Scott County, Iowa
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Scott County is a
county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
located in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
. As of the 2020 census, the population was 174,669, making it the third-most populous county in Iowa. The
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
is Davenport. Scott County is included in the Davenport– Moline- Rock Island, IA– IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.


History

The first American settlement in the area now known as Scott County was Clark's Ferry or Clark's Landing (now Buffalo) in 1833. Other early towns included Davenport (now the county seat and largest city) and the town of Rockingham (which ceased to exist in 1847). The area was fully surveyed in 1837, and the county was established by the Wisconsin territorial legislature in that same year. Scott County is named for General
Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as Commanding General of the United States Army from 1841 to 1861, and was a veteran of the War of 1812, American Indian Wars, Mexica ...
, who was the presiding officer at the signing of the peace treaty ending the
Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans led by Black Hawk (Sauk leader), Black Hawk, a Sauk people, Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of ...
. By 1900 the population of the county was 51,500, and by 1950 it was over 100,000. Scott County now comprises part of the Quad City region, which includes the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf (in Iowa) and Rock Island, Moline and East Moline (in
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
). The present Scott County Courthouse was completed in 1955 and expanded along with the jail in 2007. The old section of the Scott County Jail was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1983. The courthouse was included as a
contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...
in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District in 2020.


Geography

The
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
is the city of Davenport. According to the
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.2%) is water. Part of the
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is a , See also * Izaak Walton League * List of National Wildlife Refuges *Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge ...
is located within the county.


Major highways

*
Interstate 74 Interstate 74 (I-74) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western end is at an interchange with I-80 in Davenport, Iowa; the eastern end of its Midwest segment is at an interchange with I-75 in ...
*
Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...
* Interstate 280 * U.S. Highway 6 * U.S. Highway 61 * U.S. Highway 67 * Iowa Highway 22 * Iowa Highway 130


Transit

* Bettendorf Transit * Davenport Citibus


Adjacent counties

*
Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: **Clinton County, New York ** Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, ...
(north) *
Rock Island County, Illinois Rock Island County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois, bounded on the west by the Mississippi River. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 144,672. Its county seat is Rock Island; its largest city is neighborin ...
(east and south) * Muscatine County (southwest) * Cedar County (northwest)


Demographics

The US Census Bureau estimated Scott County's population at 170,385 in 2013, fourth fastest-growing out of Iowa's 99 counties after Dallas County, a western suburb of
Des Moines Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...
:
Johnson Johnson may refer to: People and fictional characters *Johnson (surname), a common surname in English * Johnson (given name), a list of people * List of people with surname Johnson, including fictional characters *Johnson (composer) (1953–2011) ...
, Polk, followed by Warren County being the top five.


2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 174,669 in the county, with a population density of . 92.61% of the population reported being of one race. There were 77,771 housing units, of which 71,628 were occupied.


2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 165,224 in the county, with a population density of . There were 71,835 housing units, of which 66,765 were occupied.


2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 158,668 people, 62,334 households, and 41,888 families in the county. The population density was . There were 65,649 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 88.54% White, 6.11% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 1.58% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.64% from other races, and 1.80% from two or more races. 4.06%. were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 62,334 households, 33.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.30% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.80% were non-families. 26.90% of households were one person and 9.00% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.04. The age distribution was 26.50% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 29.40% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 11.80% 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.50 males. The median household income was $42,701 and the median family income was $52,045. Males had a median income of $38,985 versus $25,456 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,310. About 7.70% of families and 10.50% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 13.70% of those under age 18 and 5.80% of those age 65 or over.


Communities


Cities

* Bettendorf * Blue Grass * Buffalo * Davenport * Dixon * Donahue * Durant * Eldridge * LeClaire * Long Grove * Maysville * McCausland * New Liberty * Panorama Park *
Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...
* Riverdale * Walcott


Census-designated places

*
Argo In Greek mythology, the ''Argo'' ( ; ) was the ship of Jason and the Argonauts. The ship was built with divine aid, and some ancient sources describe her as the first ship to sail the seas. The ''Argo'' carried the Argonauts on their quest fo ...
* Big Rock * Park View * Plainview


Other unincorporated communities

*Desmond Acres


Townships

* Allens Grove * Blue Grass * Buffalo *
Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...
* Cleona * Davenport (City) * Hickory Grove * LeClaire *
Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...
* Lincoln * Pleasant Valley *
Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...
* Sheridan * Winfield


Former township

* Rockingham


Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Scott County. † ''county seat''


Politics

For most of its history, Scott County was primarily a Republican county. From 1880 to 1984, it only supported a Democrat for president nine times, six of which were national Democratic landslides. In more recent elections, the county has become consistently Democratic in presidential elections like many other midsize urban counties nationwide, with the party's candidates winning the county in every presidential election from 1988 on. Despite these victories, their margins of victory have not been as wide as in many other counties of similar composition, especially in 2016 when
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
only won the county by 1,291 votes; yet Scott County remains relatively Democratic-leaning. However, in the 2022 elections, Republicans swept Scott County, with the county voting for the Republican candidates for all statewide offices, as well as for Republican
Mariannette Miller-Meeks Mariannette Jane Miller-Meeks (born September 6, 1955) is an American physician and politician who has served as a U.S. representative from Iowa since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, she represents the state's 1st congressional distric ...
for
U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
. Notably, Republican governor
Kim Reynolds Kimberly Kay Reynolds (née Strawn, August 4, 1959) is an American politician from Iowa. A Republican, Reynolds has served since 2017 as the 43rd governor of Iowa. She is the first female governor in Iowa history. Reynolds was elected Clarke ...
won the county with a margin of over 10 points. In 2024, Republican
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
flipped Scott County in a presidential race for the first time in 40 years when it was won by
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
in his landslide 1984 victory.


Education

Public school districts in Scott County include:
Text list
/ref> * Bennett Community School District * Bettendorf Community School District, Bettendorf * Calamus–Wheatland Community School District, Wheatland * Davenport Community School District, Davenport * Durant Community School District, Durant * North Scott Community School District, Eldridge * Pleasant Valley Community School District, Riverdale, Bettendorf, LeClaire


Higher education institutions

* Scott Community College is located in Riverdale * Saint Ambrose University is located in Davenport


See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Scott County, Iowa *
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is a , See also * Izaak Walton League * List of National Wildlife Refuges *Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge ...


Notes


References


External links


Scott County, IowaScott County Library System
{{Authority control 1837 establishments in Wisconsin Territory Populated places established in 1837 Quad Cities Iowa counties on the Mississippi River