County · Missouri

Jefferson County, Missouri

Jefferson County, Missouri. Jefferson County had 233,132 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 2.9% since 2020, faster than Missouri (+1.9%). It holds 26 places (16 cities, villages and boroughs and 10 census-designated) and 49 census tracts. GEOID 29099.

Jefferson County is one of the 15 counties of the St. Louis, MO-IL metropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

233,132

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 226,739 · ACS 2020-2024: 229,458

Median household income

$82,851

±$2,327 (90% margin)
Missouri: $70,702

Median home value

$237,200

±$3,773 (90% margin)
Missouri: $230,300

Median gross rent

$979

±$20 (90% margin)
Missouri: $1,033

How many people live in Jefferson County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 226,739 residents in Jefferson County. The Census Bureau estimates 233,132 for July 1, 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, faster than Missouri (+1.9%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 229,458 over 656 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 +1,118 (228,062)
2021→2022 +1,208 (229,270)
2022→2023 +1,937 (231,207)
2023→2024 +927 (232,134)
2024→2025 +998 (233,132)

Jefferson County in Missouri. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Jefferson County	Missouri	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	229,458	6,191,814	+5,507
Households	88,309±678	2,508,227	+3,865
Average household size	2.58±0.02	2.40	−0.05
Housing units	93,955±84	2,825,287	+2,981

Jefferson County's population since 2000

From 198,099 in 2000 to 233,132 in 2025: up 17.7%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 198,099
2005 (estimate) 210,142
2010 Census 218,733
2015 (estimate) 223,185
2020 Census 226,739
2025 (estimate) 233,132

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Jefferson County?

Jefferson County holds 26 places: 16 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 10 census-designated places. The largest is Arnold with 20,994 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Jefferson County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Arnold	city	20,858	20,956±52	$78,370	$220,000	8.2%	100%
Festus	city	12,706	13,201±30	$73,532	$223,600	17.1%	100%
Murphy	CDP	8,425	8,285±886	$72,233	$184,700	10.2%	100%
De Soto	city	6,449	6,470±24	$52,500	$160,700	13.1%	100%
Pevely	city	6,026	6,055±28	$56,000	$219,600	17.9%	100%
Barnhart	CDP	5,832	5,785±859	$95,811	$229,200	4.8%	100%
Crystal City	city	4,740	4,718±19	$72,598	$185,800	11.4%	100%
Herculaneum	city	4,672	5,071±19	$93,438	$234,300	5.6%	100%
Imperial	CDP	4,407	5,488±1,266	$90,028	$228,700	11.1%	100%
High Ridge	CDP	4,242	3,714±738	$70,917	$172,200	7.2%	100%
Hillsboro	city	3,473	3,500±31	$77,500	$221,200	11.7%	100%
Byrnes Mill	city	3,173	3,189±20	$98,576	$306,200	21.1%	100%
Raintree PlantationGEOID 2960528	CDP	1,996	2,047±595	$77,532	$315,900	7.3%	100%
Cedar Hill	CDP	1,875	1,261±261	$60,625	$181,700	15.9%	100%
LaBarque Creek	CDP	1,658	1,457±411	$133,083	$455,600	1.1%	100%
Summer SetGEOID 2971508	CDP	1,127	1,236±490	$98,167	$238,400	1.1%	100%
Olympian Village	city	719	694±205	$57,614	$157,000	12.2%	100%
HorineGEOID 2933040	CDP	657	781±484	not published	$213,400	19.0%	100%
Briarwood EstatesGEOID 2908294	CDP	347	307±184	$119,833	$354,700	4.2%	100%
Lake TekakwithaGEOID 2940214	village	230	202±79	$51,042	$109,600	3.5%	100%
Cedar Hill LakesGEOID 2912376	village	203	284±172	$59,821	$140,000	7.0%	100%
ScotsdaleGEOID 2966337	town	194	216±84	$85,625	$247,900	4.2%	100%
ParkdaleGEOID 2956226	village	159	204±64	$75,625	$167,300	1.5%	100%
KimmswickGEOID 2938684	city	133	112±51	$68,750	$226,800	0.0%	100%
Peaceful VillageGEOID 2956620	village	95	117±86	$58,382	$260,000	1.7%	100%
Eureka	city	11,646	13,081±308	$108,394	$379,200	7.9%	1%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Jefferson County?

The median resident of Jefferson County is 40.3 years old; 22.5% are under 18 and 16.7% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 88.5%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 6.5%. 2.3% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Jefferson County	Missouri	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	40.3±0.3	39.0	+1.1
Under 18 years	22.5%±0.1 pts	22.3%	–
65 years and over	16.7%±0.1 pts	17.9%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	2.6%	5.2%	+0.6 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	88.5%±0.7 pts	76.3%	−5.9 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	1.0%±0.2 pts	10.9%	no clear change
Asian alone, not Hispanic	1.0%±0.1 pts	2.1%	+0.2 pts
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.1%±0.1 pts	0.2%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.1%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	6.5%±0.7 pts	4.8%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.3%±0.1 pts	0.4%	–
Born outside the United States	2.3%±0.3 pts	4.5%	+0.4 pts
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	3.3%±0.3 pts	6.7%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	7.3%±0.4 pts	7.3%	–
With a disability	13.3%±0.6 pts	14.9%	–
No health insurance coverage	6.6%±0.6 pts	8.8%	−1.5 pts
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	92.0%±0.7 pts	91.9%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	24.7%±1.0 pts	32.4%	+4.3 pts
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	8.0%±0.5 pts	12.6%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	1.2%±0.3 pts	2.5%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Jefferson County earn?

Half of Jefferson County's 88,309 households earn less than $82,851 a year (±$2,327), against $70,702 in Missouri. In 2015-2019 it was $80,554 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 9.0% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Jefferson County	Missouri	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$82,851±$2,327	$70,702	no clear change
Mean household income	$98,813±$2,284	$96,247	–
Per capita income	$39,160±$821	$39,695	+$2,240
People below the poverty line	9.0%±0.8 pts	12.6%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	11.6%±1.7 pts	15.8%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	7.1%±0.7 pts	9.8%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	91.7%±0.9 pts	89.3%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Jefferson County?

Owners occupy 82.2% of Jefferson County's occupied homes and renters 17.8%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $237,200 by its owner (±$3,773). The median renter pays $979 a month including utilities, and 29.7% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Jefferson County	Missouri	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$237,200±$3,773	$230,300	+$38,074
Median gross rent	$979±$20	$1,033	−$73
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	29.7%±3.6 pts	36.6%	−5.0 pts
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,545±$29	$1,524	–
Owner-occupied homes	82.2%±1.1 pts	68.1%	+2.8 pts
Housing units	93,955±84	2,825,287	+2,981
Homeowner vacancy rate	1.0%±0.4 pts	0.9%	–
Rental vacancy rate	1.8%±1.0 pts	5.0%	–
Single-family detached homes	79.9%±0.9 pts	70.5%	–
Mobile homes	9.0%±0.8 pts	5.2%	–
Built 2020 or later	2.2%±0.3 pts	1.6%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	3.5%±0.5 pts	13.3%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How many new homes is Jefferson County building?

Builders took permits for 617 new housing units across Jefferson County in 2025 (609 single-family), 2.6 per 1,000 residents.

2019 712 units
2020 833 units
2021 832 units
2022 724 units
2023 733 units
2024 811 units
2025 617 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Jefferson County get to work?

79.5% of Jefferson County's workers drive alone and 11.5% work from home. The average trip to work takes 30.6 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 3.2%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Jefferson County	Missouri	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	66.0%±0.8 pts	63.1%	–
Unemployment rate	3.2%±0.5 pts	4.0%	−2.1 pts
Drove alone to work	79.5%±1.3 pts	74.8%	–
Carpooled	7.2%±0.9 pts	8.1%	–
Public transportation	0.1%±0.1 pts	0.8%	–
Walked	0.6%±0.2 pts	1.8%	–
Worked from home	11.5%±0.9 pts	13.0%	+7.7 pts
Mean travel time to work	30.6 min±0.6	23.5 min	no clear change

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What are Jefferson County's census tracts?

Jefferson County is divided into 49 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $42,583 (Tract 7006.06) to $133,854 (Tract 7004.02).

All 49 census tracts of Jefferson County, with their figures

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Jefferson County compare with Missouri's other counties?

Jefferson County's rank among Missouri's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	7th of 115
Growth 2020-2025	41st of 115
Residents per square mile	7th of 115
Median household income	8th of 115
Median home value	12th of 115
Median gross rent	14th of 115
Poverty rate	100th of 115
Bachelor's degree or higher	25th of 115
Median age	67th of 115

Every county in Missouri

Source: PlainCities ranks from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Jefferson County are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.