Jefferson County, Kentucky: Diversifying Metro county. In 2024, voted D+16%. Democratic peak: D+39 in 1912.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+16MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Diversifying MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 783,0222024 5-year
- Median household income
- $69,8662024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 63.1%2024 5-year
- Black
- 20.8%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 8.6%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+39 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+26 in 1896MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Bibb County, GA · similarity 0.98
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Jefferson CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Jefferson County, with each precinct boundary colored by Democratic-vs-Republican margin.
—
Margin—
Turnout—
Harris +50Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1876–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1876 | No data |
| 1880 | No data |
| 1884 | No data |
| 1888 | No data |
| 1892 | +21.2% |
| 1896 | −26.2% |
| 1900 | −8.2% |
| 1904 | +2.4% |
| 1908 | −1.8% |
| 1912 | +39.3% |
| 1916 | +0.8% |
| 1920 | −9.7% |
| 1924 | −9.7% |
| 1928 | −20.5% |
| 1932 | +3.7% |
| 1936 | +23.0% |
| 1940 | +17.8% |
| 1944 | +13.6% |
| 1948 | +0.8% |
| 1952 | −9.6% |
| 1956 | −17.5% |
| 1960 | −0.6% |
| 1964 | +28.6% |
| 1968 | −2.6% |
| 1972 | −23.0% |
| 1976 | −2.9% |
| 1980 | −0.5% |
| 1984 | −15.7% |
| 1988 | −4.4% |
| 1992 | +11.7% |
| 1996 | +10.5% |
| 2000 | +1.6% |
| 2004 | +1.7% |
| 2008 | +12.0% |
| 2012 | +11.1% |
| 2016 | +13.3% |
| 2020 | +20.1% |
| 2024 | +16.5% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 203,070 | 144,553 | 355,722 | ||
| D | 228,358 | 150,646 | 386,137 | ||
| D | 190,836 | 143,768 | 353,100 | ||
| D | 186,181 | 148,423 | 340,412 | ||
| D | 196,435 | 153,957 | 353,892 | ||
| D | 170,158 | 164,566 | 337,569 | ||
| D | 149,901 | 145,052 | 302,362 | ||
| D | 144,207 | 114,860 | 279,913 | ||
| D | 152,728 | 116,566 | 309,793 | ||
| R | 127,936 | 139,711 | 268,629 | ||
| R | 122,133 | 167,640 | 290,750 | ||
| R | 125,844 | 127,254 | 265,286 | ||
| R | 122,731 | 130,262 | 259,445 | ||
| R | 88,143 | 142,436 | 235,764 | ||
| R | 90,242 | 95,942 | 222,657 | ||
| D | 146,023 | 80,951 | 227,823 | ||
| R | 117,180 | 118,575 | 235,755 | ||
| R | 83,483 | 119,262 | 203,917 | ||
| R | 81,642 | 99,069 | 181,447 | ||
| D | 70,756 | 69,645 | 143,629 | ||
| D | 80,236 | 60,905 | 141,621 | ||
| D | 94,710 | 66,052 | 161,218 | ||
| D | 85,748 | 53,043 | 142,374 | ||
| D | 72,402 | 67,137 | 141,096 | ||
| R | 64,472 | 97,803 | 162,613 | ||
| R | 50,409 | 61,768 | 117,586 | ||
| R | 56,046 | 68,202 | 125,549 | ||
| D | 28,840 | 28,386 | 58,314 | ||
| O | 24,100 | 3,519 | 52,305 | ||
| R | 26,186 | 27,180 | 54,700 | ||
| D | 22,781 | 21,664 | 45,959 | ||
| R | 21,107 | 24,906 | 46,536 | ||
| R | 16,707 | 29,107 | 47,272 | ||
| D | 20,919 | 13,454 | 35,282 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
15.6%
Irish
12.0%
English
12.0%
American
5.7%
Italian
2.7%
Scottish
1.8%
French
1.6%
African American
16.6%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 38.4 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$69,866
Jefferson County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Jefferson County$69,866
Kentucky$63,726
United States$80,734
Jefferson County ranks near the middle of US counties by median household income.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
14.3%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1819.8%
Working age (18–64)12.9%
Seniors (65+)10.7%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
87.1%
speak English only
Spanish6.7%
Other Indo-European2.6%
Other languages1.8%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.7%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 48.9% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Jefferson County anchors Kentucky's urban core and consistently bucks the state's statewide Republican lean, delivering margins above D+15 in recent presidential cycles while housing roughly 15% of the state's total population.
The Democratic margin here reached thirty-nine points in 1912. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved four points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was sixteen points.
A population of 783,022, a 63% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $69,866 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Bibb County and Kitsap County.
Most similar counties
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Jefferson County, Kentucky. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/21111/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More diversifying metro counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Jefferson County, Kentucky vote in 2024?
In 2024, Jefferson County, Kentucky voted Democratic by 16.5 points (D+16), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 355,722 votes cast, 203,070 went Democratic and 144,553 went Republican.
What is Jefferson County, Kentucky's political typology?
Akashic places Jefferson County, Kentucky in the "Diversifying Metro" typology — Mid-size metropolitan counties growing more diverse and trending Democratic. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the county has voted Democratic 18 times, Republican 15 times, and other 1 times.
When did Jefferson County, Kentucky last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Jefferson County, Kentucky voted Republican was 1988.
How many people live in Jefferson County, Kentucky?
Jefferson County, Kentucky has a population of 783,022 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Jefferson County, Kentucky?
Median household income in Jefferson County, Kentucky is $69,866 — below the national median of $80,734. The Kentucky state median is $63,726.
What is the political history of Jefferson County, Kentucky?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Jefferson County, Kentucky from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 18 went Democratic and 15 went Republican. The county's typology — "Diversifying Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.