Jefferson County Demographics

A map of Jefferson County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	92,228	92,755	80.2%	79.5%
Hispanic	8,657	7,990	7.5%	6.8%
Multiracial	6,279	6,258	5.5%	5.4%
Black	4,981	6,271	4.3%	5.4%
Asian	2,159	2,185	1.9%	1.9%
Native American/Other	736	1,262	0.6%	1.1%

Jefferson County, New York has an estimated population of 115,040, a slight decrease from the 116,721 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 80.2% White, 7.5% Hispanic, 5.5% Multiracial, 4.3% Black, 1.9% 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 has become less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than New York 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 35.8% in 2020 and 34.6% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Jefferson County is ranked the 25th most populous county in New York, out of 62 counties. Jefferson County was ranked the 25th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Jefferson County's White Population

92,228 residents of Jefferson County, or 80.2% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Jefferson County is significantly higher than in New York overall, where 52.8% of the population is White. Jefferson County ranks 38th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 62 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Jefferson County's population has increased from 79.5% to 80.2%.

Jefferson County is more White than neighboring Oneida County (78.7% White), and Onondaga County (73.8% White). Jefferson County is less White than neighboring Oswego County (90.8% White), Lewis County (93.4% White), and St. Lawrence County (91.2% White).

Jefferson County's Black Population

4,981 residents of Jefferson County, or 4.3% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Jefferson County is lower than in New York overall, where 13.4% of the population is Black. Jefferson County ranks 24th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 62 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Black population has declined by an estimated 20.6%. Black residents' share of Jefferson County's population has decreased from 5.4% to 4.3%.

Jefferson County is more Black than neighboring Oswego County (0.9% Black), Lewis County (0.7% Black), and St. Lawrence County (1.9% Black). Jefferson County is less Black than neighboring Oneida County (5.7% Black), and Onondaga County (10.2% Black).

Jefferson County's Asian Population

2,159 residents of Jefferson County, or 1.9% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Jefferson County is lower than in New York overall, where 9% of the population is Asian. Jefferson County ranks 27th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 62 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 1.2%. Asian residents' share of Jefferson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.9%.

Jefferson County is more Asian than neighboring Oswego County (0.8% Asian), Lewis County (0.3% Asian), and St. Lawrence County (1.1% Asian). Jefferson County is less Asian than neighboring Oneida County (4.3% Asian), and Onondaga County (4.1% Asian).

Jefferson County's Hispanic Population

8,657 residents of Jefferson County, or 7.5% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Jefferson County is considerably lower than in New York overall, where 19.8% of the population is Hispanic. Jefferson County ranks 20th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 62 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 8.3%. Hispanic residents' share of Jefferson County's population has increased from 6.8% to 7.5%.

Jefferson County is more Hispanic than neighboring Oswego County (3.3% Hispanic), Lewis County (1.8% Hispanic), Oneida County (7.1% Hispanic), Onondaga County (5.9% Hispanic), and St. Lawrence County (2.5% Hispanic).

Jefferson County's Native American/Other Population

736 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 New York overall, where 1.2% of the population is Native American/Other. Jefferson County ranks 11th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 62 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 41.7%. Native American/Other residents' share of Jefferson County's population has decreased from 1.1% to 0.6%.

Jefferson County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Oswego County (0.5% Native American/Other). Jefferson County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Oneida County (0.7% Native American/Other), and Onondaga County (0.8% Native American/Other).

Jefferson County's Multiracial Population

6,279 residents of Jefferson County, or 5.5% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Jefferson County is comparable to the share in New York overall, where 3.8% of the population is Multiracial. Jefferson County ranks 4th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 62 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Multiracial population has remained roughly the same. Multiracial residents' share of Jefferson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 5.5%.

Jefferson County is more Multiracial than neighboring Oswego County (3.6% Multiracial), Lewis County (3.2% Multiracial), Oneida County (3.6% Multiracial), Onondaga County (5.2% Multiracial), and St. Lawrence County (2.6% 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.