Jefferson County, Kentucky facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jefferson County
Consolidated city-county
Jefferson County Courthouse (now Louisville Metro Hall) in downtown Louisville
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
Founded	1780
Named for	Thomas Jefferson
Seat	Louisville
Largest city	Louisville
Area
• Total	398 sq mi (1,030 km2)
• Land	380 sq mi (1,000 km2)
• Water	17 sq mi (40 km2)  4.3%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	782,969
• Density	2,011/sq mi (776/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	3rd, 4th

Jefferson County is located in the north central portion of the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. It is the most populous county in the commonwealth (with more than twice the population of second ranked Fayette County).

Since a city-county merger in 2003, the county's territory, population and government have been coextensive with the city of Louisville, which also serves as county seat. The administrative entity created by this merger is the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government, abbreviated to Louisville Metro.

Jefferson County is the anchor of the Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area, locally referred to as Kentuckiana.

History

Historic marker at the Jefferson County Courthouse

Jefferson County was organized in 1780 and one of the first three counties formed out of the original Kentucky County, which was still part of Virginia at the time (the others being Fayette and Lincoln). The county is named for Thomas Jefferson, who was governor of Virginia at the time.

The last major American Indian raid in present-day Jefferson County was the Chenoweth Massacre on July 17, 1789.

Prior to the 2003 merger, the head of local government was the County Judge/Executive, a post that still exists but now has few powers. The office is currently held by Queenie Averette.

Local government is effectively now led by the Mayor of Louisville Metro, Greg Fischer.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 398 square miles (1,030 km²), of which 380 square miles (980 km²) is land and 17 square miles (44 km²) (4.3%) is water. The Ohio River forms its northern boundary with the state of Indiana.

The highest point is South Park Hill, elevation 902 feet (275 m), located in the southern part of the county.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 693,604 people, 287,012 households, and 183,113 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,801 per square mile (695/km²). There were 305,835 housing units at an average density of 794 per square mile (307/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 77.38% White, 18.88% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.39% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.68% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. 1.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 287,012 households, out of which 29.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.20% were married couples living together, 14.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.20% were non-families. 30.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.30% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 30.40% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 13.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $54,357 (2018), and the median income for a family was $49,161 (2005). Males had a median income of $36,484 versus $26,255 for females (2005). The per capita income for the county was $31,980 (2018). About 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.1% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over (2018).

Communities

NOTE: Since the formation of Louisville Metro on January 6, 2003, residents of the cities below also became citizens of the newly expanded Metro, but none of the incorporated places dissolved in the process. The functions formerly served by the county government for the towns were assumed by Louisville Metro. However, the former City of Louisville was effectively absorbed into the new city-county government.

† Formerly a census-designated place in the county, but, in 2003, these places became neighborhoods within the city limits of Louisville Metro.

Infrastructure

Major highways

Images for kids

• 

  Jefferson County in 1780, as established by the Virginia General Assembly

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Jefferson (Kentucky) para niños