Polk County, Iowa

IA · FIPS 19153 · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates

Key Statistics

Total Population
503,175
Rank #144 of 3,222
96th %ile
Median Household Income
$83,576 +11.2% vs nat'l
Rank #464 of 3,222
86th %ile
Poverty Rate
10.3% −18.2% vs nat'l
Rank #859 of 3,222
73th %ile
Median Home Value
$262,100 −7.0% vs nat'l
Rank #832 of 3,222
74th %ile
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
40.3% +19.5% vs nat'l
Rank #273 of 3,222
92th %ile
Unemployment Rate
4.3% −18.2% vs nat'l
Rank #1,530 of 3,222
53th %ile

At a Glance

67.4% Homeownership
94.7% Insured
40.3% Bachelor's+

Age & Sex Distribution

MaleFemale
0-910-1920-2930-3940-4950-5960-6970-7980+10%5%0%5%10%

Race & Ethnicity

White (non-Hispanic)Hispanic or LatinoBlack (non-Hispanic)Asian (non-Hispanic)Two or More RacesOther (non-Hispanic)American Indian (non-Hispanic)Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander0.0%19.9%39.7%59.6%73.2%10.4%7.3%4.9%3.8%0.3%0.1%0.0%

About Polk County, Iowa

Polk County, Iowa has a total population of 503,175, making it the 144th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Polk County is 36.2 years, which is 6.9% below the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Polk County is $83,576, which ranks #464 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 11.2% above the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 10.3%, lower than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 4.3%.

The median home value in Polk County is $262,100, 7.0% below the national median. Renters in Polk County pay a median gross rent of $1,149 per month. The homeownership rate is 67.4%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Polk County, 40.3% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 19.5% above the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 94.7% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 22.1 min.

Polk County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 73.2% of the population, followed by Hispanic or Latino (10.4%) and Black (non-Hispanic) (7.3%).

All data for Polk County, Iowa comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.

About this data

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2024). All values are estimates derived from survey samples and are subject to margin of error. For more information, see our methodology.