Jefferson County, Montana Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Jefferson County, Montana, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Jefferson County, Montana. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Jefferson County, Montana. The estimated population of Jefferson County, Montana is 12,057 people, with a median age of 47.5.

We can look at the total population in Jefferson County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
12,057
 -0.1% +3.72%
2020
12,069
+1.28%
-
2019
11,917
+1.18%
-
2018
11,778
+1.32%
-
2017
11,625
 - -

Population of Jefferson County, Montana by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
91.5%
93%
 -1.61%
Black/African American
0.4%
0.1%
 +300.00%
Native
0.9%
1.4%
 -35.71%
Hispanic
2.8%
2.3%
 +21.74%
Asian
0.1%
0.2%
 -50.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
4.1%
3%
 +36.67%
Other
0%
0%
 0.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Jefferson County, Montana by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 47.5 0% 47.4 +0.64% 47.6 -0.63%
2020 47.5 -0.21% 47.1 -1.05% 47.9 +0.63%
2019 47.6 -0.63% 47.6 -0.83% 47.6 -0.42%
2018 47.9 0% 48 -0.21% 47.8 0%
2017 47.9 - 48.1 - 47.8 -

The median age of Jefferson County, Montana gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 536 +28.13% 554 -4.45% 671 524
10 to 19 850 -11.3% 773 -3.6% 741 732
20 to 29 494 +8.92% 449 +26.86% 534 581
30 to 39 505 +7.44% 594 -5.34% 543 557
40 to 49 796 +1.8% 657 +16.09% 807 767
50 to 59 937 -1.13% 1,043 -11.64% 915 922
60 to 69 1,197 +1.68% 937 +16.19% 1,211 1,095
70+ 640 +14.02% 663 +9.37% 733 724

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Jefferson County, Montana is $72,500.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Jefferson County.

  • Under 25
    $76,736.00
  • 25 to 44
    $91,037.00
  • 45 to 64
    $82,500.00
  • 65 and over
    $55,293.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Jefferson County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Jefferson County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Jefferson County, Montana is currently $92,497.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

6.52% of households in Jefferson County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Jefferson County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    12.90%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    20.07%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    19.20%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    13.16%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    18.31%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    9.84%
  • $200,000 or more
    6.52%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Jefferson County is $36,979.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Jefferson County by the total population of Jefferson County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Jefferson County, Montana, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Jefferson County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    13.49%
  • Bachelor's degree
    38.30%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    9.95%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    36.42%
  • Less than high school diploma
    1.84%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Jefferson County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Jefferson County over the age of 16 is 9,939.

Of those people, a total of 57.20% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Jefferson County is 55.30%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 550 43.10% 19.00%
20 to 24 years 621 60.20% 2.90%
25 to 29 years 494 87.20% 10.20%
30 to 34 years 518 81.90% 2.10%
35 to 44 years 1,337 78.90% 3.60%
45 to 54 years 1,641 81.60% 1.10%
55 to 59 years 1,015 76.60% 0.00%
60 to 64 years 1,127 45.70% 5.60%
65 to 74 years 1,844 25.40% 0.00%
75 years and over 792 8.70% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Jefferson County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 9,362 57.30% 3.30%
Black or African American 42 54.80% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 112 22.30% 44.00%
Asian 17 47.10% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 11 27.30% 0.00%
Two or more races 395 66.60% 1.50%
Hispanic or Latino 214 33.60% 0.00%
Not Hispanic or Latino 9,191 57.70% 3.30%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Jefferson County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Jefferson County is 5,494, with median earnings of $40,011.00.

Women in Jefferson County, Montana earning approximately 58.80% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 5,494 $40,011.00
Male 2,907 $51,976.00
Female 2,587 $30,585.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 824 $56,833.00
Business and Financial 276 $62,750.00
Computer and Mathematical 116 $67,833.00
Architecture and Engineering 119 $54,531.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 65 $59,583.00
Community and Social Service 147 $26,042.00
Legal 62 $172,500.00
Educational and Library 506 $33,100.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 28 $66,786.00
Healthcare Practitioners 441 $62,159.00
Healthcare Support 231 $7,688.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 54 $38,000.00
Law Enforcement 20 $41,786.00
Food Preparation and Serving 205 $9,926.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 176 $19,375.00
Personal Care and Service 101 $12,946.00
Sales 375 $35,000.00
Office and Administrative Support 555 $32,163.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 68 $7,500.00
Construction and Extraction 361 $48,674.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 257 $44,583.00
Production 179 $37,031.00
Transportation and Material Moving 246 $58,462.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 550 $54,600.00 274 $64,063.00
Business and Financial 101 $75,313.00 175 $54,943.00
Computer and Mathematical 88 $76,250.00 28 $65,313.00
Architecture and Engineering 92 $77,500.00 27 $53,594.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 24 $83,333.00 41 $57,639.00
Community and Social Service 67 $22,083.00 80 $27,344.00
Legal 45 $207,750.00 17 $100,208.00
Educational and Library 57 $34,375.00 449 $32,571.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 9 $0.00 19 $66,696.00
Healthcare Practitioners 123 $126,736.00 318 $45,625.00
Healthcare Support 47 $2,499.00 184 $15,441.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 26 $53,056.00 28 $0.00
Law Enforcement 7 $0.00 13 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 58 $12,500.00 147 $9,926.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 131 $22,216.00 45 $4,740.00
Personal Care and Service 42 $2,499.00 59 $14,375.00
Sales 192 $76,479.00 183 $24,961.00
Office and Administrative Support 125 $46,776.00 430 $28,676.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 66 $10,227.00 2 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 353 $48,977.00 8 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 254 $44,167.00 3 $0.00
Production 168 $38,750.00 11 $13,125.00
Transportation and Material Moving 213 $58,510.00 33 $24,583.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 4,604 households in Jefferson County, with an average household size of 2.56 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 3,440 families in Jefferson County with an average family size of 2.97 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 3,072 190 178 1,164
Average Household Size 2.97 3.06 3.7 1.24
Total Families 3,072 190 178 0
Average Household Size 2.95 2.97 3.41 0

Poverty

Of the 3,440 families in Jefferson County, 2.90% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Jefferson County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 5,341 housing units in Jefferson County, Montana.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 4,604 86.20%
Vacant 737 13.80%

9.51% of the total 5,341 housing units in Jefferson County are rental units. This is approximately 508 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 3,870 are occupied by the owner - or 72.46% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Jefferson County is $798.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Jefferson County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    226
  • Less than $500
    99
  • $500 to $999
    200
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    148
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    40
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    9
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    12

Property Value

The median value of a property in Jefferson County is $304,300.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Jefferson County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    150
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    171
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    268
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    305
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    1,011
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    1,379
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    554
  • $1,000,000 or more
    32

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Jefferson County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Jefferson County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    635
  • 1940 to 1949
    121
  • 1950 to 1959
    230
  • 1960 to 1969
    227
  • 1970 to 1979
    1,016
  • 1980 to 1989
    606
  • 1990 to 1999
    1,070
  • 2000 to 2009
    1,006
  • 2010 to 2013
    415
  • 2014 or later
    15

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Jefferson County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    165
  • 1 vehicle available
    666
  • 2 vehicles available
    1,621
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    2,152

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Jefferson County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Jefferson County that commute to work in a particular way.

22.7 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Jefferson County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    399
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    533
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    797
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    949
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    601
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    275
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    400
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    68
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    117
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    438
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    144
  • 90 or more minutes
    124

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Jefferson County, Montana in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Jefferson County, Montana

We have data for 12 places in Jefferson County, Montana. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.