Scott County, Tennessee Income Statistics
Scott County Wealth Score
The wealth index reflects the overall economic prosperity and financial well-being of a county's residents based on income levels, employment rates, and income inequality metrics.
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D
Scott County Well below averageLess wealthy than 86% of counties in Tennessee
Source: Map AI Methodology
Income Statistics Overview
| Metric | Scott County | Tennessee Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Household Income | $44,607 | $69,901 | $80,455 |
| Median Personal Income | $42,029 | $53,263 | $60,758 |
| Average Yearly Income Growth | 4.9% | 5.2% | 4.8% |
| Six-Figure Earners | 3.1% | 10.4% | 13.9% |
| $200k+ Households | 1.8% | 9.0% | 13.2% |
The median household income in Scott County is about 36% lower than in Tennessee. Income has been growing slower in Scott County (4.9%/yr) than in Tennessee (5.2%/yr).
About 3% of adults in Scott County earn six figures ($100,000 or more) a year, lower than the Tennessee average of 10%.
Median Household Income 2009–2024 Trend
Median Household Income Over Time
Median household income in Scott County, Tennessee grew by 65.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching $44,607 in 2024. That's an average of about 4.9% per year.
Income Inequality and the Gender Pay Gap in Scott County
| Metric | Scott County | Tennessee Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gini Coefficient | 0.546 | 0.542 | 0.552 |
| Male Median Income | $51,295 | $61,993 | $69,667 |
| Female Median Income | $38,074 | $50,108 | $56,850 |
| Gender Pay Gap | 25.8% | 19.2% | 18.4% |
The Gini coefficient measures how evenly income is shared between richer and poorer households, from 0 (everyone earns the same) to 1 (one household earns nearly everything). The lower the number, the more equally income is distributed. In Scott County, it is 0.546, about the same as Tennessee's 0.542, so income here is about as evenly distributed as there, and lower than the US's 0.552, so income is more evenly distributed here than there.
Men's income is about 35% more than women's income in Scott County, Tennessee. Over a 35-year career, a 35% wage gap accumulates to roughly $462,735 in unearned income for female workers in the area.
Income by Sex Over Time
Since 2009, the income gap between men and women in Scott County, Tennessee has widened from about 14% to 26% in 2024. Over that period the gap was widest at 32% in 2023, and was narrowest at 1% in 2014. In dollar terms, the gap has widened by $8,895 since 2009.
Sharply against the trend: the pay gap in Scott County widened by 12.3 points while Tennessee's narrowed by 3.7 points.
Employment
| Metric | Scott County | Tennessee Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment Rate | 7.5% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
| Working from Home | 3.7% | 12.9% | 15.0% |
| Commute time (minutes) | 20 | 22 | 22 |
Approximately 708 people are unemployed in Scott County, Tennessee.
The average commute time in Scott County is 20 minutes, shorter than the 22 minutes in Tennessee.
Unemployment Rate Over Time
Since 2011, the unemployment rate in Scott County, Tennessee has fallen from 12.2% to 7.5% in 2024. Over that period the rate peaked at 15.4% in 2012 and fell as low as 7.2% in 2019.
Scott County, TN Wealth Compared With Nearby Counties
Scott County, TN is typical in size for this group, 22,110 residents against a local median of 21,361, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Scott County, TN's unemployment, at 7.5%, runs 60% above the 4.7% typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Income growth tells the same story from another angle: 4.9%/yr against a local median of 6.1%/yr, 20% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, and it is the wrong way: Scott County, TN reads weaker than its neighbours on all of them. The counties themselves sit within 1.3% of each other on unemployment, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Scott County, TN, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Scott County, TN has the 6th lowest unemployment of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Income growthAverage yearly change in median household income since 2016. Each year is measured in its own dollars, so this is growth before inflation. | Unemployment | Income inequalityGini coefficient: 0 would mean every household earns the same, 1 that a single household earns everything. The lower the number, the more equally income is shared here. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott County, TN | 22,110 | $44,607 #5/6 | 4.9%/yr #6/6 | 7.5% #6/6 | 0.546 #4/6 |
| McCreary County, KY | 16,867 | $33,374 | 7.9%/yr | 4.2% | 0.624 |
| Morgan County, TN | 21,361 | $65,837 | 6.7%/yr | 5.1% | 0.568 |
| Campbell County, TN | 39,761 | $51,969 | 5.6%/yr | 5.0% | 0.534 |
| Fentress County, TN | 19,309 | $51,226 | 6.1%/yr | 4.7% | 0.520 |
| Anderson County, TN | 79,153 | $67,394 | 5.4%/yr | 3.7% | 0.532 |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Scott County, Tennessee has an overall wealth index grade of D, making it somewhat worse than Tennessee, and somewhat worse than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about income and wealth in Scott County, Tennessee.
How Rich Is Scott County, Tennessee?
Scott County has a wealth index grade of D. The wealth index grades areas from A+ (best) to F- by combining income levels, employment rates, and income inequality; a D grade means residents are somewhat worse off than the U.S. average. The median household income is $44,607, about 36% lower than the Tennessee average of $69,901.
How fast is household income rising in Scott County, Tennessee?
Between 2009 and 2024, the median household income in Scott County, Tennessee rose 66%, from $26,949 to $44,607. Over the same years, income here outpaced Tennessee as a whole: +66% against +63%.
What was the median household income in Scott County in 2023?
In 2023, the median household income in Scott County, Tennessee was $41,798, up 5% from $39,793 in 2022. The Tennessee median that year was $67,483.
What was the median household income in Scott County in 2020?
In 2020, the median household income in Scott County, Tennessee was $37,475. By 2024 it had risen 19% to $44,607.
How strong is the job market in Scott County, Tennessee?
Unemployment in Scott County, Tennessee is 7.5%, well above the Tennessee rate of 4.6%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
What is the Gini coefficient in Scott County, Tennessee?
The Gini coefficient in Scott County is 0.546. It measures income inequality on a scale from 0 (everyone earns the same) to 1 (one household earns everything). That is lower than the US average of 0.552, so income is distributed more equally than in the country overall.
How has the income gap between men and women changed in Scott County, Tennessee?
Since 2009, the income gap between men and women in Scott County, Tennessee has widened from about 14% to 26% in 2024. Over that period the gap was widest at 32% in 2023, and was narrowest at 1% in 2014. In dollar terms, the gap has widened by $8,895 since 2009.
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