Scott County, Iowa

IA · FIPS 19163 Republican

Located in Iowa, Scott County has a population of 174,608 residents and a median age of 39.4 years, making it the #394 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 11.5%. The median home value is $222,000, and the median household income is $78,277, which is 4% above the national median.

174,608
Population
#394 of 3,222
$78,277
Median Income
+4.2% #656 of 3,222
39.4 years
Median Age
+1.3% #2,286 of 3,222
11.5%
Poverty Rate
-8.7% #1,136 of 3,222

Demographics

Scott County has a population of 174,608, making it the #394 most populous county in the US. The median age is 39.4 years, which is 1.3% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

95.2%
Native Born
4.8%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Scott County is $78,277, ranking #656 out of 3,222 counties — 4.2% above the national median. The poverty rate is 11.5% and unemployment stands at 3.6%.

Income#656
$78,277
+4.2%
vs nation
80th percentile
Per Capita#488
$43,847
+6.3%
vs nation
85th percentile
Poverty#1,136
11.5%
-8.7%
vs nation
65th percentile
Unemployment#1,089
3.6%
-31.2%
vs nation
66th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Scott County is $222,000 (-21.2% vs national). Renters pay a median of $1,005/mo and the homeownership rate is 70.0%.

Home Value#1,170
$222,000
-21.2%
vs nation
64th percentile
Rent#975
$1,005
-13.6%
vs nation
70th percentile
Homeownership#2,296
70.0%
+8.7%
vs nation
29th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Scott County, 36.6% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 8.6% above the national average, ranking #397 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
36.6% +8.6% vs nation
Rank #397 of 3,222
88th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Scott County is 77.5 years. 15.1% of adults report poor or fair health and 5.8% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#761
77.5
+3.2%
vs nation
75th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#555
15.1%
-22.8%
vs nation
82th percentile
Diabetes#884
9.6%
-13.8%
vs nation
72th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#1,048
35.5%
-4.8%
vs nation
67th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#649
5.2
-8.7%
vs nation
79th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#801
4.0
-10.9%
vs nation
75th percentile
Uninsured Rate#390
5.8%
-44.8%
vs nation
88th percentile
Physical Inactivity#1,085
24.0%
-9.0%
vs nation
66th percentile
Food Insecurity#515
11.0%
-23.6%
vs nation
84th percentile

Substance Use

14.3% of adults in Scott County smoke , 39.2% are obese , and 23.4% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 17.1 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#494
14.3%
-20.4%
vs nation
84th percentile
Adult Obesity#1,805
39.2%
+3.4%
vs nation
43th percentile
Excessive Drinking#2,731
23.4%
+17.5%
vs nation
13th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#384
17.1
-47.2%
vs nation
82th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Scott County is 4.9 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 16.4 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 8.4 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#597
4.9
-39.1%
vs nation
61th percentile
Suicide Rate#984
16.4
-17.0%
vs nation
62th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#600
12.0
-32.9%
vs nation
76th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#212
8.4
-58.5%
vs nation
93th percentile

Families & Children

12.9% of children in Scott County live in poverty and the infant mortality rate is 3.6 per 1,000 live births. The teen birth rate is 18.1 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Infant Mortality#61
3.6
-47.5%
vs nation
96th percentile
Teen Birth Rate#1,256
18.1
-17.3%
vs nation
58th percentile
Child Poverty#745
12.9%
-32.1%
vs nation
76th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Scott County is 72.1%. The mean commute time is 22.2 min, which is 19.6% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
72.1% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
22.2 min −19.6% vs nation
Rank #2,504 of 3,222
22th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Scott County voted Republican with a margin of 3.9%. The vote was 47.3% Dem / 51.2% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 7.4 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +3.9%
47.3% 51.2%
Dem 89,743 votes Rep
2020 DEM +3.5%
50.7% 47.2%
Dem 92,599 votes Rep
2016 DEM +1.5%
47.5% 46%
Dem 84,878 votes Rep
2012 DEM +13.7%
56.3% 42.6%
Dem 89,826 votes Rep
2008 DEM +14.5%
56.6% 42.1%
Dem 86,371 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Scott County, Iowa

Scott County, Iowa has a total population of 174,608, making it the 394th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Scott County is 39.4 years, which is 1.3% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Scott County is $78,277, which ranks #656 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 4.2% above the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 11.5%, lower than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 3.6%.

The median home value in Scott County is $222,000, 21.2% below the national median. Renters in Scott County pay a median gross rent of $1,005 per month. The homeownership rate is 70.0%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Scott County, 36.6% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 8.6% above the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 94.8% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 22.2 min.

Scott County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 77.0% of the population, followed by Hispanic or Latino (7.4%) and Black (non-Hispanic) (7.1%).

All data for Scott County, Iowa comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.