Scott County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 4,949,^[1] making it the fourth-least populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Winchester.^[2]

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Scott County
County
Scott County Courthouse, Winchester
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°39′N 90°29′W
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Founded	1839
Named for	Scott County, Kentucky
Seat	Winchester
Largest city	Winchester
Area
• Total	253 sq mi (660 km2)
• Land	251 sq mi (650 km2)
• Water	1.9 sq mi (5 km2)  0.7%
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,949
• Density	20/sq mi (7.6/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	15th

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Scott County is part of the Jacksonville, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Springfield-Jacksonville-Lincoln, IL Combined Statistical Area.

Scott County was formed in 1839 out of Morgan County. It was named for Scott County, Kentucky.

• Scott County at the time of its creation in 1839

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 253 square miles (660 km²), of which 251 square miles (650 km²) is land and 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²) (0.7%) is water.^[3] The county's western boundary is formed by the Illinois River.

As of the 2010 census, there were 5,355 people, 2,214 households, and 1,516 families living in the county.^[11] The population density was 21.3 inhabitants per square mile (8.2/km²). There were 2,459 housing units at an average density of 9.8 per square mile (3.8/km²).^[3] The racial makeup of the county was 98.6% white, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.8% of the population.^[11] In terms of ancestry, 26.3% were German, 24.3% were American, 18.0% were English, and 16.2% were Irish.^[12]

Of the 2,214 households, 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.5% were non-families, and 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age was 42.7 years.^[11]

The median income for a household in the county was $49,462 and the median income for a family was $64,412. Males had a median income of $40,781 versus $32,011 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,530. About 6.5% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.^[13]

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Scott County