City profile · Missouri · Census ACS 2023

Scott City, MO

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Scott City - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

4,354
Residents
$61,581
Median income
$134,900
Median home
$930
Median rent (state)

Scott City - the verdict

Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Scott City lands in the 38th percentile for household income and the 60th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.

38th
percentile, household income
22nd
percentile, home value
9th
percentile, median rent
60th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Scott City, MO

Census ACS 2023 estimates count 4,354 residents in Scott City, a small town within Missouri. The typical household in Scott City brings in $61,581 a year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 10.3%. Home values in Scott City run a median of $134,900, and the median resident age is 36.2 years. 15.7% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 65.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 93 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Building Boom), up 615% from five years earlier. Scott City reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 1103.5 in FBI UCR data, below the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).

Living costs in Missouri run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Missouri at 90.8 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Below Average). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $930 per month. Monthly utility costs average around $219 across Missouri, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Natural-hazard exposure scores 80.1 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (High).

Population

4,354 residents

Census ACS 2023 - Missouri

Median Household Income

$61,581 /yr

Poverty 10.3%

Cost of Living Index (state)

90.8 (US=100)

Well Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, Missouri average

How does Scott City compare to other US cities?

Here's how Scott City stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 38% higher than other cities
Home value 22% pricier than other cities
Median rent 9% pricier than other cities
Safety 60% safer than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Missouri alone, Scott City ranks #89 of 234 Missouri cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Scott City's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in Missouri, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.

38thIncome percentile
60thSafety percentile

38th percentile nationally for median household income · 60th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

Scott City's profile vs. every US city

Income, affordability, and safety percentile

Scott City's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown. 3-axis radar comparing 1 series across Income, Affordability, Safety. IncomeAffordabilitySafety 61 Avg. percentile National median
Scott City's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.

How Scott City's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$134,900 Among the most affordable more affordable than 78% of 15,600 US cities

$0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). This entry sits in this band. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Above this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Above this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Scott City $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Income distribution context

Household income distribution - Scott City, MO Scott City, MO's reported median household income shown against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern (not Scott City, MO-specific quintile data). The Lorenz curve traces the national cumulative income share against cumulative population share, perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Scott City, MO median $61,581/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Scott City, MO's median household income (Census ACS 5-year estimate) plotted against the U.S. national income-quintile distribution pattern for context; the quintile shares and Lorenz curve are national figures, not computed specifically for Scott City, MO. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 15.7%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 10.3%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 65.7%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
4,354
Median Income
$61,581
Median Home Value
$134,900
Median Age
36.2
Poverty Rate
10.3%
Labor force participation
65.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
15.7%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
1103.5
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
298.9
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
804.6
per 100,000 residents

Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.

Schools

Total Schools
3
Public schools in this city

Population Change

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
4,300 residents4,400 residents4,500 residents4,600 residents4,700 residents 202020212022202320242025 4,335 residents 4,593 residents ▲ +6.0%
Scott City's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized

📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
93
housing units authorized
Single-Family
61
detached homes
Multifamily
32
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
21.4
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 13
2020 24
2021 4
2022 3
2023 46
2024 93

Permit volume increased 615% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
81.9%
Carpool
9.4%
Public Transit
0.1%
Walk
0.3%
Work from Home
5.8%
Other
2.5%

Based on 2,233 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Missouri - EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$105
avg/month
Natural Gas
$72
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$42
avg/month
Total Utilities
$219
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Missouri state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Cost of living is a Missouri state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Scott City sits in

Cost of Living Index
90.8
Well Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$930/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
80.1 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Similar Cities in Missouri

Breckenridge Hills
4,413 people
Lamar
4,290 people
Normandy
4,263 people
Fredericktown
4,464 people
Eldon
4,486 people
Mountain Grove
4,494 people

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Scott City's 4,354 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Rose Hill, KS
4,353 people
Milton CDP (Saratoga County), NY
4,353 people
Baxter, SC
4,355 people
Harrogate, TN
4,355 people
Williamstown, MA
4,352 people
Auburn, IL
4,357 people

Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide

Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Scott City's $61,581 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).

Rocky Mount, VA
$61,580 median income
Atlanta, IN
$61,583 median income
South Padre Island, TX
$61,578 median income
Moose Lake, MN
$61,576 median income
Elmwood Park, WI
$61,573 median income
Kalispell, MT
$61,590 median income

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - Scott City, MO Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Scott City, MO - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 95.0% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.0% White 95.0% Black or African American 0.3% Asian 0.1% American Indian 0.0% Native Hawaiian 0.0% Some other race 0.0% Two or more races 4.7% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.

How Scott City compares to nearby Missouri cities

Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).

City Population Median Household Income
Scott City (this city) 4,354 $61,581
Breckenridge Hills 4,413 $44,800
Lamar 4,290 $34,894
Normandy 4,263 $33,421
Census ACS 5-year FIPS MO FBI UCR NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Scott City, MO?

What is the population of Scott City, MO? +

Scott City, MO has a population of 4,354 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Scott City, MO? +

Scott City households earn a median of $61,581 annually, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Scott City? +

BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Scott City; the closest available measure is the Missouri state average, a cost of living index of 90.8 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Well Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Missouri vary by metro area.

Is Scott City, MO safe? +

Scott City has a total crime rate of 1103.5 per 100,000 residents, which is below the national average. This reflects incidents reported to the FBI UCR program, not a definitive safety score -- agency reporting is voluntary and completeness varies by jurisdiction.

What is the median home value in Scott City, MO? +

Scott City's median home value sits at $134,900, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.