Scott County, Virginia Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Scott County, VA 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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C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 73% of counties in Virginia
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 77% of counties in Virginia
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 89% of counties in Virginia
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Scott County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 21,488 | 8,702,460 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 39.9 | 203.3 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.52% | 0.57% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 48.7 | 37.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 9,126 | 3,364,625 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Scott County declined by 5.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 21,488 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Scott County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 23.7% of residents. That is 7.1 points above Virginia as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,658 17.0% -4.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,882 18.1% -4.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,872 22.7% +2.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,084 23.7% +7.1 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 Virginia, 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 49.1% of the people living in Scott County and men 50.9%.
- Women 49.1% Virginia 50.6%
- Men 50.9% Virginia 49.4%
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 D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Scott County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $46,320 | $93,527 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 2.54% | 4.33% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.8% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Scott County is about 50% lower than in Virginia.
Housing
| Metric | Scott County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $155,318 | $256,082 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $698 | $1,579 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.0% | 67.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Scott County is about 18.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $698 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Scott County spend about 55 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 230 hours, about 9.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Scott County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 27.6 | 23.2 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 55.1 | 46.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 230 | 193 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,119 | $5,986 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 5.8% | 18.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,215 | 10,059 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 664 | 1,531 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Virginia:
Lexington city (10.6 min), Covington city (12.2 min), Norton city (13.1 min).
Slowest:
Amelia County (43.7 min), Craig County (41.3 min), Buckingham County (41.3 min).
The average commute time in Scott County is 28 minutes, longer than the 23 minutes in Virginia.
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 F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Scott County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 13.8% | 37.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.27 | 2.52 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Virginia:
Falls Church city (0.6), Arlington County (0.6), Alexandria city (0.5).
Lowest:
Greensville County (0.2), Lunenburg County (0.2), Buchanan County (0.2).
Health
Scott County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Scott County | Virginia Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.2 | 77.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.9% | 16.9% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.3% | 19.0% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Virginia:
Falls Church city (0.8), Arlington County (0.8), Fairfax County (0.8).
Lowest:
Emporia city (0.7), Petersburg city (0.8), Galax city (0.8).
Scott County, VA Compared With Nearby Counties
Scott County, VA is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 21,488 residents against a local median of 97,112. Where Scott County, VA breaks from the counties next to it is commute, sitting 48% above the local median of 18.7 min at 27.6 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $46,320 against a local median of $58,224, 20% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, and it is the wrong way: Scott County, VA reads weaker than its neighbours on all of them. The counties themselves spread 5.6 min on commute, so Scott County, VA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Scott County, VA has the 5th lowest commute of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott County, VA | 21,488 | $46,320 #5/5 | $155,318 #3/5 | 27.6 min #5/5 |
| Wise County, VA | 35,431 | $53,154 | $64,936 | 18.4 min |
| Sullivan County, TN | 160,624 | $59,119 | $215,151 | 18.9 min |
| Washington County, TN | 136,261 | $62,668 | $114,705 | 18.4 min |
| Hawkins County, TN | 57,964 | $57,329 | $228,888 | 24.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Scott County, Virginia.
How big is Scott County, Virginia by population?
About 21,488 people live in Scott County, Virginia, in 9,126 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 48.7, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 11 years.
Is Scott County, Virginia mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Scott County, Virginia has 40 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 46% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Scott County, Virginia an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 3.4 times the median household income ($155,318 against $46,320), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $698 a month takes about 18% 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, Virginia?
Unemployment in Scott County, Virginia is only 2.8%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How common is a college degree in Scott County, Virginia?
13.8% of adults in Scott County, Virginia hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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