2017 Growth Rate
1.37%
County Website
State
Founded
1846
County Seat
Des Moines
Lat/Lng
Polk County, Iowa's estimated population is 481,086 with a growth rate of 1.37% in the past year according to the most recent United States census data. Polk County, Iowa is the largest county in Iowa.
| Year | Population | Growth | Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 487,204 | 6,118 | 1.27% |
| 2017 | 481,086 | 6,507 | 1.37% |
| 2016 | 474,579 | 7,053 | 1.51% |
| 2015 | 467,526 | 6,549 | 1.42% |
| 2014 | 460,977 | 8,290 | 1.83% |
| 2013 | 452,687 | 8,011 | 1.80% |
| 2012 | 444,676 | 5,955 | 1.36% |
| 2011 | 438,721 | 6,359 | 1.47% |
| 2010 | 432,362 | 105,222 | 32.16% |
| 1990 | 327,140 | 23,970 | 7.91% |
| 1980 | 303,170 | 17,069 | 5.97% |
| 1970 | 286,101 | 19,786 | 7.43% |
| 1960 | 266,315 | 40,305 | 17.83% |
| 1950 | 226,010 | 30,175 | 15.41% |
| 1940 | 195,835 | 22,998 | 13.31% |
| 1930 | 172,837 | 18,808 | 12.21% |
| 1920 | 154,029 | 43,591 | 39.47% |
| 1910 | 110,438 | 27,814 | 33.66% |
| 1900 | 82,624 | 17,214 | 26.32% |
| 1890 | 65,410 | 23,015 | 54.29% |
| 1880 | 42,395 | 14,538 | 52.19% |
| 1870 | 27,857 | 16,232 | 139.63% |
| 1860 | 11,625 | 7,112 | 157.59% |
| 1850 | 4,513 | 0.00% |
| Race | Population | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White | 399,979 | 84.34% |
| Black or African American | 31,076 | 6.55% |
| Asian | 21,508 | 4.53% |
| Two or More Races | 13,611 | 2.87% |
| Some Other Race | 6,312 | 1.33% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1,365 | 0.29% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 423 | 0.09% |
35.3
34.5
36.2
There are 355,177 adults, (58,939 of whom are seniors) in Polk County, Iowa.
Female
240,675
50.75%
Male
233,599
49.25%
| Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 183,753 | 2.53 | 67.2 |
| Married | 87,017 | 3.19 | 85.6 |
| Non Family | 68,100 | 1.32 | 50.3 |
| Female | 20,517 | 3.44 | 47.6 |
| Male | 8,119 | 3.34 | 60.5 |
| Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Less Than 9th Grade | 11,328 | 3.61% |
| 9th to 12th Grade | 15,325 | 4.89% |
| High School Graduate | 77,890 | 24.85% |
| Some College | 63,904 | 20.39% |
| Associates Degree | 31,920 | 10.18% |
| Bachelors Degree | 77,519 | 24.73% |
| Graduate Degree | 35,590 | 11.35% |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 95.20%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among white people with a rate of 39.07%.
$42,312
Average Earnings
$50,227
Average Male
$36,264
Average Female
87.08% of Polk County, Iowa residents speak only English, while 12.92% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 5.60% of the population.
| Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 363,416 | 28,052 | 7.72% |
| Hispanic | 38,469 | 9,084 | 23.61% |
| Black | 30,108 | 8,511 | 28.27% |
| Multiple | 13,238 | 3,435 | 25.95% |
| Asian | 21,355 | 2,916 | 13.65% |
| Other | 6,251 | 1,443 | 23.08% |
| Native | 1,274 | 275 | 21.59% |
| Islander | 423 | 135 | 31.91% |
11.12%
Overall Poverty Rate
9.79%
Male Poverty Rate
12.40%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Polk County, Iowa is Islander, with 31.91% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Polk County, Iowa is White, with 7.72% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.40%. Among those working part-time, it was 16.93%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 19.21%.
49.4%
Overall Marriage Rate
50.9%
Male Marriage Rate
47.9%
Female Marriage Rate
The age group where males are most likely to be married is 55-64, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.
| Name | Veterans | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| White | 21,957 | 7.15% |
| Black | 986 | 4.78% |
| Hispanic | 572 | 2.49% |
| Asian | 187 | 1.17% |
| 2 or More | 110 | 2.06% |
| Other | 93 | 2.14% |
| Indian | 86 | 8.75% |
| Hawaiian | 33 | 11.34% |
5.06%
Veteran Poverty Rate
27.05%
Veteran Disability Rate
72.3%
Labor Force Participation
69.1%
Employment Rate
4.3%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
91.03%
Native Born
8.97%
Foreign Born
5.20%
Non Citizen
91.03% of Polk County, Iowa residents were born in the United States, with 68.68% having been born in Iowa. 5.20% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.
| City | 2010 Census | 2016 Estimated | Growth | Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | 204190 | 215472 | 11282 | 5.53% |
| West Des Moines | 56703 | 64560 | 7857 | 13.86% |
| Ankeny | 45582 | 58627 | 13045 | 28.62% |
| Urbandale | 39459 | 43018 | 3559 | 9.02% |
| Johnston | 17266 | 21114 | 3848 | 22.29% |
| Altoona | 14546 | 17938 | 3392 | 23.32% |
| Clive | 15412 | 17546 | 2134 | 13.85% |
| Grimes | 8255 | 11909 | 3654 | 44.26% |
| Norwalk | 8981 | 10590 | 1609 | 17.92% |
| Pleasant Hill | 8788 | 9750 | 962 | 10.95% |
| Bondurant | 3860 | 5796 | 1936 | 50.16% |
| Windsor Heights | 4860 | 4983 | 123 | 2.53% |
| Polk City | 3418 | 4428 | 1010 | 29.55% |
| Carlisle | 3891 | 4249 | 358 | 9.20% |
| Mitchellville | 2254 | 2405 | 151 | 6.70% |
| Granger | 1244 | 1402 | 158 | 12.70% |
| Elkhart | 683 | 783 | 100 | 14.64% |
| Runnells | 507 | 523 | 16 | 3.16% |
| Alleman | 432 | 455 | 23 | 5.32% |
| Sheldahl | 319 | 321 | 2 | 0.63% |