Editing Scott County, Minnesota

{{short description|County in Minnesota, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
 | county               = Scott County
 | state                = Minnesota
 | logo                 = Logo of Scott County, Minnesota.svg
 | founded date         = March 5
 | founded year         = 1853<ref>{{Cite web |title=Minnesota Place Names |url=http://mnplaces.mnhs.org/upham/county.cfm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120620201420/http://mnplaces.mnhs.org/upham/county.cfm |archive-date=June 20, 2012 |access-date=March 19, 2014 |publisher=Minnesota Historical Society}}</ref>
 | seat wl              = Shakopee
 | largest city wl      = Shakopee
 | area_total_sq_mi     = 368
 | area_land_sq_mi      = 356
 | area_water_sq_mi     = 12
 | area percentage      = 3.2%
 | population_as_of     = 2020
 | population_total     = 150928
 | pop_est_as_of        = 2024
 | population_est       = 157206 {{increase}}
 | density_sq_mi        = 424.0
 | time zone            = Central
 | footnotes            = 
 | web                  = http://www.scottcountymn.gov/
 | named for            = [[Winfield Scott]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chicago and North Western Railway Company |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OspBAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA163 |title=A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways |year=1908 |page=163}}</ref>
 | ex image             = ScottCounty.JPG
 | ex image cap         = Scott County Government Center
 | district             = 2nd
}}

'''Scott County''' is a [[county]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Minnesota]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 150,928.<ref name="QF">{{Cite web |title=State & County QuickFacts |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/scottcountyminnesota/PST045222 |access-date=April 13, 2023 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> Its [[county seat]] is [[Shakopee, Minnesota|Shakopee]].<ref name="GR6">{{Cite web |title=Find a County |url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> The county was organized in 1853 and named in honor of General [[Winfield Scott]]. Scott County is part of the [[Minneapolis]]-[[Saint Paul, Minnesota|St. Paul]]-[[Bloomington, Minnesota|Bloomington]], MN-[[Wisconsin|WI]] [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul|Metropolitan Statistical Area]]. It is a member of the [[Metropolitan Council (Minnesota)|Metropolitan Council]], and shares many of the council's concerns about responsible growth management, advocating for progressive development concepts such as clustering, open-space design, and the preservation of open space and rural/agricultural land.

The [[Shakopee-Mdewakanton Indian Reservation]] is entirely within the county and within the cities of Prior Lake and Shakopee. Due to its proximity to major cities, the tribe has earned significant revenue at its gaming casinos and hotel; it has used funds to reinvest in economic development for the tribe and other initiatives.

Historically, the Minnesota River supported the county's fur trading, lumbering, and farming industries in the 19th century. Today, Scott County experiences a growing mix of commercial, industrial, and housing development, but is still primarily rural. Scott County is home to several historical, scenic, and entertainment destinations including [[Canterbury Park]], The Landing, [[Minnesota's Largest Candy Store]], [[Elko Speedway]], [[Mystic Lake Casino]] run by the Shakopee-Mdewakanton Dakota; the [[Minnesota Renaissance Festival|Renaissance Festival]], and [[Valleyfair]] Amusement Park.

==History==
Scott County was first inhabited by two bands of the [[Santee Sioux]] (Dakota) Indians, the [[Mdewakanton]] and [[Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate|Wahpeton]]. Their semi-nomadic life followed a seasonal cycle. They gathered food, hunted, fished, and planted corn. In the summer the Dakota villages were occupied but in the winter the groups separated for hunting. They had many permanent villages along the Minnesota River. They had many trails leading to these settlements and to the [[Red River Valley]] in the North, and the Prairie du Chien to the Southeast. These trails were later used by the fur traders and settlers, and were known as the "ox cart trails." The area of Scott County, as well as much of southern Minnesota, was opened for settlement by two treaties signed at [[Mendota, Minnesota|Mendota]] and [[Traverse des Sioux]], in 1851 and 1853. These treaties removed the Dakota Indians to [[Indian reservation|reservations]] in upper Minnesota.[[File:Scott Co Pie Chart No Text Version.pdf|thumb|right|Soils of Scott County<ref>Nelson, Steven (2011). ''Savanna Soils of Minnesota.'' Minnesota: Self. pp. 43 - 48. {{ISBN|978-0-615-50320-2}}.</ref>]]

Scott County was established and organized by an Act passed in the legislature on March 5, 1853. The {{convert|369|sqmi|km2|adj=on}} county was named after General [[Winfield Scott]]. Settlers started entering the area in the mid-1850s. The Minnesota River and the ox cart trails were the primary transportation routes. The first settlers were Yankees, followed by groups of [[Germans]], [[Irish people|Irish]], [[Czechs]], and [[Scandinavia]]ns. They each brought their own traditions and religions. Most of these settlers became farmers. Fur trading, lumbering, and farming were Minnesota's major industries all throughout the 19th century. With the fast-growing farms, towns sprang up. [[Shakopee]], the county seat, began in 1851 as a trading post by the Dakota Village of [[Shakopee II|Chief Shakopee]] (or Shakpay). Other towns were established alongside transportation routes. When the railroads came to Minnesota, they became the primary mode of transportation, and eventually highways were developed along the ox cart trails between the communities.

Due to suburbanization, this once-rural county is changing dramatically. Cities are continually growing, as evidenced by an increase in population from roughly 90,000 in 2000 to more than 150,000 today, making Scott County one of Minnesota's fastest-growing counties.

==Geography==
[[File:Cedar Lake Farm Reg Park Area Wiki Version.JPG|thumb|right|Soils of Cedar Lake Regional Park area]]
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the county has an area of {{convert|368|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|356|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|12|sqmi}} (3.2%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{Cite web |date=August 22, 2012 |title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_27.txt |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921060200/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_27.txt |archive-date=September 21, 2013 |access-date=October 25, 2014 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> It is the third-smallest county in Minnesota by land area and second-smallest by total area.

The Minnesota River is the county's boundary in both the north and the west. The broad river valley juts through glacial sediment into some of the oldest rock known. Now mostly farmland, it was an oak savanna and a mixture of grass and clusters of trees that grew parallel to the river valley. The savanna bordered the "[[Big Woods]]," a "closed-forest savanna" that covered most of Minnesota before it was logged in the mid-19th century. Scott is one of 17 Minnesota savanna counties with more savanna soils than either forest or prairie soils.
One example of native vegetation in Scott County:

===Lakes===
* Ahlswede Lake: in [[St. Lawrence Township, Scott County, Minnesota|St. Lawrence Township]]
* Blue Lake: in [[Jackson Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Jackson Township]]
* Browns Lake: in [[St. Lawrence Township, Scott County, Minnesota|St. Lawrence Township]]
* Campbell Lake: in [[Spring Lake Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Spring Lake Township]]
* Cedar Lake: western two-thirds is in [[Helena Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Helena Township]]; eastern third is in [[Cedar Lake Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Cedar Lake Township]]
* Cedar Lake: there is a smaller Cedar Lake in the eastern part of [[Cedar Lake Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Cedar Lake Township]]
* Clark Lake: in [[Blakeley Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Blakely Township]]
* Cleary Lake: mostly in [[Credit River, Minnesota|Credit River]]; the western part stretches into [[Spring Lake Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Spring Lake Township]]
* Crystal Lake: in [[Spring Lake Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Spring Lake Township]]
* Cynthia Lake: northern two thirds is in [[Spring Lake Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Spring Lake Township]]; the rest is in [[Cedar Lake Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Cedar Township]]
* Deans Lake: in [[Jackson Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Jackson Township]]
* Fish Lake: in [[Spring Lake Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Spring Lake Township]]
* Fisher Lake: in [[Jackson Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Jackson Township]]
* Gifford Lake: in [[Jackson Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Jackson Township]]
* Hanrahan Lake: in [[Jackson Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Jackson Township]]
* Hickey Lake: eastern two thirds is in [[Helena Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Helena Township]]; western third is in [[Cedar Lake Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Cedar Lake Township]]
* Horseshoe Lake: in [[St. Lawrence Township, Scott County, Minnesota|St. Lawrence Township]]
* Howard Lake: in [[Jackson Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Jackson Township]]
* Kane Lake: in [[Spring Lake Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Spring Lake Township]]
* Lennon Lake: in [[Cedar Lake Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Cedar Lake Township]]
* Lower Prior Lake: in the city of [[Prior Lake, Minnesota|Prior Lake]]
* Markley Lake: eastern half is in [[Credit River, Minnesota|Credit River]]; the western half is in Prior Lake
* McMahon Lake: in [[Spring Lake Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Spring Lake Township]]
* Mud Lake: in [[Cedar Lake Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Cedar Lake Township]]
* [[Murphy Lake (Scott County, Minnesota)|Murphy Lake]]: in [[Credit River, Minnesota|Credit River]]
* [[O'Dowd Lake]]: western third is in [[Louisville Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Louisville Township]]; eastern two thirds is in [[Jackson Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Jackson Township]]
* Pike Lake: in [[Jackson Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Jackson Township]]
* Pleasant Lake: in [[Helena Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Helena Township]]
* Rice Lake: west half is in [[Cedar Lake Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Cedar Lake Township]]; east half is in [[Dakota County, Minnesota|Dakota County]]
* Rice Lake: there is another Rice Lake in [[Jackson Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Jackson Township]]
* Rice Lake: there is a third Rice Lake in [[Spring Lake Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Spring Lake Township]]
* Schneider Lake: in [[Louisville Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Louisville Township]]
* Spring Lake: in [[Spring Lake Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Spring Lake Township]] and [[Prior Lake, Minnesota|Prior Lake]]
* St. Catherine Lake: in [[Cedar Lake Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Cedar Lake Township]]
* Thole Lake: in [[Louisville Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Louisville Township]]
* Upper Prior Lake: in [[Prior Lake, Minnesota|Prior Lake]]

===Major highways===
{{div col}}
* [[File:I-35.svg|20px]] [[Interstate 35 in Minnesota|Interstate 35]]
* [[File:US 169 (MN).svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 169 in Minnesota|U.S. Highway 169]]
* [[File:MN-13.svg|20px]] [[Minnesota State Highway 13]]
* [[File:MN-19.svg|20px]] [[Minnesota State Highway 19]]
* [[File:MN-21.svg|20px]] [[Minnesota State Highway 21]]
* [[File:MN-25.svg|20px]] [[Minnesota State Highway 25]]
* [[File:MN-41.svg|20px]] [[Minnesota State Highway 41]]
* [[File:MN-282.svg|20px]] [[Minnesota State Highway 282]]
* [[File:County 42 (MN).svg|20px]] [[County Road 42 (Minnesota)|County Road 42]]
* [[File:County 101 (MN).svg|23px]] [[County Road 101 (Scott County, Minnesota)|County Road 101]]
* ''[[County roads in Scott County, Minnesota|Other County Roads]]''
{{div col end}}

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Hennepin County, Minnesota|Hennepin County]] (north)
* [[Dakota County, Minnesota|Dakota County]] (east)
* [[Rice County, Minnesota|Rice County]] (southeast)
* [[Le Sueur County, Minnesota|Le Sueur County]] (southwest)
* [[Sibley County, Minnesota|Sibley County]] (west)
* [[Carver County, Minnesota|Carver County]] (northwest)

===National protected area===
* [[Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge]] (part)

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1860= 4595
|1870= 11042
|1880= 13516
|1890= 13831
|1900= 15147
|1910= 14888
|1920= 14245
|1930= 14116
|1940= 15585
|1950= 16486
|1960= 21909
|1970= 32423
|1980= 43784
|1990= 57846
|2000= 89498
|2010= 129928
|2020= 150928
|estyear=2024
|estimate=157206
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2023">{{Cite web |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html |access-date=March 18, 2024}}</ref>
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Decennial Census |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html |access-date=October 25, 2014 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref><br />1790-1960<ref>{{Cite web |title=Historical Census Browser |url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu |access-date=October 25, 2014 |publisher=University of Virginia Library}}</ref> 1900-1990<ref>{{Cite web |title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990 |url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/mn190090.txt |access-date=October 25, 2014 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref><br />1990-2000<ref>{{Cite web |title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000 |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327165705/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2010 |access-date=October 25, 2014 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> 2010-2020<ref>{{Cite web |title=2020 Population and Housing State Data |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/2020-population-and-housing-state-data.html |access-date=August 12, 2021 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable"
|+'''Scott County, Minnesota - Demographic Profile'''<br> (''NH = Non-Hispanic'')
!Race / Ethnicity
!Pop 2010<ref name="2010CensusP2">{{Cite web |title=P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Scott County, Minnesota |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=0500000US27139&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2 |website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!Pop 2020<ref name="2020CensusP2">{{Cite web |title=P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Scott County, Minnesota |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=0500000US27139&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2 |website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2010
!% 2020
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|109,816
|115,630
|84.52%
|76.61%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|3,298
|8,137
|2.53%
|5.39%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|969
|1,406
|0.75%
|0.93%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|7,303
|9,939
|5.62%
|6.59%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|94
|64
|0.07%
|0.04%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Some Other Race]] alone (NH)
|243
|607
|0.19%
|0.40%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed Race/Multi-Racial]] (NH)
|2,434
|6,137
|1.87%
|4.07%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|5,771
|9,008
|4.44%
|5.97%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''129,928'''
|'''150,928'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|}
''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''

===2000 census===
[[File:ScottCountyMn2022PopPyr.png|thumb|right|2022 US Census [[population pyramid]] for Scott County, from [[American Community Survey|ACS]] 5-year estimates]]
As of the [[census]] of 2000, the county had 89,498 people, 30,692 households, and 23,970 families. The population density was {{convert|251|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 31,609 housing units at an average density of {{convert|89|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The county's racial makeup was 93.65% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 0.92% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.77% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 2.17% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.03% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1.24% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.21% from two or more races. 2.66% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race. 39.6% were of [[German people|German]], 12.6% [[norwegian people|Norwegian]], 8.3% [[Irish people|Irish]] and 5.1% [[swedish people|Swedish]] ancestry.

There were 30,692 households, of which 45.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.90% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 7.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.90% were non-families. 16.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.25.

31.20% of the county's population was under age 18, 6.70% was from age 18 to 24, 37.30% was from age 25 to 44, 18.60% was from age 45 to 64, and 6.20% was age 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 101.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.00 males.

The county's median household income was $66,612, and the median family income was $72,212 (these figures had risen to $80,968 and $90,489 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $46,593 versus $32,482 for females. The county's [[per capita income]] was $26,418. About 2.00% of families and 3.40% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 3.40% of those under age 18 and 7.50% of those age 65 or over. However, in 2011, Scott County saw the steepest drop in median income of all the populous counties in Minnesota and household wealth fell by 10 percent.<ref name="Steep income drop">{{Cite web |date=September 22, 2011 |title=Scott County hit hardest by economic turbulence, data show |url=http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/09/21/scott-county-hit-hardest-by-economic-turbulence-data-shows/ |access-date=September 22, 2011 |publisher=National Public Radio}}</ref>

==Communities==

===Cities===
* [[Belle Plaine, Minnesota|Belle Plaine]]
* [[Credit River, Minnesota|Credit River]]
* [[Elko New Market, Minnesota|Elko New Market]]
* [[Jordan, Minnesota|Jordan]]
* [[New Prague, Minnesota|New Prague]] (partly in [[Le Sueur County, Minnesota|Le Sueur County]])
* [[Prior Lake, Minnesota|Prior Lake]]
* [[Savage, Minnesota|Savage]]
* [[Shakopee, Minnesota|Shakopee]] (county seat)

===Townships===
{{div col}}
* [[Belle Plaine Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Belle Plaine Township]]
* [[Blakeley Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Blakeley Township]]
* [[Cedar Lake Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Cedar Lake Township]]
* [[Helena Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Helena Township]]
* [[Jackson Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Jackson Township]]
* [[Louisville Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Louisville Township]]
* [[New Market Township, Scott County, Minnesota|New Market Township]]
* [[Sand Creek Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Sand Creek Township]]
* [[Spring Lake Township, Scott County, Minnesota|Spring Lake Township]]
* [[St. Lawrence Township, Scott County, Minnesota|St. Lawrence Township]]
{{div col end}}

===Unincorporated communities===
{{div col}}
* [[Blakeley, Minnesota|Blakeley]]
* [[Cedar Lake, Minnesota|Cedar Lake]]
* [[Helena, Minnesota|Helena]]
* [[Lydia, Minnesota|Lydia]]
* [[Marystown, Minnesota|Marystown]]
* [[Mudbaden, Minnesota|Mudbaden]]
* [[Spring Lake, Scott County, Minnesota|Spring Lake]]
* [[St. Benedict, Minnesota|St. Benedict]]
* [[St. Patrick, Minnesota|St. Patrick]]
* [[Union Hill, Minnesota|Union Hill]]
{{div col end}}

==Politics==
{{PresHead|place=Scott County, Minnesota|whig=no|source1=<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leip |first=David |title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections |url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS |access-date=October 10, 2018 |website=uselectionatlas.org}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP/Whig vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|47,837|40,214|2,090|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|45,872|40,040|2,053|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|39,948|28,502|6,579|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|40,323|29,712|1,612|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|36,724|29,208|1,200|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|36,055|23,958|626|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|23,954|17,503|2,336|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|12,734|14,657|5,456|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|10,936|11,225|10,055|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|13,050|11,405|230|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|12,573|9,452|108|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1980|Democratic|9,018|9,115|1,905|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|7,154|9,912|527|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|7,310|6,745|321|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1968|Democratic|4,632|6,656|549|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|3,311|7,248|11|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|3,671|6,061|11|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|4,148|3,431|19|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|4,277|3,315|14|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|2,583|4,278|74|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1944|Republican|3,326|2,786|38|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1940|Republican|4,241|2,910|21|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|1,528|3,861|1,170|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|1,134|4,878|37|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|1,732|4,419|11|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1924|Progressive|1,324|829|2,367|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|3,015|1,253|104|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|972|1,361|46|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|462|1,172|648|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1908|Democratic|1,045|1,548|67|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1904|Republican|1,138|1,021|30|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1900|Democratic|996|1,588|58|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1896|Democratic|1,126|1,706|107|Minnesota}}
{{PresFoot|1892|Democratic|760|1,937|132|Minnesota}}
In its early history Scott County was heavily Democratic due to being largely German Catholic and opposed to the pietistic Scandinavian Lutheran Republican Party [[Third Party System|of that era]]. It would never vote Republican until [[Theodore Roosevelt]] swept every Minnesota county in 1904<ref>Menendez, Albert J.; ''The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004'', pp. 228-233 {{ISBN|0786422173}}</ref> but anti-[[Woodrow Wilson]] feeling from [[World War I]] caused the county to shift overwhelmingly to [[Warren G. Harding]] in 1920 before swinging to [[Robert M. La Follette, Sr.|Robert La Follette]], coreligionist [[Al Smith]] and fellow [[Prohibition in the United States|“wet” Democrat]] [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]].

In 1936 the county's isolationism gave a powerful vote to [[William Lemke]]’s [[Union Party (United States)|Union Party]],<ref>Phillips, Kevin P.; ''The Emerging Republican Majority'', pp. 428-430 {{ISBN|978-0-691-16324-6}}</ref> and apart from [[Harry Truman]]’s Farm Belt appeal in the 1948 election Scott County would turn Republican until another Catholic nominee, [[John F. Kennedy]], returned it to the Democratic ranks. However, since the “Reagan Revolution”, Scott County has become solidly Republican voting, with no Democrat gaining a majority of the county's vote since [[Jimmy Carter]] in 1976, although Carter in 1980 and Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996 won pluralities.

Although a conservative stronghold in modern times, the suburban voters of Scott County, like those elsewhere, tend to be more liberal on social issues. For example, while Mitt Romney handily won Scott County in 2012, voters also rejected a proposed amendment to the Minnesota constitution that would have banned [[Same-sex marriage in Minnesota|same-sex marriage]].<ref>{{Cite web | title=2012 Referendum General Election Results - Minnesota | url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?fips=27&year=2012&f=0&off=50&elect=0 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602102134/http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?fips=27&year=2012&f=0&off=50&elect=0 | access-date=2025-01-11 | archive-date=2013-06-02}}</ref>

===Federal government===
[[U.S. House]]
* [[Angie Craig]] (D-MN-2)

===State government===
[[MN Senate]]

The Majority of Scott County is in the 55th Senate District. Small portions of the county are in the 20th and 56th Districts.
* [[Rich Draheim]] (R-SD-20)
* [[Eric Pratt]] (R-SD-55)
* [[Lindsey Port]] (DFL-SD-56)

[[MN House]]

The Majority of the County take place within the 55A & 55B Districts. [[Shakopee]] is in the 55A district and most of the rest of the county is within the 55B District. Small portions of the county are in the 20A & 56A House Districts.
* [[Brian Pfarr]] (R-HD-20A)
* [[Brad Tabke]] (DFL-HD-55A)
* [[Tony Albright]] (R-HD-55B)
* [[Jessica Hanson]] (DFL-HD-56A)

Scott County is Located in the First Judicial District of [[Minnesota District Court]]

===County government===
Executive
* Attorney's Office: Ron Hocevar
* Sheriff's Office: Luke Hennen

[[Hennepin County]], [[Dakota County, MN|Dakota County]], and Scott County share a joint [[Medical Examiner]]

There are also many departments in the county

Legislative: Scott County Board of Commissioners
* Barb Brekke (1) 
* Tom Wolf (2) 
* Jody Brennan (3)
* Dave Beer (4) -- Chair
* Jon Ulrich (5) -- Vice Chair

Judicial
* Scott County's court system is Scott County District Court.

==See also==
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Scott County, Minnesota]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.scottcountymn.gov/ Scott County government's website]

{{Geographic Location
|Centre    = Scott County, Minnesota
|North     = [[Hennepin County, Minnesota|Hennepin County]]
|Northeast =
|East      = [[Dakota County, Minnesota|Dakota County]]
|Southeast = [[Rice County, Minnesota|Rice County]]
|South     =
|Southwest = [[Le Sueur County, Minnesota|Le Sueur County]]
|West      = [[Sibley County, Minnesota|Sibley County]]
|Northwest = [[Carver County, Minnesota|Carver County]]
}}

{{Scott County, Minnesota}}
{{Minnesota}}
{{authority control}}
{{coord|44.65|-93.53|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-MN_source:UScensus1990}}

[[Category:Scott County, Minnesota| ]]
[[Category:Minneapolis–Saint Paul]]
[[Category:Minnesota counties]]
[[Category:1853 establishments in Minnesota Territory]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1853]]