Scott County, Indiana

Scott County, Indiana
Scott County Courthouse in Scottsburg, Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
Indiana's location in the U.S.
Founded	1820
Named for	Charles Scott
Seat	Scottsburg
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	192.75 sq mi (499 km²) 190.40 sq mi (493 km²) 2.35 sq mi (6 km²), 1.22%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	24,181 127/sq mi (49.04/km²)
Congressional district	9th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Footnotes:   Indiana county number 72

Scott County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 24,181. The county seat is Scottsburg.

History

Scott County was formed in 1820 from parts of Clark, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, and Washington Cos. It was named for Gen. Charles Scott, who was Governor of Kentucky from 1808 to 1812. Much of its water supply comes from Hardy Lake.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 192.75 square miles (499.2 km²), of which 190.40 square miles (493.1 km²) (or 98.78%) is land and 2.35 square miles (6.1 km²) (or 1.22%) is water.

Cities and towns

• Austin
• Scottsburg
• Lexington

Unincorporated towns

• Blocher
• Nabb
• Vienna

Townships

• Finley
• Jennings
• Johnson
• Lexington
• Vienna

Adjacent counties

• Jennings County (north)
• Jefferson County (east)
• Clark County (south)
• Washington County (west)
• Jackson County (northwest)

Major highways

• Interstate 65
• U.S. Route 31
• Indiana State Road 3
• Indiana State Road 56
• Indiana State Road 160
• Indiana State Road 203
• Indiana State Road 256
• Indiana State Road 356
• Indiana State Road 362

Climate and weather

Scottsburg, Indiana
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     3.1   38 20     2.8   44 23     4.1   55 32     4.4   66 42     4.8   75 52     4.2   84 61     4.4   87 65     4.4   86 63     3.1   80 55     2.9   68 42     3.7   55 34     3.4   43 25 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     79   3 -7     72   7 -5     103   13 0     111   19 6     121   24 11     107   29 16     113   31 18     111   30 17     78   27 13     74   20 6     93   13 1     85   6 -4 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Scottsburg have ranged from a low of 20 °F (−7 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −32 °F (−36 °C) was recorded in January 1977 and a record high of 109 °F (43 °C) was recorded in July 1930. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.84 inches (72 mm) in February to 4.75 inches (121 mm) in May.

Government

See also: Government of Indiana

The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana, and by the Indiana Code.

County Council: The county council is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all the spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected from county districts. The council members serve four year terms. They are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council also has limited authority to impose local taxes, in the form of an income and property tax that is subject to state level approval, excise taxes, and service taxes.

Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county is made of a board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered terms, and each serves a four-year term. One of the commissioners, typically the most senior, serves as president. The commissioners are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.

Court: The county maintains a small claims court that can handle some civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable who is also elected to a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.

County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. Each of these elected officers serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county.

Scott County is part of Indiana's 9th congressional district and is represented in Congress by Republican Todd Young.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1820	2,334		—
1830	3,092		32.5%
1840	4,242		37.2%
1850	5,885		38.7%
1860	7,303		24.1%
1870	7,873		7.8%
1880	8,343		6.0%
1890	7,833		−6.1%
1900	8,307		6.1%
1910	8,323		0.2%
1920	7,424		−10.8%
1930	6,664		−10.2%
1940	8,978		34.7%
1950	11,519		28.3%
1960	14,463		25.6%
1970	17,144		18.5%
1980	20,422		19.1%
1990	20,991		2.8%
2000	22,960		9.4%
2010	24,181		5.3%
Sources: United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division Census Quickfacts

As of the census of 2000, there were 22,960 people, 8,832 households, and 6,491 families residing in the county. The population density was 121 people per square mile (47/km²). There were 9,737 housing units at an average density of 51 per square mile (20/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.64% White, 0.05% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.43% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races. 0.97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 40.5% were of American, 16.8% German, 10.6% Irish and 9.4% English ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 8,832 households out of which 35.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.60% were married couples living together, 11.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.50% were non-families. 22.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.30% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 30.30% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,656, and the median income for a family was $39,475. Males had a median income of $30,954 versus $22,464 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,065. About 10.50% of families and 13.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.70% of those under age 18 and 9.70% of those age 65 or over.

See also

• Louisville-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, KY-IN Combined Statistical Area
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Scott County, Indiana