County · Missouri

Scott County, Missouri

Scott County, Missouri. Scott County had 37,975 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 0.2% since 2020, while Missouri grew 1.9%. It holds 17 places (15 cities, villages and boroughs and 2 census-designated) and 11 census tracts. GEOID 29201.

Scott County is one of the 2 counties of the Sikeston, MO micropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

37,975

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 38,059 · ACS 2020-2024: 37,933

Median household income

$62,782

±$4,395 (90% margin)
Missouri: $70,702

Median home value

$154,400

±$5,696 (90% margin)
Missouri: $230,300

Median gross rent

$873

±$39 (90% margin)
Missouri: $1,033

How many people live in Scott County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 38,059 residents in Scott County. The Census Bureau estimates 37,975 for July 1, 2025, down 0.2% since 2020, while Missouri grew 1.9%. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 37,933 over 420 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −128 (37,893)
2021→2022 −32 (37,861)
2022→2023 +24 (37,885)
2023→2024 +52 (37,937)
2024→2025 +38 (37,975)

Scott County in Missouri. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Scott County	Missouri	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	37,933	6,191,814	−700
Households	15,327±300	2,508,227	no clear change
Average household size	2.44±0.05	2.40	no clear change
Housing units	16,861±35	2,825,287	−398

Scott County's population since 2000

From 40,422 in 2000 to 37,975 in 2025: down 6.1%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 40,422
2005 (estimate) 39,719
2010 Census 39,191
2015 (estimate) 39,040
2020 Census 38,059
2025 (estimate) 37,975

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Scott County?

Scott County holds 17 places: 15 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 2 census-designated places. The largest is Sikeston with 15,983 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Scott County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Sikeston	city	16,291	16,320±318	$58,915	$168,800	14.2%	87%
Scott City	city	4,346	4,371±26	$62,599	$147,500	11.2%	100%
Chaffee	city	3,057	3,026±17	$43,542	$117,400	9.2%	100%
Oran	city	1,195	1,033±190	$65,200	$135,000	15.8%	100%
Miner	city	916	950±220	$52,000	$131,600	14.4%	100%
BentonGEOID 2904798	city	866	826±195	$86,023	$254,300	3.7%	100%
Morley	city	630	540±144	$47,132	$84,300	19.4%	100%
Kelso	village	554	603±133	$56,875	$215,400	12.6%	100%
New HamburgGEOID 2951842	CDP	218	247±84	$98,750	$198,800	0.0%	100%
BlodgettGEOID 2906346	city	209	196±87	not published	not published	20.4%	100%
Vanduser	village	183	198±89	$42,500	$64,100	27.4%	100%
DiehlstadtGEOID 2919486	village	157	113±55	$46,250	$73,800	11.5%	100%
Haywood CityGEOID 2931204	village	133	180±118	$37,857	not published	56.7%	100%
PerkinsGEOID 2957044	CDP	123	106±104	$48,558	not published	4.7%	100%
LambertGEOID 2940448	village	48	0±12	not published	not published	–	100%
CommerceGEOID 2915760	village	45	64±45	not published	not published	18.8%	100%
Cape Girardeau	city	39,540	40,344±70	$55,658	$196,300	20.8%	0%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Scott County?

The median resident of Scott County is 39.7 years old; 24.0% are under 18 and 18.7% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 80.8%, then non-Hispanic Black residents at 9.1%. 0.6% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Scott County	Missouri	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	39.7±0.5	39.0	no clear change
Under 18 years	24.0%±0.1 pts	22.3%	–
65 years and over	18.7%±0.1 pts	17.9%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	2.6%	5.2%	+0.3 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	80.8%±0.5 pts	76.3%	−2.4 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	9.1%±0.8 pts	10.9%	−2.5 pts
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.1%±0.1 pts	2.1%	–
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.2%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.1%±0.1 pts	0.1%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	7.0%±1.0 pts	4.8%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.2 pts	0.4%	–
Born outside the United States	0.6%±0.3 pts	4.5%	−0.6 pts
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	2.2%±0.6 pts	6.7%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	6.3%±1.0 pts	7.3%	–
With a disability	16.6%±1.2 pts	14.9%	–
No health insurance coverage	10.7%±1.6 pts	8.8%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	87.6%±1.5 pts	91.9%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	22.1%±1.9 pts	32.4%	+5.8 pts
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	7.3%±1.2 pts	12.6%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	0.7%±0.4 pts	2.5%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Scott County earn?

Half of Scott County's 15,327 households earn less than $62,782 a year (±$4,395), against $70,702 in Missouri. In 2015-2019 the median was $54,322 in 2024 dollars, so it rose by $8,460 after inflation. 12.8% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Scott County	Missouri	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$62,782±$4,395	$70,702	+$8,460
Mean household income	$81,670±$4,796	$96,247	–
Per capita income	$33,711±$1,792	$39,695	+$3,041
People below the poverty line	12.8%±1.8 pts	12.6%	−7.0 pts
Children under 18 below the poverty line	14.2%±3.4 pts	15.8%	−16.3 pts
Households receiving SNAP	14.9%±2.0 pts	9.8%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	88.9%±1.7 pts	89.3%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Scott County?

Owners occupy 71.1% of Scott County's occupied homes and renters 28.9%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $154,400 by its owner (±$5,696). The median renter pays $873 a month including utilities, and 32.1% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Scott County	Missouri	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$154,400±$5,696	$230,300	+$20,008
Median gross rent	$873±$39	$1,033	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	32.1%±6.0 pts	36.6%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,156±$42	$1,524	–
Owner-occupied homes	71.1%±2.2 pts	68.1%	+4.4 pts
Housing units	16,861±35	2,825,287	−398
Homeowner vacancy rate	1.1%±0.9 pts	0.9%	–
Rental vacancy rate	6.5%±3.5 pts	5.0%	–
Single-family detached homes	78.0%±2.2 pts	70.5%	–
Mobile homes	10.2%±1.7 pts	5.2%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.5%±0.3 pts	1.6%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	9.9%±1.6 pts	13.3%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How many new homes is Scott County building?

Builders took permits for 69 new housing units across Scott County in 2025 (63 single-family), 1.8 per 1,000 residents.

2019 47 units
2020 68 units
2021 57 units
2022 50 units
2023 81 units
2024 119 units
2025 69 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Scott County get to work?

83.1% of Scott County's workers drive alone and 4.4% work from home. The average trip to work takes 18.6 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 2.9%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Scott County	Missouri	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	61.8%±1.8 pts	63.1%	–
Unemployment rate	2.9%±0.7 pts	4.0%	−1.5 pts
Drove alone to work	83.1%±2.3 pts	74.8%	–
Carpooled	10.2%±1.9 pts	8.1%	–
Public transportation	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.8%	–
Walked	0.8%±0.5 pts	1.8%	–
Worked from home	4.4%±1.0 pts	13.0%	no clear change
Mean travel time to work	18.6 min±1.0	23.5 min	−2.3 min

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What are Scott County's census tracts?

Scott County is divided into 11 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $35,956 (Tract 7812.01) to $79,659 (Tract 7813).

Census tracts of Scott County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 780129201780100	Scott City (75%)	3,160	3,184±380	$64,720	$155,300	$936	12.7%
Tract 780229201780200	Chaffee (50%)	4,165	4,191±314	$52,443	$138,700	$632	7.1%
Tract 780329201780300	Oran (28%)	2,575	2,342±312	$66,858	$114,000	$715	11.9%
Tract 780429201780400	Vanduser (7%)	4,986	4,693±484	$77,438	$151,800	$947	11.8%
Tract 780629201780600	Sikeston (40%)	4,206	4,086±460	$60,872	$107,400	$785	13.3%
Tract 780729201780700	Sikeston (98%)	2,892	2,578±361	$39,646	$114,400	$1,041	17.4%
Tract 781029201781000	Benton (17%)	4,019	4,179±405	$65,207	$193,400	$988	16.1%
Tract 781129201781100	Scott City (43%)	3,230	3,486±446	$73,836	$215,400	$880	5.2%
Tract 7812.0129201781201	Sikeston	2,546	2,255±525	$35,956	$79,900	$879	19.1%
Tract 7812.0229201781202	Sikeston (96%)	3,180	3,483±422	$58,667	$172,700	$894	19.4%
Tract 781329201781300	Sikeston (98%)	3,100	3,456±470	$79,659	$274,800	$755	11.0%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Scott County compare with Missouri's other counties?

Scott County's rank among Missouri's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	31st of 115
Growth 2020-2025	81st of 115
Residents per square mile	21st of 115
Median household income	44th of 115
Median home value	79th of 115
Median gross rent	29th of 115
Poverty rate	74th of 115
Bachelor's degree or higher	38th of 115
Median age	79th of 115

Every county in Missouri

Source: PlainCities ranks from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Scott County are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.