Polk County, North Carolina

NC · FIPS 37149 · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates

Key Statistics

Total Population
19,891
Rank #1,888 of 3,222
41th %ile
Median Household Income
$67,758 −9.8% vs nat'l
Rank #1,359 of 3,222
58th %ile
Poverty Rate
14.0% +11.2% vs nat'l
Rank #1,760 of 3,222
45th %ile
Median Home Value
$315,000 +11.7% vs nat'l
Rank #553 of 3,222
83th %ile
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
36.2% +7.5% vs nat'l
Rank #417 of 3,222
87th %ile
Unemployment Rate
5.1% −4.4% vs nat'l
Rank #2,069 of 3,222
36th %ile

At a Glance

76.9% Homeownership
90.1% Insured
36.2% Bachelor's+

Age & Sex Distribution

MaleFemale
0-910-1920-2930-3940-4950-5960-6970-7980+8%6%4%2%0%2%4%6%8%

Race & Ethnicity

White (non-Hispanic)Hispanic or LatinoBlack (non-Hispanic)Two or More RacesAsian (non-Hispanic)Other (non-Hispanic)American Indian (non-Hispanic)0.0%25.1%50.3%75.4%86.6%5.6%4.4%2.1%0.8%0.4%0.1%

About Polk County, North Carolina

Polk County, North Carolina has a total population of 19,891, making it the 1,888th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Polk County is 54.9 years, which is 41.1% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Polk County is $67,758, which ranks #1,359 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 9.8% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 14.0%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 5.1%.

The median home value in Polk County is $315,000, 11.7% above the national median. Renters in Polk County pay a median gross rent of $1,178 per month. The homeownership rate is 76.9%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Polk County, 36.2% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 7.5% above the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 90.1% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 31.3 min.

Polk County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 86.6% of the population, followed by Hispanic or Latino (5.6%) and Black (non-Hispanic) (4.4%).

All data for Polk County, North Carolina 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.