Polk County, IA
Demographics & Statistics
Updated: 2025-10-25
Updated: 2025-10-25
Life in Polk County research summary. HomeSnacks has been researching the quality of life in Polk County over the past eight years using Census data, FBI crime data, cost of living data, and other primary sources. Based on the most recently available data, we found the following about life in Polk County:
The population in Polk County is 497,441.
The median home value in Polk County is $279,568.
The median income in Polk County is $81,621.
The median rent in Polk County is $1,113.
The unemployment rate in Polk County is 4.4%.
The poverty rate in Polk County is 10.1%.
The average high in Polk County is 69.0° and there are 85.8 inches of rainfall annually.
The average high in Polk County is 69.0°.
There are 74.83 nice days each year.
Expect an average of 85.8 inches of rain each year with 9.1 inches of snow.
There is an average of 5:11 hours of sun each day in Polk County.
| Stat | Polk County |
|---|---|
| Mean High | 69.0 |
| Nice Days | 74.83 |
| Rainfall | 85.8 |
| Snowfall | 9.1 |
| Sunny Hours | 5:11 |
The current population in Polk County is 497,441. The population has increased 1.9% from 2019.
| Year | Population | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 488,871 | 0.7% |
| 2022 | 485,418 | 1.2% |
| 2021 | 479,612 | - |
Polk County is 50.3% female with 250,253 female residents.
Polk County is 49.7% male with 247,187 male residents.
| Gender | Polk County | IA | USA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 50.3% | 49.9% | 50.5% |
| Male | 49.7% | 50.1% | 49.5% |
Polk County is:
74.1% White with 368,617 White residents.
7.4% African American with 36,708 African American residents.
0.1% American Indian with 400 American Indian residents.
4.9% Asian with 24,354 Asian residents.
0.0% Hawaiian with 33 Hawaiian residents.
0.2% Other with 1,028 Other residents.
3.3% Two Or More with 16,485 Two Or More residents.
10.0% Hispanic with 49,816 Hispanic residents.
| Race | Polk County | IA | USA |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 74.1% | 83.1% | 58.2% |
| African American | 7.4% | 3.8% | 12.0% |
| American Indian | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.5% |
| Asian | 4.9% | 2.4% | 5.7% |
| Hawaiian | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.5% |
| Two Or More | 3.3% | 3.2% | 3.9% |
| Hispanic | 10.0% | 7.0% | 19.0% |
3.3% of households in Polk County earn Less than $10,000.
2.6% of households in Polk County earn $10,000 to $14,999.
5.7% of households in Polk County earn $15,000 to $24,999.
6.2% of households in Polk County earn $25,000 to $34,999.
11.3% of households in Polk County earn $35,000 to $49,999.
17.1% of households in Polk County earn $50,000 to $74,999.
14.2% of households in Polk County earn $75,000 to $99,999.
18.4% of households in Polk County earn $100,000 to $149,999.
10.6% of households in Polk County earn $150,000 to $199,999.
10.5% of households in Polk County earn $200,000 or more.
| Income | Polk County | IA | USA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than $10,000 | 3.3% | 4.0% | 4.9% |
| $10,000 to $14,999 | 2.6% | 3.4% | 3.6% |
| $15,000 to $24,999 | 5.7% | 7.0% | 6.6% |
| $25,000 to $34,999 | 6.2% | 7.3% | 6.8% |
| $35,000 to $49,999 | 11.3% | 11.7% | 10.4% |
| $50,000 to $74,999 | 17.1% | 17.8% | 15.7% |
| $75,000 to $99,999 | 14.2% | 14.1% | 12.7% |
| $100,000 to $149,999 | 18.4% | 18.4% | 17.4% |
| $150,000 to $199,999 | 10.6% | 8.4% | 9.3% |
| $200,000 or more | 10.5% | 8.0% | 12.6% |
3.0% of adults in Polk County completed < 9th grade.
4.0% of adults in Polk County completed 9-12th grade.
24.0% of adults in Polk County completed high school / ged.
19.0% of adults in Polk County completed some college.
10.0% of adults in Polk County completed associate's degree.
27.0% of adults in Polk County completed bachelor's degree.
9.0% of adults in Polk County completed master's degree.
2.0% of adults in Polk County completed professional degree.
2.0% of adults in Polk County completed doctorate degree.
| Education | Polk County | IA | USA |
|---|---|---|---|
| < 9th Grade | 3% | 3% | 5% |
| 9-12th Grade | 4% | 4% | 6% |
| High School / GED | 24% | 30% | 26% |
| Some College | 19% | 20% | 19% |
| Associate's Degree | 10% | 12% | 9% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 27% | 21% | 21% |
| Master's Degree | 9% | 7% | 10% |
| Professional Degree | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 2% | 1% | 2% |
HomeSnacks is based in Durham, NC.
We aim to deliver bite-sized pieces of infotainment about where you live.
We use data, analytics, and a sense of humor to determine quality of life for places across the nation.
