County · Wisconsin

Jefferson County, Wisconsin

Jefferson County, Wisconsin. Jefferson County had 86,505 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 0.4% since 2020, slower than Wisconsin (+1.3%). It holds 33 places (11 cities, villages and boroughs, 16 towns and townships and 6 census-designated) and 21 census tracts. GEOID 55055.

Jefferson County is the county of the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI micropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

86,505

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 84,900 · ACS 2020-2024: 86,003

Median household income

$83,750

±$2,615 (90% margin)
Wisconsin: $77,485

Median home value

$274,100

±$7,416 (90% margin)
Wisconsin: $266,500

Median gross rent

$1,035

±$34 (90% margin)
Wisconsin: $1,087

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

The 2020 Census counted 84,900 residents in Jefferson County. The Census Bureau estimates 86,505 for July 1, 2025, up 0.4% since 2020, slower than Wisconsin (+1.3%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 86,003 over 556 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −389 (85,830)
2021→2022 +53 (85,883)
2022→2023 +203 (86,086)
2023→2024 +454 (86,540)
2024→2025 −35 (86,505)

Jefferson County in Wisconsin. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Jefferson County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	86,003	5,914,872	+1,302
Households	34,873±365	2,479,480	+1,908
Average household size	2.37±0.02	2.33	−0.09
Housing units	36,890±83	2,778,572	+1,072

Jefferson County's population since 2000

From 74,021 in 2000 to 86,505 in 2025: up 16.9%. 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 74,021
2005 (estimate) 80,392
2010 Census 83,686
2015 (estimate) 84,501
2020 Census 84,900
2025 (estimate) 86,505

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 33 places: 11 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places), 16 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government) and 6 census-designated places. The largest is Watertown with 22,704 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%.

Watertown	city	22,926	22,774±30	$70,107	$222,100	9.9%	64%
Fort Atkinson	city	12,579	12,463±32	$79,302	$211,800	6.7%	100%
Jefferson	city	7,793	7,732±21	$79,006	$225,600	11.2%	100%
Lake Mills	city	6,211	6,470±25	$91,027	$317,100	5.1%	100%
Ixonia (town)	town	5,120	5,078±21	$89,427	$335,400	1.9%	100%
Koshkonong (town)	town	3,763	3,748±47	$102,831	$391,700	4.4%	100%
Waterloo	city	3,492	3,600±14	$87,776	$230,600	13.7%	100%
Johnson Creek	village	3,318	3,362±22	$100,685	$314,200	4.3%	100%
Oakland (town), Jefferson County	town	3,231	3,222±23	$94,603	$353,900	12.6%	100%
Whitewater	city	14,889	15,807±34	$54,969	$229,400	26.8%	21%
IxoniaGEOID 5537575	CDP	2,367	2,684±384	$93,359	$345,300	1.0%	100%
Sullivan (town)	town	2,295	2,029±298	$85,833	$307,300	6.7%	100%
Lake Mills (town)	town	2,196	2,317±285	$119,485	$453,800	2.0%	100%
Jefferson (town), Jefferson County	town	2,067	1,916±319	$99,667	$405,600	2.7%	100%
Concord (town)	town	1,981	1,744±349	$107,969	$365,900	1.3%	100%
Watertown (town)	town	1,933	1,850±285	$99,886	$348,900	3.9%	100%
Lake Ripley	CDP	1,911	1,932±268	$116,179	$366,300	10.1%	100%
Palmyra	village	1,719	2,195±329	$86,058	$213,100	11.4%	100%
Farmington (town), Jefferson County	town	1,407	1,309±171	$88,021	$372,100	8.6%	100%
Aztalan (town)	town	1,382	1,155±170	$105,000	$381,100	4.8%	100%
Lake Koshkonong	CDP	1,239	1,010±157	$97,115	$370,300	5.8%	100%
Palmyra (town)	town	1,220	1,146±218	$86,250	$349,100	3.7%	100%
Milford (town)	town	1,106	1,164±385	$88,355	$388,000	4.6%	100%
Hebron (town)	town	1,043	1,153±173	$94,438	$314,100	6.1%	100%
Waterloo (town), Jefferson County	town	867	934±282	$125,000	$435,000	17.3%	100%
Sumner (town), Jefferson County	town	846	824±122	$86,429	$328,600	7.2%	100%
Rome	CDP	752	620±148	$92,083	$326,200	4.7%	100%
Cold Spring (town)	town	737	1,019±234	$125,000	$359,400	4.6%	100%
Sullivan	village	651	663±143	$71,250	$257,400	27.2%	100%
HelenvilleGEOID 5533825	CDP	238	96±55	not published	$391,700	12.5%	100%
HebronGEOID 5533675	CDP	209	344±118	$79,844	$289,800	7.6%	100%
Cambridge	village	1,638	1,617±229	$87,917	$325,200	8.8%	6%
Lac La BelleGEOID 5540750	village	281	259±67	$213,958	$1,312,500	0.8%	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 41.5 years old; 19.7% are under 18 and 18.5% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 87.0%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 8.5%. 3.7% 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	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	41.5±0.4	40.2	no clear change
Under 18 years	19.7%	21.4%	–
65 years and over	18.5%±0.1 pts	18.5%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	8.5%	8.0%	+1.4 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	87.0%±0.2 pts	78.6%	−2.6 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	0.9%±0.2 pts	5.9%	no clear change
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.6%±0.2 pts	2.9%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.1%±0.1 pts	0.5%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.0%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	2.7%±0.4 pts	3.7%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.3%±0.2 pts	0.3%	–
Born outside the United States	3.7%±0.6 pts	5.2%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	6.3%±0.9 pts	9.0%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	6.4%±0.6 pts	6.2%	–
With a disability	12.8%±0.8 pts	12.3%	–
No health insurance coverage	4.8%±0.7 pts	5.2%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	92.9%±0.8 pts	93.6%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	28.5%±1.5 pts	33.4%	+3.1 pts
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	8.9%±0.8 pts	11.4%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	1.2%±0.4 pts	2.0%	–

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 34,873 households earn less than $83,750 a year (±$2,615), against $77,485 in Wisconsin. In 2015-2019 it was $81,584 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 8.1% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Jefferson County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$83,750±$2,615	$77,485	no clear change
Mean household income	$100,082±$2,533	$101,466	–
Per capita income	$41,881±$996	$43,373	+$2,509
People below the poverty line	8.1%±1.1 pts	10.6%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	9.8%±2.6 pts	12.8%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	9.2%±1.1 pts	11.1%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	90.6%±1.2 pts	90.3%	–

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 73.1% of Jefferson County's occupied homes and renters 26.9%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $274,100 by its owner (±$7,416). The median renter pays $1,035 a month including utilities, and 30.0% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Jefferson County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$274,100±$7,416	$266,500	+$39,776
Median gross rent	$1,035±$34	$1,087	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	30.0%±4.1 pts	35.0%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,730±$27	$1,689	–
Owner-occupied homes	73.1%±1.5 pts	67.8%	+2.9 pts
Housing units	36,890±83	2,778,572	+1,072
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.2%±0.2 pts	0.5%	–
Rental vacancy rate	4.5%±1.9 pts	4.5%	–
Single-family detached homes	71.6%±1.5 pts	66.2%	–
Mobile homes	3.6%±0.7 pts	3.1%	–
Built 2020 or later	1.1%±0.3 pts	1.4%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	24.3%±1.5 pts	17.8%	–

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 420 new housing units across Jefferson County in 2025 (172 single-family), 4.9 per 1,000 residents.

2019 250 units
2020 347 units
2021 251 units
2022 239 units
2023 148 units
2024 146 units
2025 420 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?

76.9% of Jefferson County's workers drive alone and 10.5% work from home. The average trip to work takes 24.8 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 3.6%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Jefferson County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	68.3%±1.1 pts	65.3%	–
Unemployment rate	3.6%±0.7 pts	3.2%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	76.9%±1.8 pts	74.4%	–
Carpooled	8.1%±1.2 pts	7.3%	–
Public transportation	0.4%±0.3 pts	1.1%	–
Walked	3.0%±0.8 pts	2.6%	–
Worked from home	10.5%±1.2 pts	13.1%	+6.1 pts
Mean travel time to work	24.8 min±0.7	22.2 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 21 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $57,196 (Tract 1003.02) to $137,105 (Tract 1006.01).

All 21 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 Wisconsin's other counties?

Jefferson County's rank among Wisconsin's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	20th of 72
Growth 2020-2025	50th of 72
Residents per square mile	17th of 72
Median household income	10th of 72
Median home value	12th of 72
Median gross rent	17th of 72
Poverty rate	59th of 72
Bachelor's degree or higher	22nd of 72
Median age	50th of 72

Every county in Wisconsin

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.