Jefferson County Demographics

A map of Jefferson County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	50,968	48,975	89.6%	89.6%
Hispanic	2,648	2,392	4.7%	4.4%
Multiracial	1,722	1,936	3.0%	3.5%
Black	841	787	1.5%	1.4%
Native American/Other	385	336	0.7%	0.6%
Asian	300	257	0.5%	0.5%

Jefferson County, Tennessee has an estimated population of 56,864, an increase from the 54,683 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 89.6% White, 4.7% Hispanic, 3.0% Multiracial, 1.5% Black, 0.7% Native American/Other, and 0.5% 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 Tennessee 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 19.4% in 2020 and 19.3% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Jefferson County is ranked the 27th most populous county in Tennessee, out of 95 counties. Jefferson County was ranked the 28th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Jefferson County's White Population

50,968 residents of Jefferson County, or 89.6% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Jefferson County is significantly higher than in Tennessee overall, where 71% of the population is White. Jefferson County ranks 40th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's White population has grown by an estimated 4.1%. White residents' share of Jefferson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 89.6%.

Jefferson County is more White than neighboring Hamblen County (76.9% White), and Sevier County (85.1% White). Jefferson County is less White than neighboring Grainger County (93.3% White), Cocke County (92% White), and Union County (94% White).

Jefferson County's Black Population

841 residents of Jefferson County, or 1.5% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Jefferson County is considerably lower than in Tennessee overall, where 15.4% of the population is Black. Jefferson County ranks 69th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Black population has grown by an estimated 6.9%. Black residents' share of Jefferson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.5%.

Jefferson County is more Black than neighboring Grainger County (1.1% Black), Sevier County (1.1% Black), and Union County (0.3% Black). Jefferson County is less Black than neighboring Hamblen County (2.9% Black), and Cocke County (2.2% Black).

Jefferson County's Asian Population

300 residents of Jefferson County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Jefferson County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 1.9% of the population is Asian. Jefferson County ranks 44th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 16.7%. Asian residents' share of Jefferson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Jefferson County is more Asian than neighboring Grainger County (0.2% Asian), and Union County (0.1% Asian). Jefferson County is less Asian than neighboring Hamblen County (1% Asian), and Sevier County (1.3% Asian).

Jefferson County's Hispanic Population

2,648 residents of Jefferson County, or 4.7% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Jefferson County is slightly lower than in Tennessee overall, where 7.4% of the population is Hispanic. Jefferson County ranks 32nd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 10.7%. Hispanic residents' share of Jefferson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 4.7%.

Jefferson County is more Hispanic than neighboring Grainger County (3.6% Hispanic), Cocke County (3.1% Hispanic), and Union County (2.4% Hispanic). Jefferson County is less Hispanic than neighboring Hamblen County (15.1% Hispanic), and Sevier County (9.6% Hispanic).

Jefferson County's Native American/Other Population

385 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 Tennessee overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. Jefferson County ranks 28th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 14.6%. 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 Sevier County (0.6% Native American/Other), Cocke County (0.3% Native American/Other), and Union County (0.1% Native American/Other). Jefferson County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Grainger County (0.8% Native American/Other), and Hamblen County (0.9% Native American/Other).

Jefferson County's Multiracial Population

1,722 residents of Jefferson County, or 3.0% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Jefferson County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 3.7% of the population is Multiracial. Jefferson County ranks 60th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Jefferson County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 11.1%. Multiracial residents' share of Jefferson County's population has decreased from 3.5% to 3.0%.

Jefferson County is more Multiracial than neighboring Grainger County (1.1% Multiracial), Sevier County (2.3% Multiracial), and Cocke County (1.9% Multiracial). Jefferson County is less Multiracial than neighboring Hamblen County (3.1% Multiracial), and Union County (3.1% 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.