North Carolina · county 37165

Scotland County, North Carolina: public records at a glance

What national public records say about Scotland County — people, schools, health, drinking water, bridges, disaster risk, the jail, federal grants and how to vote — each with its source. A full County Commons site (the budget line by line, your tax bill, audits, local offices) isn't built for Scotland County yet — not gathered, never hidden.

33,898 people (2024 Census estimate, +1.4% since 2020)
319 square miles of land · 106 people per square mile

How Scotland County compares — against the other counties in North Carolina

33,898 — people: 69th highest of 100 North Carolina counties.
$13,713 — spending per student in its school districts: 43rd highest of 100 North Carolina counties.
69.5 years — life expectancy: 97th highest of 100 North Carolina counties.
11.1% — share of adults under 65 without health insurance: 74th highest of 100 North Carolina counties.
42.9% — child poverty: the highest of 100 North Carolina counties.
84.5% — households with broadband internet: 49th highest of 100 North Carolina counties.
$45,604 — median household income: 96th highest of 100 North Carolina counties.
2.9% — share of bridges rated poor: 74th highest of 100 North Carolina counties.
$117 — federal grant dollars per resident: 75th highest of 100 North Carolina counties.
$14.0 million — expected yearly losses from natural hazards: 72nd highest of 100 North Carolina counties.

“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.

Drinking water — public water systems serving Scotland County

8 active community water systems list Scotland County in the area they serve, reporting 24,845 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).

LAURINBURG, CITY OF groundwater · local government · NC0383010	18,288 served
SCOTLAND CO WATER-SOUTH buys groundwater · local government · NC0383035	1,905 served
SCOTLAND CO WATER - NORTH buys groundwater · local government · NC0383030	1,219 served
WAGRAM, TOWN OF groundwater · local government · NC0383020	965 served
SCOTLAND CO WATER - GILLIS HILL buys groundwater · local government · NC5083005	965 served
GIBSON, TOWN OF buys groundwater · local government · NC0383015	589 served
SCOTLAND CO WATER - BARNES BRIDGE buys groundwater · local government · NC5083003	584 served
SCOTLAND CO WATER - MALLOY RD buys groundwater · local government · NC5083004	330 served

Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.

The jail — people held in the county jail

About 107 people were held in Scotland County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2024), or 496 per 100,000 residents ages 15–64. In 2019 it was about 132.

Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.

Public schools — district budgets, fiscal 2023

1 school district has its office in Scotland County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.

SCOTLAND CO SCHOOLS5,624 students

Spent $79.6 million — $77.1 million to run schools, about $13,713 per student, plus $610,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $11.6 million local (mostly property tax), $49.9 million state, $18.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $33 million.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.

Health, money and internet at home — Scotland County beside North Carolina

Life expectancy69.5 years · North Carolina 75.9 years

Adults under 65 without health insurance11.1% · North Carolina 11.2%

Children in poverty42.9% · North Carolina 17.5%

Households without enough food (food insecurity)19.4% · North Carolina 14.0%

Households with broadband internet84.5% · North Carolina 88.6%

Households with severe housing problems19.3% · North Carolina 14.2%

Drug overdose deaths per 100,00053.4 · North Carolina 35.9

Residents per primary care doctor1,711 · North Carolina 1,413

Residents per mental health provider452 · North Carolina 299

Unemployment6.3% · North Carolina 3.5%

Median household income$45,604 · North Carolina $70,838

Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.

Disaster risk — FEMA's National Risk Index

Overall risk: Relatively Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Scotland County about $14 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively Low; social vulnerability: Very High.

The costliest hazards here

River and inland flooding$4.8 million a year · Relatively Low

Hurricane$2.9 million a year · Relatively Moderate

Tornado$2.5 million a year · Relatively Moderate

Earthquake$1.1 million a year · Relatively Low

Strong wind$618,666 a year · Relatively Moderate

Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.

Bridges — condition of every public bridge, 2025

104 bridges in Scotland County: 54 in good condition, 47 fair, and 3 poor (2.9%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.

Busiest bridges rated poor

US74BUS over LEITH CREEK · built 1924	4,900 vehicles a day
COMMONWEALTH AVE. over LEITH CREEK · built 1950	900 vehicles a day
SR1340 over GUM SWAMP CREEK · built 1952	100 vehicles a day

Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.

Federal grants — the money that came in, and what's open now

Federal grants paid for $4 million of work in Scotland County in fiscal 2025, about $117 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.

Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.

Open now: federal grants county governments can apply for

F26AS00062: Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act FY 2026 Fish and Wildlife Service · F26AS00062	closes 2026-10-13
OVC FY 2026 Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking Office for Victims of Crime · O-OVC-2026-172699	closes 2026-10-14
BJA FY 2026 Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Program Bureau of Justice Assistance · O-BJA-2026-172661	closes 2026-10-15
FY26 Bureau of Land Management Youth Conservation Corps - Bureau wide Bureau of Land Management · L26AS00064	closes 2026-10-16
FY 2027 Notice of Funding Opportunity: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) FAA Contract Tower (FCT) Competitive Grant Program Airport Improvement Program Discretionary Grants · DOT-FAA-26-0117-002	closes 2026-10-19
Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Service Area Competition (SAC) Health Resources and Services Administration · HRSA-27-005	closes 2026-10-19
Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP Competition AmeriCorps · AC-08-20-2026	closes 2026-10-20
DOJ FY 2026 Assisting Neighborhoods and Governments with Enforcement of Laws (ANGEL) Grant Program Bureau of Justice Assistance · O-BJA-2026-172778	closes 2026-10-20
Long-term health outcomes of people living with spina bifida Centers for Disease Control - NCBDDD · CDC-RFA-DD-26-0222	closes 2026-10-26
OJJDP FY 2026 Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Program Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention · O-OJJDP-2026-172741	closes 2026-10-29
BJA FY 2026 Veterans Treatment Court Program Bureau of Justice Assistance · O-BJA-2026-172714	closes 2026-10-29
BJA FY 2026 Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA Bureau of Justice Assistance · O-BJA-2026-172708	closes 2026-10-29

From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.

Voting

General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-09. Early voting: 2026-10-15 to 2026-10-31. Mail ballot request deadline: 2026-10-20. Election Day: 2026-11-03.

Source: NC State Board of Elections: upcoming election · NC State Board of Elections: vote in person · NC State Board of Elections: voter ID

Not here yet

The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Scotland County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Scotland County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.

More of North Carolina: the state government and every county in North Carolina.

Nearby counties: Hoke County (18 mi) · Richmond County (19 mi) · Marlboro County, SC (20 mi) · Robeson County (25 mi) · Dillon County, SC (32 mi) · Moore County (32 mi).