• county
  • FIPS 36045
  • Largest town: Watertown

Jefferson County, New York

Jefferson County had 113,140 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,267.9 square miles of land. It ranks 25th of 62 in New York by population and 10th by land area.

Population
113,140
#25 of 62 in New York · #565 in US
Area
1,267.9 sq mi
#10 of 62 in New York · #477 in US
Density
89 / sq mi
#41 of 62 in New York · #999 in US
Median household income
$61,664
#51 of 62 in New York · #1,668 in US

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

Jefferson County within New York. Pin: Albany.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Jefferson County

Jefferson County population, land area and income

Jefferson County had 113,140 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,267.9 square miles of land. It ranks 25th of 62 in New York by population and 10th by land area. That works out to 89.2 people per square mile, near the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in New York has 85,936 residents; Jefferson County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $61,664 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

113,140

3144th1st

565th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

1,268 sq mi

3144th1st

477th of 3,144 (US)

Density

89.2 / sq mi

3144th1st

999th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$61,664

3143rd1st

1668th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within New York (62)

Population

113,140

62nd1st

25th of 62 (NY)

Land area

1,268 sq mi

62nd1st

10th of 62 (NY)

Density

89.2 / sq mi

62nd1st

41st of 62 (NY)

Median household income

$61,664

62nd1st

51st of 62 (NY)

How Jefferson County's population changed since 2020

Jefferson County lost 2,931 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 2.5%. That ranks 54th of 62 in New York for growth. The median New York county changed by -0.8%, and the state as a whole by -1.2%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Jefferson County recorded 7,655 births and 4,505 deaths, a natural change of +3,150. Net international migration added +1,437 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -8,240. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 8,240 people.

116.1k2020116.9k2021115.5k2022113.6k2023113.1k2024
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
7,655
Deaths
4,505
Net international migration
+1,437
Net domestic migration
-8,240
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-435

Where Jefferson County is

The Census internal point of Jefferson County is at 43.996400, -76.053000. It sits in UTM zone 18N. The map shades New York's 62 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.

Tompkins County: +5.8%Yates County: -1.3%Suffolk County: +0.9%Broome County: -0.9%Cortland County: -1.7%Fulton County: -2.0%Ulster County: +0.9%Rockland County: +3.2%Essex County: -1.5%Westchester County: +0.5%Niagara County: -1.2%Dutchess County: +1.4%Seneca County: -2.6%Onondaga County: -0.9%Tioga County: -1.6%Erie County: -0.2%Wayne County: -0.5%Delaware County: -0.1%Greene County: -1.8%Schenectady County: +1.9%Allegany County: -0.1%Rensselaer County: -0.1%Monroe County: -0.7%Warren County: -0.5%Livingston County: -0.1%Madison County: -1.3%Jefferson County: -2.5%Sullivan County: +2.5%Lewis County: +0.0%Oswego County: +0.7%Putnam County: +0.8%New York County: -1.1%Columbia County: -1.8%St. Lawrence County: -2.0%Schuyler County: -4.1%Franklin County: -0.3%Steuben County: -1.4%Cayuga County: -2.1%Oneida County: -1.2%Chemung County: -3.1%Herkimer County: -0.7%Schoharie County: +1.3%Cattaraugus County: -2.0%Chautauqua County: -2.6%Chenango County: -2.8%Hamilton County: +0.2%Orange County: +2.7%Washington County: -2.1%Ontario County: +0.6%Bronx County: -5.1%Wyoming County: -1.5%Clinton County: -2.3%Orleans County: -1.0%Montgomery County: +0.3%Nassau County: +0.1%Kings County: -3.6%Genesee County: -1.2%Otsego County: +3.7%Albany County: +1.9%Queens County: -3.1%Richmond County: +0.6%Saratoga County: +1.9%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -2.0%
  2. < -1.2%
  3. < -0.2%
  4. < +0.7%
  5. ≥ +0.7%
no data

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

Internal point

Decimal
43.996400, -76.053000
DMS
43°59'47.04"N 76°03'10.80"W
UTM
18N 415571.4E 4872011.9N
Geohash
drcfm37cs
Plus code
87M5XWWW+HR

Towns in Jefferson County

9 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Jefferson County, 37,158 people together, or 33% 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 Watertown with 24,038.

  1. 01Watertown24,038
  2. 02Carthage3,257
  3. 03West Carthage1,749
  4. 04Clayton1,689
  5. 05Adams1,671
  6. 06Sackets Harbor1,364
  7. 07Black River1,236
  8. 08Philadelphia1,143
  9. 09Dexter1,011
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Jefferson County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 4 neighbors for Jefferson County. The most populous is Oswego County, NY, with 118,305 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Albany and the nearest big city

Albany is 148.1 miles SE of Jefferson County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Syracuse, NY (population 146,097), 66.2 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Watertown, NY (population 24,038), 7.3 miles away.

Jefferson County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Jefferson County is 36045: state code 36 for New York plus county code 045. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $61,664.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Jefferson County, New York?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 113,140. That is down 2,931 people (2.5%) from the July 2020 estimate of 116,071.

What is the FIPS code of Jefferson County?

36045. The first two digits (36) are New York; the last three (045) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Jefferson County?

Watertown, with 24,038 residents inside Jefferson County in 2024.

Which counties border Jefferson County?

4 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Oswego County, NY; St. Lawrence County, NY; Cayuga County, NY; Lewis County, NY.

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.