The west end near Lake O' the Pines is more prosperous than the east end near Caddo Lake. Local industries include Blackburn's Syrup Works which came to Jefferson in 1929 and makes a wide assortment of jams and jellies. In 1995, International Paper Company became a major employer by opening a plant that manufactures oriented strand board. The Cypress Valley Alliance, a non-profit corporation serving the regional watershed involving several Texas counties and Caddo Parish, Louisiana, is seeking to promote sustainable development and educational opportunities in the region by building partnerships. The Jefferson Independent School District serves almost all of Marion County.
Many economic disadvantages confront the school district and the students in their home lives.
Recently, outstanding community leadership has worked impressively to bring in several academies for training high school students towards careers. Panola College , based in Carthage, Texas, has opened a branch campus in Jefferson this academic year and is also providing college level coursework for selected high school students. Jefferson High School , home of the Bulldogs, is the only high school. One high school organization of very impressive note is the Jefferson Junior Historians . Since 1972, the Jefferson chapter of the Texas Junior Historians has garnered many first place state awards and honors for their essays on the community's colorful history as a result of much investigative research.