is less Hispanic than neighboring Saline County (29.5% Hispanic).

Jefferson County's Native American/Other Population

19 residents of Jefferson County, or 0.3% 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 Nebraska overall, where 1% of the population is Native American/Other. Jefferson County ranks 21st statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 68.3%. Native American/Other residents' share of Jefferson County's population has decreased from 0.8% to 0.3%.

Jefferson County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Saline County (0.2% Native American/Other). Jefferson County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Washington County (1.4% Native American/Other), Thayer County (0.4% Native American/Other), Gage County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Fillmore County (0.4% Native American/Other).

Jefferson County's Multiracial Population

220 residents of Jefferson County, or 3.1% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Jefferson County is comparable to the share in Nebraska overall, where 3.8% of the population is Multiracial. Jefferson County ranks 21st statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 2.7%. Multiracial residents' share of Jefferson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.1%.

Jefferson County is more Multiracial than neighboring Saline County (2.7% Multiracial), Thayer County (3% Multiracial), Gage County (2.5% Multiracial), and Fillmore County (2.5% Multiracial). Jefferson County is less Multiracial than neighboring Washington County (3.3% 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.