Jefferson County, Tennessee

Jefferson County was established on June 11, 1792, by William Blount, Governor of the Southwest Territory.Estle Muncy, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=703 Jefferson County]," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: October 18, 2013. It had been a part of Caswell County during the State of Franklin period (1784–1789). Its county seat, Dandridge, was settled in 1783.

On the eve of the Civil War, Jefferson County, like most other counties in mountainous East Tennessee, was opposed to secession. In Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession referendum on June 8, 1861, Jefferson County voters rejected secession by a margin of 1,987 to 603.Oliver Perry Temple, [https://books.google.com/books?id=g8xYAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22The+detailed+vote+of+the+several+counties+was+as+follows%22&pg=PA199 East Tennessee and the Civil War] (R. Clarke Company, 1899), p. 199. A railroad bridge at Strawberry Plains was among those targeted by the East Tennessee bridge-burning conspiracy in November 1861.Temple, East Tennessee and the Civil War, pp. 370-406. This led to internal conflict in the area throughout the war, with men from the county enlisting in both of the rival armies.

On October 2, 2013, on I-40 in Jefferson County near the I-40 and I-81 split, a multi-vehicle collision involving a church bus, a tractor-trailer, and a SUV occurred at mile marker 423.{{cite news |last1=Winter |first1=Michael |title=8 dead in church bus crash on I-40 in Tennessee |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/02/fatal-tennessee-bus-crash/2910431/ |access-date=December 27, 2020 |work=USA Today |date=October 2, 2013}} Tennessee Highway Patrol officials discovered that the church bus had blown a tire, leading it to merge into oncoming traffic, clipping the SUV and colliding with the semi-truck, causing it to burst into flames. The accident resulted in 8 fatalities and 14 injuries.

{{PresHead|place=Jefferson County, Tennessee|source={{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=March 11, 2018}}}}

{{PresRow|2024|Republican|21,068|4,503|314|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|2020|Republican|18,651|4,654|311|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|2016|Republican|14,776|3,494|802|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|2012|Republican|13,038|4,232|289|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|2008|Republican|13,092|5,178|262|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|2004|Republican|11,625|5,469|121|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|2000|Republican|8,657|5,226|204|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|1996|Republican|6,446|4,688|1,021|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|1992|Republican|6,184|4,740|1,438|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|1988|Republican|6,832|3,168|69|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|1984|Republican|7,721|3,185|69|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|1980|Republican|6,944|3,180|268|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|1976|Republican|5,459|3,995|84|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|1972|Republican|5,925|1,357|100|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|1968|Republican|5,494|1,494|1,199|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|1964|Republican|4,923|2,600|0|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|1960|Republican|6,141|1,620|33|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|1956|Republican|4,870|1,338|65|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|1952|Republican|4,622|1,228|10|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|1948|Republican|2,979|900|140|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|1944|Republican|3,159|966|18|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|1940|Republican|1,921|1,062|21|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|1936|Republican|2,356|1,079|13|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|1932|Republican|2,275|975|67|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|1928|Republican|2,582|436|0|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|1924|Republican|2,699|712|32|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|1920|Republican|3,583|741|68|Tennessee}}

{{PresRow|1916|Republican|1,648|520|5|Tennessee}}

{{PresFoot|1912|Progressive|540|514|949|Tennessee}}

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of {{convert|314|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|274|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|40|sqmi}} (13%) is water.{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_47.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 7, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}} The county is affected by two artificial lakes: Douglas Lake, created by the damming of the French Broad River in the south, and Cherokee Lake, created by the damming of the Holston River in the north.

• Hamblen County (northeast)
• Cocke County (southeast)
• Sevier County (south)
• Knox County (west)
• Grainger County (north)

• Henderson Island Refuge

• {{jct|state=TN|I|40}}
• {{jct|state=TN|I|81}}
• {{jct|state=TN|US|11E}}
• {{jct|state=TN|US|25E}}
• {{jct|state=TN|US|25W}}
• {{jct|state=TN|US|70}}
• {{jct|state=TN|US|411}}
• {{jct|state=TN|Sec|9}}
• {{jct|state=TN|TN|32}}
• {{jct|state=TN|TN|34}}
• {{jct|state=TN|TN|35}}
• {{jct|state=TN|TN|66}}
• {{jct|state=TN|TN|92}}

• {{jct|state=TN|Sec|113}}
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• {{jct|state=TN|Sec|341}}
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{{US Census population

|1810= 7309

|1820= 8953

|1830= 11801

|1840= 12076

|1850= 13204

|1860= 16043

|1870= 19476

|1880= 15846

|1890= 16478

|1900= 18590

|1910= 17755

|1920= 17677

|1930= 17914

|1940= 18621

|1950= 19667

|1960= 21493

|1970= 24940

|1980= 31284

|1990= 33016

|2000= 44294

|2010= 51407

|2020= 54683

| estyear = 2024

| estimate = 59217

| estref = {{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2023/counties/totals/co-est2023-pop.xlsx| title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023|publisher= United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 14, 2024}}

|align-fn=center

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 7, 2015}}
1790-1960{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=April 7, 2015}} 1900-1990{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/tn190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|editor-last=Forstall|editor-first=Richard L.|date=March 27, 1995|access-date=April 7, 2015}}
1990-2000{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327165705/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2010 |url-status=live|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|date=April 2, 2001|access-date=April 7, 2015}} 2010-2014

}}

{{Stack|Image:USA Jefferson County, Tennessee.csv age pyramid.svg data]]}}

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 54,683 people, 20,154 households, and 13,998 families residing in the county.

As of the census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 14, 2011|title=U.S. Census website}} of 2000, there were 44,294 people, 17,155 households, and 12,608 families residing in the county. The population density was {{convert|162|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people |people|}}. There were 19,319 housing units at an average density of {{convert|71|/mi2|/km2|adj=pre|units }}. The racial makeup of the county was 95.66% White, 2.32% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.63% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 1.33% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 17,155 households, out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.90% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.50% were non-families. 22.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.90% under the age of 18, 10.60% from 18 to 24, 29.10% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males. However, the last statistic is somewhat misleading because of female longevity, and if adults 18-65 were considered, the numbers would be very close to equal.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,824, and the median income for a family was $38,537. Males had a median income of $29,123 versus $20,269 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,841. About 9.60% of families and 13.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.90% of those under age 18 and 12.60% of those age 65 or over.

According to a data profile produced by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development in 2023,{{cite web |title=Jefferson County: County Profile Tool |url=https://tnecd.com/counties/jefferson/ |website=Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development |publisher=State of Tennessee |access-date=February 7, 2024 |date=2023 }} the top employers in the county are:

K-12 public education in the county is conducted by Jefferson County Public Schools.

• Baneberry
• Jefferson City
• Morristown (partial, mostly in Hamblen)

• Dandridge (county seat)
• New Market
• White Pine (small portion in Hamblen)

• Strawberry Plains (partial, portions in Knox and Sevier)

• Belmont
• Chestnut Hill
• Shady Grove
• Talbott (partial)

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Jefferson County, Tennessee

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category}}

• {{official website|https://jeffersoncountytn.gov/}}
• {{URL|https://visitjeffersoncountytn.com/|Convention and Visitors Bureau}}
• {{URL|https://www.jc-tn.net/|Jefferson County Schools}}
• {{URL|https://jeffersoncountytennessee.com/|Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce}}

{{Geographic Location

|Centre = Jefferson County, Tennessee

|North =

|Northeast = Hamblen County

|East = Cocke County

|Southeast =

|South = Sevier County

|Southwest =

|West = Knox County

|Northwest = Grainger County

}}

{{Jefferson County, Tennessee}}

{{Knoxville Metro}}

{{Morristown Metro}}

{{Tennessee}}

{{State of Franklin}}

{{coord|36.05|-83.45|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-TN_source:UScensus1990}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Tennessee counties

Category:1792 establishments in the Southwest Territory

Category:Morristown metropolitan area, Tennessee

Category:Populated places established in 1792

Category:Second Amendment sanctuaries in Tennessee

Category:East Tennessee