253,948 people (2024 Census estimate, −0.9% since 2020)
877 square miles of land · 290 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
17 active community water systems list Jefferson County in the area they serve, reporting 252,107 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| CITY OF BEAUMONT WATER UTILITY DEPT surface water · local government · TX1230001 | 113,567 served |
| CITY OF PORT ARTHUR surface water · local government · TX1230009 | 56,039 served |
| CITY OF NEDERLAND surface water · local government · TX1230006 | 18,157 served |
| CITY OF GROVES surface water · local government · TX1230012 | 17,335 served |
| CITY OF PORT NECHES surface water · local government · TX1230010 | 17,043 served |
| WEST JEFFERSON COUNTY MWD surface water · local government · TX1230021 | 9,367 served |
| FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL COMPLEX-BEAUMONT buys surface water · federal · TX1230092 | 5,748 served |
| JEFFERSON COUNTY WCID 10 surface water · local government · TX1230003 | 4,605 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 1,235 people were held in Jefferson County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2026). In 2021 it was about 1,252.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
6 school districts have their office in Jefferson County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $247.3 million — $216.8 million to run schools, about $12,958 per student, plus $17.9 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $163.9 million local (mostly property tax), $36.3 million state, $78.1 million federal. Long-term debt: $249.9 million.
Spent $145.3 million — $120.1 million to run schools, about $14,737 per student, plus $10.7 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $97.8 million local (mostly property tax), $39.1 million state, $37.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $339.7 million.
Spent $139.7 million — $60.5 million to run schools, about $11,533 per student, plus $73.1 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $50.3 million local (mostly property tax), $18.2 million state, $8.6 million federal. Long-term debt: $195.3 million.
Spent $130.9 million — $57.2 million to run schools, about $11,374 per student, plus $67.6 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $46.2 million local (mostly property tax), $16.3 million state, $8 million federal. Long-term debt: $146.9 million.
Spent $47.4 million — $20.8 million to run schools, about $10,079 per student, plus $24.8 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $14.4 million local (mostly property tax), $11.1 million state, $2.5 million federal. Long-term debt: $51.3 million.
Spent $34 million — $9.3 million to run schools, about $25,057 per student, plus $18.1 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $9.1 million local (mostly property tax), $770,000 state, $749,000 federal. Long-term debt: $44.4 million.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively High compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Jefferson County about $140.7 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively High; social vulnerability: Very High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
460 bridges in Jefferson County: 226 in good condition, 228 fair, and 6 poor (1.3%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| IH 10 over 11TH ST · built 1958 | 111,265 vehicles a day |
| IH 10 WB over IH 10 WB TO US 69 SB · built 1962 | 65,343 vehicles a day |
| SH 73/SH 87 WB over NECHES RIVER · built 1939 | 15,227 vehicles a day |
| CR 336 (ERIE ST) over LNVA CANAL · built 1983 | 189 vehicles a day |
| CLAM LAKE ROAD over TEN-MILE CUT/SALT BAYOU · built 1950 | 80 vehicles a day |
| MASON RD over PIGNUT GULLY · built 1965 | 72 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $118 million of work in Jefferson County in fiscal 2025, about $460 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-05. Early voting: 2026-10-19 to 2026-10-30. Mail ballot application must be received: 2026-10-23. Election Day: 2026-11-03.
Source: Texas Secretary of State, Sept. 28, 2026 · VoteTexas.gov — early voting · VoteTexas.gov
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Jefferson County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Jefferson County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Texas: the state government and every county in Texas.
Nearby counties: Orange County (24 mi) · Chambers County (33 mi) · Hardin County (36 mi) · Liberty County (47 mi) · Calcasieu Parish, LA (54 mi) · Cameron Parish, LA (59 mi).