Scott County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Scott County, MN Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
A
Health Above averageHealthier than 94% of counties in Minnesota
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A
Income Above averageAmong the top 3 wealthiest counties in Minnesota
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 92% of counties in Minnesota
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Scott County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 154,543 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 419.8 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.27% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.6 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 54,965 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Scott County grew by 22.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 154,543 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Scott County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 23.8% of residents. That is 1.9 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 32,604 21.1% -0.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 36,737 23.8% +1.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 33,755 21.8% +2.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 18,619 12.0% -4.5 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 Minnesota, 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 49.9% of the people living in Scott County and men 50.1%.
- Women 49.9% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 50.1% Minnesota 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 A, which means it is very prosperous.
| Metric | Scott County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $120,239 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.59% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.5% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Scott County is about 34% higher than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Scott County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $282,373 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,568 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 83.8% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Scott County is about 15.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,568 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Scott County spend about 46 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 194 hours, about 8.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Scott County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.2 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 46.4 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 194 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,000 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 19.7% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 11,380 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,049 | 854 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Minnesota:
Brown County (10.6 min), Pennington County (10.8 min), Cottonwood County (10.9 min).
Slowest:
Chisago County (30.9 min), Wright County (28.8 min), Sherburne County (28.8 min).
The average commute time in Scott County is 23 minutes, longer than the 20 minutes in Minnesota.
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 | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 39.8% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.79 | 2.43 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Minnesota:
Hennepin County (0.4), Olmsted County (0.4), Carver County (0.4).
Lowest:
Nobles County (0.2), Mahnomen County (0.2), Watonwan County (0.2).
Health
Scott County has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Scott County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.8 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 9.5% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 15.4% | 18.5% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Minnesota:
Carver County (0.8), Washington County (0.8), Stevens County (0.8).
Lowest:
Mahnomen County (0.8), Clearwater County (0.8), Beltrami County (0.8).
Scott County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
Scott County, MN is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 154,543 residents against a local median of 110,041. Scott County, MN's median household income, at $120,239, runs 23% above the $97,974 typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread $43,448 on median household income, so Scott County, MN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Scott County, MN has the 2nd highest median household income of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott County, MN | 154,543 | $120,239 #2/6 | $282,373 #5/6 | 23.2 min #6/6 |
| Carver County, MN | 110,041 | $126,357 | $303,125 | 22.6 min |
| Le Sueur County, MN | 29,116 | $92,665 | $224,959 | 22.4 min |
| Hennepin County, MN | 1,268,249 | $97,974 | $303,459 | 20.8 min |
| Rice County, MN | 67,917 | $82,909 | $383,335 | 17.3 min |
| Dakota County, MN | 445,396 | $106,144 | $412,524 | 22.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Scott County, Minnesota.
How big is Scott County, Minnesota by population?
About 154,543 people live in Scott County, Minnesota, in 54,965 households of 2.8 people on average. The median age is 35.6, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
How densely populated is Scott County, Minnesota?
Averaged over its land area, Scott County, Minnesota has 420 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 4.9 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Scott County, Minnesota an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.3 times the median household income ($282,373 against $120,239), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,568 a month takes about 16% 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, Minnesota?
Unemployment in Scott County, Minnesota is only 3.5%, 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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