Scott County, Iowa Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Scott County, IA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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B
Income Around average
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 93% of counties in Iowa
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Scott County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 174,608 | 3,204,793 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 372.9 | 57.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.25% | 0.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.0 | 36.8 | 37.3 |
| Households | 73,132 | 1,308,457 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Scott County grew by 7.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 174,608 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Scott County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 21.8% of residents. That is 1.4 points above Iowa as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 36,175 20.7% -1.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 38,109 21.8% +1.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 34,206 19.6% +0.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 30,226 17.3% -0.4 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Iowa, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.8% of the people living in Scott County and men 49.2%.
- Women 50.8% Iowa 50.0%
- Men 49.2% Iowa 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Scott County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Scott County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Scott County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $78,775 | $75,133 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.17% | 3.99% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.6% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Scott County is about 5% higher than in Iowa.
Housing
| Metric | Scott County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $168,067 | $153,425 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,005 | $971 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 70.0% | 71.7% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Scott County is about 13.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,005 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Scott County spend about 36 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 150 hours, about 6.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Scott County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.0 | 17.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 36.0 | 33.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 150 | 141 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,645 | $4,382 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.9% | 11.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,668 | 4,993 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,217 | 606 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Iowa:
Sioux County (10.1 min), Union County (10.4 min), Cass County (10.6 min).
Slowest:
Monroe County (30.4 min), Madison County (30.1 min), Mills County (26.7 min).
The average commute time in Scott County is 18 minutes, longer than the 17 minutes in Iowa.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Scott County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Scott County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 32.5% | 27.9% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.34 | 2.37 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Iowa:
Johnson County (0.4), Dallas County (0.4), Story County (0.4).
Lowest:
Crawford County (0.2), Wayne County (0.2), Louisa County (0.2).
Health
Scott County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Scott County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.4 | 79.2 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.9% | 13.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.6% | 17.6% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Iowa:
Johnson County (0.8), Story County (0.8), Winneshiek County (0.8).
Lowest:
Davis County (0.8), Wayne County (0.8), Appanoose County (0.8).
Scott County, IA Compared With Nearby Counties
Scott County, IA is the largest of the 4 counties compared here, 174,608 residents against a local median of 46,268. Scott County, IA's median household income, at $78,775, runs 16% above the $68,145 typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves sit within $2,449 of each other on median household income, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Scott County, IA, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Scott County, IA has the highest median household income of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott County, IA | 174,608 | $78,775 #1/4 | $168,067 #2/4 | 18.0 min #4/4 |
| Rock Island County, IL | 142,693 | $67,544 | $170,155 | 17.8 min |
| Clinton County, IA | 46,268 | $68,145 | $164,024 | 17.2 min |
| Muscatine County, IA | 42,559 | $69,993 | $84,420 | 15.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Scott County, Iowa.
How many people live in Scott County, Iowa?
About 174,608 people live in Scott County, Iowa, in 73,132 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 38.0, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Scott County, Iowa urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Scott County, Iowa has 373 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 4.3 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Scott County, Iowa?
The median home costs 2.1 times the median household income ($168,067 against $78,775), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,005 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Scott County, Iowa?
Unemployment in Scott County, Iowa is only 3.6%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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