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Place dossier plate
SheetMO-SCOTT-CITY-MO · Scott City, MO 4,354 pop · income 38th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Scott City
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Scott City on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Normandy · lowest
33,421
Normandy · lowest
33,421 median HH income
22.8% of the leader · rank #1
Moose Lake · near
61,576
Moose Lake · near
61,576 median HH income
42.0% of the leader · rank #2
South Padre I… · near
61,578
South Padre I… · near
61,578 median HH income
42.0% of the leader · rank #3
Rocky Mount · near
61,580
Rocky Mount · near
61,580 median HH income
42.1% of the leader · rank #4
Scott City · this city
61,581
Scott City · this city
61,581 median HH income
42.1% of the leader · rank #5
Atlanta · near
61,583
Atlanta · near
61,583 median HH income
42.1% of the leader · rank #6
Baxter · highest
146,440
Baxter · highest
146,440 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Scott City on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 4,354.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
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
7th
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. Median household income here is $61,581 per 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 1103.4 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 $972 per month. Monthly utility costs average around $219 across Missouri, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Natural-hazard exposure scores 50.6 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Scott City's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from reported crime to population change to comparison shortlist to work and mobility to schools and households to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Scott City, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, commute-mode shares, matched public-school count, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Scott City?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1103.4 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 52% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Is Scott City growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +258 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +6.0% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 93 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Which cities make useful reference points for Scott City?
Within Missouri, the closest population matches are Breckenridge Hills (4,413 residents, $44,800 income); Lamar (4,290 residents, $34,894 income); Normandy (4,263 residents, $33,421 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Rose Hill, KS (4,353 residents); Milton CDP (Saratoga County), NY (4,353 residents); Baxter, SC (4,355 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
What does the journey to work look like in Scott City?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 81.9%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Scott City?
The NCES join finds 3 public schools within the city match. 15.7% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
3
Bachelor's degree+
15.7%
Poverty estimate
10.3%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
How far does income reach against housing in Scott City?
The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 2.2 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 10.3%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.
Household income
$61,581
Home value
$134,900
Value / income
2.2×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Below median income · poverty 10.3% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
90.8 (US=100)
Affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Missouri average
D
City profile score · Scott City, MO
43/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living A-
90.8 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Poverty rate F
10.3%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$61,581
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime F
299 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
15.7%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Scott City profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 83/100 (A-) · 90.8 index
Poverty rate: 38/100 (F) · 10.3%
Household income: 37/100 (F) · $61,581
Violent crime: 33/100 (F) · 299 /100k
Bachelor's+ share: 22/100 (F) · 15.7%
Where Scott City sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Scott City's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Scott City highlighted among 9 peers.Read the chart values
Scott City, MO (this city): home $134,900, crime 1,103/100k
Rose Hill, KS : home $213,400, crime 1,119/100k
Williamstown, MA : home $436,900, crime 967/100k
Auburn, IL : home $145,400, crime 726/100k
Lamar, MO : home $114,800, crime 3,709/100k
Normandy, MO : home $91,400, crime 3,375/100k
Fredericktown, MO : home $120,200, crime 2,793/100k
Eldon, MO : home $116,900, crime 708/100k
Mountain Grove, MO : home $89,300, crime 1,807/100k
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 income38% higher than other cities
Home value22% pricier than other cities
Median rent7% pricier than other cities
Safety60% 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
Each percentile compares Scott City against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Missouri only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Missouri-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Scott City near the bottom of Missouri's cities
Among the 875 Missouri cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Scott City ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Scott City only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#293 of 842
65th percentile in Missouri
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 875
0th percentile in Missouri
Median Home Value
#351 of 833
58th percentile in Missouri
Poverty Rate
#422 of 875
51st percentile in Missouri
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#430 of 875
51st percentile in Missouri
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Missouri only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
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.
How Scott City's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$134,900Among the most affordablemore affordable than 78% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
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
Scott City's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.2×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#2,409 of 15,516
More affordable than 84% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#2,264 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 2.2×, Scott City sits in the affordable band:
national rank #2,409 of 15,516 and #2,264 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$61,581Scott City, MO median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Scott City, MO median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Scott City, MO.
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
1103.4
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
298.9
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
804.6
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
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
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Scott City's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
4,335 residents
2021
4,354 residents
2022
4,342 residents
2023
4,337 residents
2024
4,420 residents
2025
4,593 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
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
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
13
5
8
$1.3M
2020
24
24
0
$4.5M
2021
4
4
0
$0.9M
2022
3
3
0
$0.5M
2023
46
46
0
$3.8M
2024
93
61
32
$8.1M
Permit volume increased 615% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
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
Missouri statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $219
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Missouri at $219 (electricity about $105 , water and sewer about $42 ).
These are Missouri statewide averages, not a meter reading for Scott City. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Missouri's BEA cost-of-living index is 90.8 (Well Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Scott City is $972/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Missouri statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 50.6 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Missouri statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Scott City sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Scott City compares to similar-size Missouri cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
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.