Jefferson County is a county located in the state of Texas. As of 2000, the population is 252,051. Its county seat is Beaumont6, and it is named for Thomas Jefferson, the President of the United States.
Geography
Jefferson County
is located on the plains of the Texas
Gulf Coast in the southeastern part of the state. The county
is partially bounded on the north by Pine Island Bayou, and on the east by the Neches River and Sabine Lake. The southern part of the county is largely
marshland, much of which is contained within Sea Rim State Park.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,878 km˛ (1,111 mi˛). 2,340 km˛ (904 mi˛) of it is land and 538 km˛ (208 mi˛)
of it is water. The total area is 18.69% water.
Adjacent counties
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 252,051 people, 92,880 households, and 63,808
families residing in the county. The population density is 108/km˛ (279/mi˛). There are 102,080
housing units at an average density of 44/km˛ (113/mi˛). The racial makeup of
the county is 57.24% White, 33.74% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 2.89% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.26% from other races, and 1.50% from two or more races. 10.53% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 92,880 households out of which 33.00% have children under the age
of 18 living with them, 48.40% are married couples living together, 16.20% have a female
householder with no husband present, and 31.30% are non-families. 27.30% of all
households are made up of individuals and 11.00% have someone living alone who
is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.55 and the average
family size is 3.12.
In the county, the population is spread out with 25.90% under the age of 18,
10.00% from 18 to 24, 29.30% from 25 to 44, 21.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.60%
who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100
females there are 101.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
are 100.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $34,706, and the median
income for a family is $42,290. Males have a median income of $36,719 versus
$23,924 for females. The per capita income for the county is $17,571. 17.40% of the
population and 14.60% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 24.60% of those
under the age of 18 and 11.80% of those 65 and older are living below the
poverty line.
2004 Election
This is one of the few counties in
Texas
that gave Senator John Kerry a majority of the popular vote. Kerry received
47,050 votes while George W. Bush received 44,412.
