Adams County vs Jefferson County

Two neighbouring counties in Colorado, compared on population, size, income and housing. They share 8.5 mi of border.

Both outlines are drawn at true relative size. Adams County spans about 115.8 km at its widest.

Side by side

Adams County, Colorado and Jefferson County, Colorado on shared measures. The middle column is the difference, computed from the two figures either side of it.
MeasureAdams CountyDifferenceJefferson County
Population554,668-4.4%580,451
Change since 20206.6%+7.1 pp-0.5%
Land area1,167 sq mi+52.6%764.4 sq mi
Population density475 per sq mi-37.4%759 per sq mi
Median household income$94,571-14.5%$110,656
Median home value$484,200-24.1%$637,600
Median age34.8-14.1%40.5
Households188,730-21.9%241,735
Housing units195,793-22.8%253,574

Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates, released 29 January 2026; US Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2025 County Adjacency File, released 15 September 2025. The difference column is computed here: the first county's figure against the second, expressed as a percentage of the second. The change-since-2020 row is the exception: two growth rates differ in percentage points (pp), not percent. Retrieved 30 August 2026.

What the numbers say

  • Jefferson County holds slightly more than the population of Adams County: 580,451 against 554,668.
  • Adams County covers more ground, at 1,167 square miles against 764.4.
  • Jefferson County is the more crowded of the two, at 759 people per square mile against 475.
  • Median household income is higher in Jefferson County, by 16,085 dollars a year.
  • Since 2020, Adams County has grown by 6.6% and Jefferson County has shrunk by 0.5%.
  • They share 8.5 mi of common border, which the Census Bureau publishes in its county adjacency file and which almost no other county reference presents.

Full pages

Want a different pair? Compare any two of the 3,144 US counties.

Rebuilt from source data 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.