• county
  • FIPS 55055
  • Largest town: Watertown

Jefferson County, Wisconsin

Jefferson County had 86,245 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 556.5 square miles of land. It ranks 20th of 72 in Wisconsin by population and 53rd by land area.

Population
86,245
#20 of 72 in Wisconsin · #686 in US
Area
556.5 sq mi
#53 of 72 in Wisconsin · #1,863 in US
Density
155 / sq mi
#17 of 72 in Wisconsin · #682 in US
Median household income
$82,356
#9 of 72 in Wisconsin · #389 in US

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

Jefferson County within Wisconsin. Pin: Madison.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Jefferson County

Jefferson County population, land area and income

Jefferson County had 86,245 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 556.5 square miles of land. It ranks 20th of 72 in Wisconsin by population and 53rd by land area. That works out to 155.0 people per square mile, 1.6 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Wisconsin has 41,821 residents, so Jefferson County is 2.1 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $82,356 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

86,245

3144th1st

686th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

556 sq mi

3144th1st

1863rd of 3,144 (US)

Density

155.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

682nd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$82,356

3143rd1st

389th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Wisconsin (72)

Population

86,245

72nd1st

20th of 72 (WI)

Land area

556 sq mi

72nd1st

53rd of 72 (WI)

Density

155.0 / sq mi

72nd1st

17th of 72 (WI)

Median household income

$82,356

72nd1st

9th of 72 (WI)

How Jefferson County's population changed since 2020

Jefferson County gained 37 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 0.0%. That ranks 59th of 72 in Wisconsin for growth. The median Wisconsin county changed by +1.0%, and the state as a whole by +1.1%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Jefferson County recorded 3,373 births and 3,727 deaths, a natural change of -354. Net international migration added +461 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -17. The largest single component was international migration, which added 461 people.

86.2k202085.8k202185.8k202286.0k202386.2k2024
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
3,373
Deaths
3,727
Net international migration
+461
Net domestic migration
-17
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+274

Where Jefferson County is

The Census internal point of Jefferson County is at 43.013800, -88.774000. It sits in UTM zone 16N. The map shades Wisconsin's 72 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.

Barron County: +0.2%Green County: +0.4%Dunn County: +1.5%Jefferson County: +0.0%Lincoln County: +0.1%Rusk County: -0.1%Fond du Lac County: +0.1%Marquette County: +1.0%Outagamie County: +2.3%Waupaca County: -1.2%Oneida County: +0.8%Eau Claire County: +2.8%Washington County: +1.4%Portage County: +2.3%Menominee County: +0.7%Clark County: +0.5%Monroe County: +0.2%Milwaukee County: -1.5%Buffalo County: +1.1%Lafayette County: +4.2%Ozaukee County: +2.5%Rock County: +1.0%Sheboygan County: +0.2%Green Lake County: +1.8%Waukesha County: +2.3%Calumet County: +2.1%Dodge County: -0.8%Wood County: -0.3%Winnebago County: +0.9%Sawyer County: +4.0%Dane County: +4.6%Sauk County: +1.1%Pepin County: +2.9%Adams County: +3.2%Price County: +0.4%Taylor County: +1.1%Grant County: +0.7%Trempealeau County: -0.0%Vernon County: +2.1%Waushara County: +2.2%Iowa County: +1.0%Crawford County: -0.5%Kenosha County: -0.3%Shawano County: +1.1%Juneau County: -0.7%Jackson County: -0.3%Vilas County: +3.7%Bayfield County: +3.7%Chippewa County: +1.5%Iron County: +1.5%Racine County: +0.3%Door County: +1.3%Ashland County: +1.1%Kewaunee County: +0.9%Polk County: +1.8%Florence County: +2.4%Douglas County: -0.2%Forest County: +3.7%Columbia County: -0.7%Walworth County: +0.7%La Crosse County: +0.1%Manitowoc County: +0.1%Oconto County: +2.5%Langlade County: +0.4%Marathon County: +0.7%Washburn County: +2.2%Brown County: +1.8%Richland County: -0.9%Marinette County: +1.1%St. Croix County: +4.3%Pierce County: +2.7%Burnett County: +3.7%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +0.1%
  2. < +0.7%
  3. < +1.3%
  4. < +2.3%
  5. ≥ +2.3%
no data

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

Internal point

Decimal
43.013800, -88.774000
DMS
43°00'49.68"N 88°46'26.40"W
UTM
16N 355434.9E 4763874.2N
Geohash
dp8ueyktx
Plus code
86MH267G+GC

Towns in Jefferson County

9 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Jefferson County, 54,531 people together, or 63% 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 14,461.

  1. 01Watertown (part)14,461
  2. 02Fort Atkinson12,377
  3. 03Jefferson7,766
  4. 04Lake Mills6,617
  5. 05Whitewater (part)4,482
  6. 06Waterloo3,611
  7. 07Johnson Creek3,398
  8. 08Palmyra1,719
  9. 09Cambridge (part)100
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Jefferson County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Jefferson County. The most populous is Dane County, WI, with 588,347 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Madison and the nearest big city

Madison is 31.1 miles W of Jefferson County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Madison, WI (population 285,300), 33.5 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Fort Atkinson, WI (population 12,377), 7.2 miles away.

Jefferson County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Jefferson County is 55055: state code 55 for Wisconsin plus county code 055. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $82,356.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Jefferson County, Wisconsin?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 86,245. That is up 37 people (0.0%) from the July 2020 estimate of 86,208.

What is the FIPS code of Jefferson County?

55055. The first two digits (55) are Wisconsin; the last three (055) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Jefferson County?

Watertown, with 14,461 residents inside Jefferson County in 2024 (22,617 across all 2 counties it spans).

Which counties border Jefferson County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Dane County, WI; Waukesha County, WI; Rock County, WI; Walworth County, WI; Dodge County, WI.

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.