• county
  • FIPS 31095
  • Largest town: Fairbury

Jefferson County, Nebraska

Jefferson County had 7,136 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 570.2 square miles of land. It ranks 40th of 93 in Nebraska by population and 59th by land area.

Population
7,136
#40 of 93 in Nebraska · #2,644 in US
Area
570.2 sq mi
#59 of 93 in Nebraska · #1,775 in US
Density
13 / sq mi
#38 of 93 in Nebraska · #2,482 in US
Median household income
$63,707
#49 of 93 in Nebraska · #1,485 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Jefferson County within Nebraska. Pin: Lincoln.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Jefferson County

Jefferson County population, land area and income

Jefferson County had 7,136 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 570.2 square miles of land. It ranks 40th of 93 in Nebraska by population and 59th by land area. That works out to 12.5 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Nebraska has 6,103 residents; Jefferson County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $63,707 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

7,136

3144th1st

2644th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

570 sq mi

3144th1st

1775th of 3,144 (US)

Density

12.5 / sq mi

3144th1st

2482nd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$63,707

3143rd1st

1485th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Nebraska (93)

Population

7,136

93rd1st

40th of 93 (NE)

Land area

570 sq mi

93rd1st

59th of 93 (NE)

Density

12.5 / sq mi

93rd1st

38th of 93 (NE)

Median household income

$63,707

93rd1st

49th of 93 (NE)

How Jefferson County's population changed since 2020

Jefferson County lost 124 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.7%. That ranks 63rd of 93 in Nebraska for growth. The median Nebraska county changed by -0.6%, and the state as a whole by +2.1%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Jefferson County recorded 359 births and 492 deaths, a natural change of -133. Net international migration added +52 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -15. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 133 people.

7,26020207,16020217,15120227,09720237,1362024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
359
Deaths
492
Net international migration
+52
Net domestic migration
-15
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+39

Where Jefferson County is

The Census internal point of Jefferson County is at 40.175700, -97.143100. It sits in UTM zone 14N. The map shades Nebraska's 93 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Jefferson County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

York County: +1.9%Boone County: -0.1%Grant County: -7.0%Saline County: +0.2%Adams County: +0.1%Clay County: -0.1%Logan County: -3.3%Hamilton County: +1.7%Thomas County: -5.9%Lancaster County: +3.0%Sherman County: -0.1%Lincoln County: -3.5%Stanton County: -1.1%Dawes County: -1.9%Madison County: +0.1%Perkins County: -2.9%Arthur County: -2.1%Deuel County: +3.2%Banner County: -1.9%Dundy County: -4.2%Garfield County: -5.4%Wheeler County: +4.3%Seward County: +0.9%Johnson County: -1.4%Wayne County: +1.7%Hayes County: -0.4%Gosper County: -4.6%Blaine County: +6.1%Valley County: -0.6%Keith County: -2.1%Antelope County: +1.3%Hooker County: -1.3%Hitchcock County: -6.1%Box Butte County: -1.1%Morrill County: -1.6%Chase County: -3.2%Howard County: +1.3%Holt County: +0.1%Phelps County: +0.7%Cuming County: -0.7%Jefferson County: -1.7%Garden County: -4.5%Dodge County: +2.1%Buffalo County: +1.9%Butler County: +1.0%Fillmore County: -1.0%Boyd County: -5.7%Nuckolls County: +0.1%Loup County: -3.8%Sioux County: -3.7%Thayer County: -3.1%Cheyenne County: +1.2%Rock County: -1.9%Nance County: -3.9%Greeley County: +0.8%Hall County: +0.1%Brown County: -0.9%Dakota County: -1.0%Kearney County: +0.9%Webster County: -1.9%Nemaha County: -0.6%Franklin County: -2.5%Furnas County: -3.5%Sarpy County: +7.1%Platte County: +3.5%Kimball County: -3.0%Polk County: +1.0%Dixon County: -1.1%Knox County: -1.0%Thurston County: -1.8%Douglas County: +2.7%Scotts Bluff County: -0.9%Pierce County: -0.1%Burt County: +0.0%Merrick County: +2.3%Sheridan County: -3.5%Washington County: +1.6%Frontier County: +1.3%Colfax County: +2.6%Cass County: +3.3%Pawnee County: -0.8%Richardson County: -2.5%Cedar County: -1.3%Gage County: +0.2%Dawson County: +2.0%Keya Paha County: +7.8%Cherry County: +1.9%McPherson County: -5.1%Otoe County: +4.3%Red Willow County: -2.6%Custer County: -0.0%Harlan County: -1.2%Saunders County: +4.6%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -3.0%
  2. < -1.1%
  3. < +0.1%
  4. < +1.7%
  5. ≥ +1.7%
no data

Orange pin: Jefferson County internal point. Dark pin: Lincoln.

Internal point

Decimal
40.175700, -97.143100
DMS
40°10'32.52"N 97°08'35.16"W
UTM
14N 658102.1E 4448911.6N
Geohash
9z4ut3y83
Plus code
86G45VG4+7Q

Towns in Jefferson County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Jefferson County, 3,858 people together, or 54% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Jefferson County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Fairbury with 3,858.

  1. 01Fairbury3,858
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Jefferson County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Jefferson County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Gage County, NE, with 21,687 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Lincoln and the nearest big city

Lincoln is 49.5 miles NNE of Jefferson County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Lincoln, NE (population 300,619), 50.3 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Beatrice, NE (population 12,290), 22.0 miles away.

Jefferson County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Jefferson County is 31095: state code 31 for Nebraska plus county code 095. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $63,707.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Jefferson County, Nebraska?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 7,136. That is down 124 people (1.7%) from the July 2020 estimate of 7,260.

What is the FIPS code of Jefferson County?

31095. The first two digits (31) are Nebraska; the last three (095) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Jefferson County?

Fairbury, with 3,858 residents inside Jefferson County in 2024.

Which counties border Jefferson County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Gage County, NE; Saline County, NE; Washington County, KS; Fillmore County, NE; Thayer County, NE; Republic County, KS.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.