Scott County, Missouri | |
|---|---|
 Scott County courthouse in Benton | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofMissouri | |
| Coordinates:37°03′N89°34′W / 37.05°N 89.57°W /37.05; -89.57 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Missouri |
| Founded | December 28, 1821 |
| Named after | John Scott |
| Seat | Benton |
| Largest city | Sikeston |
| Area | |
• Total | 426 sq mi (1,100 km2) |
| • Land | 420 sq mi (1,100 km2) |
| • Water | 5.9 sq mi (15 km2) 1.4% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 38,059 |
| • Density | 91/sq mi (35/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 8th |
| Website | www |
Scott County is acounty located in the southeastern portion of theU.S. state ofMissouri. As of the2020 census, the population was 38,059.[1] Itscounty seat isBenton.[2] The county was organized in 1821 and named forU.S. RepresentativeJohn Scott, the first federal representative from Missouri. Scott County comprises the Sikeston, MOMicropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in theCape Girardeau-Sikeston, MO-ILCombined Statistical Area.
This area along the Mississippi River was long occupied by indigenous peoples. In historic times, the large and powerfulOsage people dominated a large territory including this area and up and west from the laterSt. Louis, Missouri. Cape La Croix, a rock island in the Mississippi River, has a cross erected by Jesuit missionary Father De Montigny, who traveled with early French explorers in 1699. Some French colonists established trading relationships with the Osage; the traders were based inSt. Louis, founded in the late 18th century.
Spain had taken control in 1763 after French lost to Britain in theSeven Years' War. They laid out the King's Highway (El Camino Real) in 1789, a north–south route crossing the county and extending through St. Louis, Missouri. In the late 1790s, Southerners were the first United States settlers on Spanish land grants in this area. France briefly took back the territory, then sold it to the United States in 1803 as part of theLouisiana Purchase.
Delaware (Lenape) andShawnee people migrated into the area in the 1820s from territories east of the Mississippi, pushed by European-American encroachment on their lands.
The second county formed in Missouri's Southeast Lowland Region, Scott County was created by the Missouri state legislature on December 28, 1821. The county was named in honor ofJohn Scott (1785–1861), the first congressman from Missouri.[3]
One of the earliest settlements wasCommerce, Missouri, long known as Tywapitty, derived from an Osage language term. It was an early Frenchfur trading post. Under Spanish rule before 1800, Rezin Bowie was syndic of Tywappity Settlement. (He was the brother of Kentucky frontiersmanJim Bowie.) This was established as a river landing by 1803, and residents formed the first Baptist Church in Missouri there in 1805. Sergeant John Ordway of the Lewis and Clark expedition used the proceeds from his land grant bounty to purchase land in Tywapitty where he farmed cotton and had apple and peach orchards until devastated by the 1811-182 New Madrid earthquakes. The city was platted in 1823 and it served as the Scott county seat from 1864 to 1878.
The current county seat of Benton was laid out in 1822; it is named afterThomas Hart Benton, one of Missouri's first U.S. Senators.
New Hamburg, the third town founded in the county, was settled by a wave of German immigrants in the late 1840s, who came to this country after the German revolutions of 1848. The first log church was St. Lawrence Catholic Church. Sikeston, the largest city in the county and the fourth settlement to be founded, was settled in 1800 and was laid out in 1860 by John Sikes on the Cairo & Fulton Railroad.
The county was devastated byguerrilla raids during the U.S. Civil War. Afterward, it developed rapidly from the 1870s to the early 1900s; its dense forests were lumbered off and numerous railroads were constructed. Towns founded during this period included Diehlstadt, Morley, Oran, Perkins, Blodgett, Crowder, Vanduser, Illmo, Fornfelt (Scott City), Chaffee, Ancell, and Kelso. The Thebes-Mississippi River Railroad Bridge at Illmo was built in 1905.
Located near Morley is the gravesite ofNathaniel W. Watkins, a state legislator and a general in the Missouri State Guards. He was a half-brother of statesmanHenry Clay. Wilson Brown, the ninth lieutenant governor of Missouri, lived in the county for a time. Noted early legislators such as Joseph Hunter II and Abraham Hunter also lived here.
Cotton, soybeans, melon and grains were all common crops in rural Scott County. Between the Mississippi River and Little River District drainage ditches lies one of the oldest drainage systems in the United States, Crowley's Ridge, established in 1905, is a remnant of an old coastal floodplain and natural levee that crosses the country.
On January 25, 1942, an African American man namedCleo Wright was lynched in Sikeston. A Scott County all-white grand jury did not return any indictments for the crime after three hours of deliberation.[4]
On January 28, 2004, theScott County Courthouse was added to theNational Register of Historic Places.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 426 square miles (1,100 km2), of which 420 square miles (1,100 km2) is land and 5.9 square miles (15 km2) (1.4%) is water.[5] The county's eastern border withIllinois is formed by theMississippi River.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 2,136 | — | |
| 1840 | 5,974 | 179.7% | |
| 1850 | 3,182 | −46.7% | |
| 1860 | 5,247 | 64.9% | |
| 1870 | 7,317 | 39.5% | |
| 1880 | 8,587 | 17.4% | |
| 1890 | 11,228 | 30.8% | |
| 1900 | 13,092 | 16.6% | |
| 1910 | 22,372 | 70.9% | |
| 1920 | 23,409 | 4.6% | |
| 1930 | 24,913 | 6.4% | |
| 1940 | 30,377 | 21.9% | |
| 1950 | 32,842 | 8.1% | |
| 1960 | 32,748 | −0.3% | |
| 1970 | 33,250 | 1.5% | |
| 1980 | 39,647 | 19.2% | |
| 1990 | 39,376 | −0.7% | |
| 2000 | 40,422 | 2.7% | |
| 2010 | 39,191 | −3.0% | |
| 2020 | 38,059 | −2.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010-2015[10] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 38,059, and the median age was 40.1 years. 24.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.7% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.4 males.[12][13]
54.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 46.0% lived in rural areas.[14]
The racial makeup of the county was 81.2% White, 11.8%Black or African American, 0.3%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Asian, 0.0%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 1.0% from some other race, and 5.3% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.5% of the population.[13]
There were 15,306 households in the county, of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 29.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[12]
There were 16,746 housing units, of which 8.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 66.4% were owner-occupied and 33.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.9%.[12]
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[15] | Pop 1990[16] | Pop 2000[17] | Pop 2010[18] | Pop 2020[19] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 36,154 | 35,537 | 35,221 | 33,257 | 30,595 | 91.19% | 90.25% | 87.13% | 84.86% | 80.39% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 3,159 | 3,486 | 4,217 | 4,436 | 4,476 | 7.97% | 8.85% | 10.43% | 11.32% | 11.76% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 47 | 82 | 109 | 77 | 84 | 0.12% | 0.21% | 0.27% | 0.20% | 0.22% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 51 | 62 | 93 | 133 | 149 | 0.13% | 0.16% | 0.23% | 0.34% | 0.39% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[20] | x[21] | 3 | 8 | 2 | x | x | 0.01% | 0.02% | 0.01% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 23 | 3 | 15 | 12 | 97 | 0.06% | 0.01% | 0.04% | 0.03% | 0.25% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[22] | x[23] | 316 | 563 | 1,721 | x | x | 0.78% | 1.44% | 4.52% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 213 | 206 | 448 | 705 | 935 | 0.54% | 0.52% | 1.11% | 1.80% | 2.46% |
| Total | 39,647 | 39,376 | 40,422 | 39,191 | 38,059 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2000 census, there were 40,422 people, 15,626 households, and 11,219 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 37 people per square mile (14 people/km2). There were 16,951 housing units at an average density of 16/km2 (41/mi2). The racial makeup of the county was 87.68%White, 10.50%Black orAfrican American, 0.28%Native American, 0.23%Asian, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 0.40% fromother races, and 0.90% from two or more races. Approximately 1.11% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 15,626 households, out of which 35.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.60% weremarried couples living together, 13.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.40% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,735, and the median income for a family was $48,847. Males had a median income of $30,169 versus $19,269 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $19,363. About 12.30% of families and 16.10% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 23.50% of those under age 18 and 13.60% of those age 65 or over.
According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2000), Scott County is a part of theBible Belt with evangelical Protestantism being the majority religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in Scott County who adhere to a religion areSouthern Baptists (40.54%),Roman Catholics (27.12%), andMethodists (9.28%).
Of adults 25 years of age and older in Scott County, 72.9% possesses ahigh school diploma or higher while 10.6% holds abachelor's degree or higher as their highest educational attainment.
School districts including sections of the county, no matter how slight, even if the relevant schools and/or administration buildings in another county:[24]
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(June 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
TheDemocratic Party has historically controlled politics at the local level in Scott County. In recent years, however, Republicans have made inroads, gaining control of several county offices in 2018 and 2020. Republicans now hold most elected positions in the county, while Democrats only control the offices of County Clerk, Collector, Commissioner (district 2), Coroner, Recorder, and Surveyor.[28]
| Scott County, Missouri | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Elected countywide officials | |||
| Assessor | Carla Essner | Republican | |
| Circuit Clerk | Stacey Naile | Republican | |
| County Clerk | Allen Seabaugh | Republican | |
| Collector | Mark Hensley | Democratic | |
| Commissioner (presiding) | Danny Tetley | Republican | |
| Commissioner (district 1) | Terry Cole | Republican | |
| Commissioner (district 2) | Donnie Kiefer | Democratic | |
| Coroner | Scott Branum | Republican | |
| Prosecuting Attorney | Don Cobb | Republican | |
| Public Administrator | Julia Crader Dolan | Republican | |
| Recorder | Tara Mason | Democratic | |
| Sheriff | Wes Drury | Republican | |
| Surveyor | Brian Strickland | Democratic | |
| Treasurer | Joe Bill Davis | Republican | |
Scott County is divided into three legislative districts in theMissouri House of Representatives and one district in theMissouri Senate.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jamie Burger | 11,343 | 97.80 | 0 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Don Rone | 1,342 | 92.11 | 0 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Herman Morse | 2,628 | 98.91 | 0 | |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third Parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 80.20%13,801 | 18.07%3,109 | 1.73%298 |
| 2020 | 76.74%13,535 | 21.51%3,794 | 1.75%308 |
| 2016 | 65.92%11,323 | 31.51%5,412 | 2.48%442 |
| 2012 | 49.99%8,421 | 48.04%8,092 | 1.98%333 |
| 2008 | 53.12%9,494 | 45.55%8,142 | 1.33%238 |
| 2004 | 58.69%10,198 | 40.31%7,004 | 1.00%174 |
| 2000 | 52.12%8,159 | 46.59%7,293 | 1.29%202 |
| 1996 | 38.71%5,878 | 59.76%9,074 | 1.53%233 |
| 1992 | 47.32%7,564 | 52.68%8,422 | 0.00%0 |
| 1988 | 56.49%7,845 | 43.45%6,035 | 0.06%8 |
| 1984 | 59.90%8,446 | 40.10%5,654 | 0.00%0 |
| 1980 | 49.80%7,619 | 50.13%7,669 | 0.07%11 |
| 1976 | 41.63%5,558 | 58.37%7,793 | 0.01%1 |
Scott County is included inMissouri's 8th Congressional District and is currently represented byJason T. Smith (R-Salem) in theU.S. House of Representatives.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jason T. Smith* | 13,547 | 77.62 | ||
| Democratic | Kathy Ellis | 3,671 | 21.03 | ||
| Libertarian | Tom Schmitz | 227 | 1.30 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jason T. Smith* | 5,305 | 69.67 | ||
| Democratic | Barbara Stocker | 1,755 | 23.05 | ||
| Libertarian | Rick Vandeven | 294 | 3.86 | ||
| Independent | Terry Hampton | 145 | 1.90 | ||
| Constitution | Doug Enyart | 115 | 1.51 | ||
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1888 | 629 | 31.28% | 1,382 | 68.72% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1892 | 671 | 28.66% | 1,612 | 68.86% | 58 | 2.48% |
| 1896 | 751 | 28.21% | 1,906 | 71.60% | 5 | 0.19% |
| 1900 | 821 | 32.07% | 1,706 | 66.64% | 33 | 1.29% |
| 1904 | 1,124 | 41.96% | 1,470 | 54.87% | 85 | 3.17% |
| 1908 | 1,473 | 36.79% | 1,853 | 46.28% | 678 | 16.93% |
| 1912 | 1,235 | 29.50% | 1,945 | 46.45% | 1,007 | 24.05% |
| 1916 | 2,285 | 42.78% | 2,816 | 52.72% | 240 | 4.49% |
| 1920 | 4,204 | 49.00% | 4,157 | 48.46% | 218 | 2.54% |
| 1924 | 3,335 | 40.54% | 3,633 | 44.16% | 1,258 | 15.29% |
| 1928 | 3,779 | 42.25% | 5,159 | 57.68% | 6 | 0.07% |
| 1932 | 2,310 | 24.75% | 6,948 | 74.45% | 75 | 0.80% |
| 1936 | 3,126 | 28.57% | 7,763 | 70.95% | 52 | 0.48% |
| 1940 | 4,401 | 35.66% | 7,899 | 64.00% | 42 | 0.34% |
| 1944 | 3,995 | 35.77% | 7,132 | 63.86% | 41 | 0.37% |
| 1948 | 2,519 | 23.32% | 8,266 | 76.52% | 18 | 0.17% |
| 1952 | 4,661 | 39.45% | 7,127 | 60.33% | 26 | 0.22% |
| 1956 | 4,654 | 41.05% | 6,683 | 58.95% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 5,807 | 47.77% | 6,349 | 52.23% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 3,212 | 29.95% | 7,512 | 70.05% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 3,856 | 36.23% | 4,313 | 40.52% | 2,474 | 23.25% |
| 1972 | 7,316 | 66.74% | 3,646 | 33.26% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 5,473 | 40.31% | 8,075 | 59.48% | 28 | 0.21% |
| 1980 | 8,227 | 53.65% | 6,854 | 44.69% | 255 | 1.66% |
| 1984 | 8,727 | 61.05% | 5,569 | 38.95% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1988 | 8,013 | 57.45% | 5,914 | 42.40% | 21 | 0.15% |
| 1992 | 6,265 | 37.95% | 7,452 | 45.14% | 2,790 | 16.90% |
| 1996 | 6,641 | 43.54% | 7,011 | 45.97% | 1,600 | 10.49% |
| 2000 | 8,999 | 57.30% | 6,452 | 41.09% | 253 | 1.61% |
| 2004 | 11,330 | 64.94% | 6,057 | 34.71% | 61 | 0.35% |
| 2008 | 11,563 | 63.95% | 6,258 | 34.61% | 261 | 1.44% |
| 2012 | 11,623 | 68.37% | 5,122 | 30.13% | 254 | 1.49% |
| 2016 | 13,168 | 75.95% | 3,575 | 20.62% | 594 | 3.43% |
| 2020 | 13,769 | 77.58% | 3,753 | 21.15% | 226 | 1.27% |
| 2024 | 13,786 | 78.87% | 3,525 | 20.17% | 169 | 0.97% |
At the presidential level, Scott County was historically a Democratic stronghold, voting Democratic in every election from 1872 through 1976 save Warren Harding's 1920 landslide and Richard Nixon's 1972 landslide.[34] A shift began to become evident in the 1980s, as Scott County voted Republican thrice in a row for the first time, one of those times even being against Southerner Jimmy Carter; however, all three elections were nationally decisive Republican wins, and Bill Clinton was able to recapture the county, albeit not by large margins, in both of his wins. Since then, however, Scott County has transitioned to being a reliable Republican stronghold; as of 2020, it has voted Republican six times in a row, and the Republican vote share has not gone below 60% since 2000. Donald Trump exceeded three-quarters of the vote in both of his runs.
Like most rural areas throughout Southeast Missouri, voters in Scott County generally adhere to socially and culturallyconservative principles. In 2004, Missourians voted ona constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman—it overwhelmingly passed Scott County with 85.32 percent of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent of support from voters as Missouri became the first state to bansame-sex marriage. In 2006, Missourians voted ona constitutional amendment to fund and legalize embryonic stem cell research in the state—it failed in Scott County with 64.85 percent voting against the measure. The initiative narrowly passed the state with 51 percent of support from voters as Missouri became one of the first states in the nation to approveembryonic stem cell research. Despite Scott County's longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancingpopulist causes like increasing theminimum wage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition B) to increase the minimum wage in the state to $6.50 an hour—it passed Scott County with 67.99 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 75.94 percent voting in favor as the minimum wage was increased to $6.50 an hour in the state. During the same election, voters in five other states also strongly approved increases in the minimum wage.
Places adjacent to Scott County, Missouri | |
|---|---|
Municipalities and communities ofScott County, Missouri,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Villages | ||
| Townships | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
37°03′N89°34′W / 37.05°N 89.57°W /37.05; -89.57
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
.svg)
.svg)
