County outline
Where Scott County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.3% of Scott County’s measured area and water for 0.7%. Its combined area converts to 654.4 square kilometers or approximately 161,695 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 250.79 | 649.543 | 160,505.6 |
| Water | 1.859 | 4.815 | 1,189.8 |
| Total | 252.649 | 654.358 | 161,695.4 |
How Scott County compares
By original Census land area, Scott County ranks #95 of 102 in Illinois and #2910 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.491 times the Illinois county-equivalent median of 510.7 square miles. It accounts for 0.5% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Illinois ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Scott County
The Census Bureau estimates that 4,866 people lived in Scott County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,901 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #96 of 102 in Illinois. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 5,076, the population has declined by 210 (−4.1%), compared with −0.8% for Illinois as a whole.
With 250.8 square miles of land, that is 19 people per square mile (7.5 per km²), placing Scott County #2,346 nationally for density and #93 in Illinois. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Illinois median is 44. Put another way, there are about 33 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 5,070 | 4,980 | 4,894 | 4,866 | 4,889 | 4,866 |
| Change | — | −90 | −86 | −28 | +23 | −23 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Scott County
7 incorporated places lie at least partly in Scott County. Together they are home to 2,825 people (58.1%); the other 2,041 (41.9%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Winchester city, with 1,502 residents in the county.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winchester cityCounty seat | 1,502 | −4.5% | 1.129 |
| Bluffs village | 592 | −4.5% | 0.893 |
| Manchester village | 261 | −4.7% | 1.063 |
| Alsey village | 185 | −3.6% | 0.549 |
| Glasgow village | 108 | −3.6% | 1.011 |
| Naples town | 94 | −4.1% | 0.605 |
| Exeter village | 83 | −3.5% | 0.69 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Scott County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Scott County is an outlying county of the Jacksonville, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area. Its 2 county equivalents have 37,381 residents on 819.7 square miles of land; Scott County accounts for 30.6% of the land and 13% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #256 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #360 by population. It belongs to the Springfield-Jacksonville-Lincoln, IL Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Morgan County | 32,515 | 569 |
| Scott County | 4,866 | 250.8 |
ZIP codes
9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Scott County; 4 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
620826261062621626286265062663626656266862694
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Scott County
Scott County shares a land border with 3 county equivalents. Each of them has more land than Scott County. The largest neighbor is Pike County (831.4 mi²) and the smallest is Greene County (543.1 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Scott County forms a block of 2,194.2 mi² of land, of which it holds 11.4%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Scott | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pike County | 831.4 | 3.3× larger | Compare |
| Morgan County | 569 | 2.3× larger | Compare |
| Greene County | 543.1 | 2.2× larger | Compare |
How big is Scott County compared with U.S. states?
Scott County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 4.1 times as much. Illinois’s county land could hold about 221 areas the size of Scott County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 15.8 miles (25.5 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Scott County?
Scott County has more land than 312 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Scott County at #2,946 nationally by total area, 36 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 0.7%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.4 percentage points lower. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Scott County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2909 | Howard County, Maryland | 251 | Compare |
| #2910 | Scott County, Illinois | 250.8 | This county |
| #2911 | Roanoke County, Virginia | 250.5 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 39.637002, -90.477771. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 649,542,122 m²; AWATER: 4,814,546 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Scott County?
Scott County, Illinois has 250.8 square miles (649.5 km²) of land and 1.859 square miles of water, for a total area of 252.6 square miles. It ranks #2910 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Scott County the largest county in Illinois?
No. Scott County ranks #95 of 102 in Illinois by land area. The largest is McLean County, with 1,183.2 square miles of land.
What counties border Scott County?
Scott County shares a land border with Morgan County, Pike County, and Greene County.
What is the population of Scott County?
The Census Bureau estimates Scott County had 4,866 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,901 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 19 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Scott County?
The county seat of Scott County is Winchester.
What cities and towns are in Scott County?
Scott County has 7 incorporated places. The most populous five are Winchester city, Bluffs village, Manchester village, Alsey village, and Glasgow village; 2,041 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Scott County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is an outlying county of the Jacksonville, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area, which has 2 county equivalents and 37,381 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Scott County?
9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Scott County, and 4 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Scott County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 4.1 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Scott County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 160,506 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 161,695 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.