The Town Files

Jefferson County, Missouri

229,458 people. The median home is worth $237,200 (typical Missouri town: $153,900) and the median household earns $82,851.

Towns in Jefferson County

Towns in Jefferson County

TownPeopleMedian homeIncomeMedian age
Arnold20,858$220,000$78,37039.7
Festus12,706$223,600$73,53236.7
Murphy8,425$184,700$72,23339.2
De Soto6,449$160,700$52,50031.2
Pevely6,026$219,600$56,00033.2
Barnhart5,832$229,200$95,81135.8
Crystal City4,740$185,800$72,59843.7
Herculaneum4,672$234,300$93,43840.4
Imperial4,407$228,700$90,02836.3
High Ridge4,242$172,200$70,91751.1
Hillsboro3,473$221,200$77,50030.8
Byrnes Mill3,173$306,200$98,57637.9

People and housing

Jefferson CountyTypical Missouri town
Median home value$237,200$153,900
Median rent$979$855
Median household income$82,851$56,368
Median age40.338.6
Bachelor's degree or higher24.7%18.9%
Below the poverty line9.0%14.6%

Jobs and pay

49,458 jobs in 2024, average pay $49,615 a year.

Largest industries in Jefferson CountyRetail7,630 jobs · $35,215Health care & social assistan…7,044 jobs · $55,815Hotels & restaurants6,433 jobs · $21,809Construction4,282 jobs · $70,068Manufacturing4,221 jobs · $68,591Administrative & support2,432 jobs · $44,884
BLS QCEW 2024.
Unemployment rate in Jefferson County0%2%4%6%8%10%12%2000200420082012201620202023 2.8%
BLS LAUS via USDA ERS, annual averages.

Storms since 1996

NOAA recorded 664 storm events in Jefferson County from 1996 to 2026, with 10 deaths.

Storm events in Jefferson County by type since 1996Hail253Heat33Flood15Drought10Tornado24High Wind6Lightning8Heavy Snow13Flash Flood41Winter Storm34
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Federal disaster declarations

Jefferson County has been included in 30 FEMA declarations since 1953.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
May 21, 2025Severe StormDR-4867: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Wildfires
March 26, 2020BiologicalDR-4490: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020BiologicalEM-3482: Covid-19
July 9, 2019Severe StormDR-4451: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding
June 2, 2017FloodDR-4317: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds And Flooding
January 21, 2016FloodDR-4250: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024; BLS QCEW and LAUS; NOAA Storm Events; FEMA OpenFEMA (not endorsed by FEMA).