Polk County, Florida Population 2024

848,278

Polk County, Florida's estimated 2024 population is 848,278 with a growth rate of 3.66% in the past year according to the most recent United States census data. Polk County, Florida is the 8th largest county in Florida. The 2010 population was 603,119 and has seen a growth of 40.65% since that time.

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change
Year
Population
Growth
Change
2029998,01829,9483.09%
2028968,07029,9483.19%
2027938,12229,9483.3%
2026908,17429,9483.41%
2025878,22629,9483.53%
2024848,27829,9483.66%
2023818,33029,9483.8%
2022788,38232,7844.34%
2021755,59825,4403.48%
2020730,1585,1910.72%
2019724,96717,8722.53%
2018707,09521,3053.11%
2017685,79019,5192.93%
2016666,27117,4482.69%
2015648,82314,1992.24%
2014634,62411,8161.9%
2013622,8087,2271.17%
2012615,5815,5550.91%
2011610,0266,9071.15%
2010603,11900%
1990405,38283,73026.03%
1980321,65294,43041.56%
1970227,22232,08316.44%
1960195,13971,14257.37%
1950123,99737,33243.08%
194086,66514,37419.88%
193072,29133,63086.99%
192038,66114,51360.1%
191024,14811,67693.62%
190012,4724,56757.77%
18907,9054,724148.51%
18803,181120.38%
18703,169-994,849-99.68%
2024 Growth Rate
3.66% (29,948)
County Website
Polk County
State
Florida
County Seat
Bartow
2020 Population
730,158
Area
1798 mi²
Density
472 people/mi²
Growth Since 2020
16.18% (118,120)
Founded
February 8, 1861

Population by Race

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White474,35664.43%
Black or African American109,38914.86%
Other race69,9359.5%
Two or more races67,0859.11%
Asian12,9721.76%
Native American2,1900.3%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander3020.04%

White

Black or African American

Other race

Two or more races

Asian

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Polk County, Florida Population by Race

Polk County, Florida Population Pyramid 2024

Polk County, Florida Median Age

39.8

Total

38.6

Male

40.7

Female

Polk County, Florida Adults

There are 575,163 adults, (146,515 of whom are seniors) in Polk County, Florida.

Polk County, Florida Age Dependency

71.8

Age Dependency Ratio

34.2

Old Age Dependency Ratio

37.6

Child Dependency Ratio

Polk County, Florida Sex Ratio

Female372,96050.66%
Male363,26949.34%

Polk County, Florida Population by Age

Polk County, Florida Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All264,1452.7369.830.2
Married128,7273.2181.418.6
Non Family82,6941.3362.537.5
Female37,8123.850.849.2
Male14,9123.5657.942.1

3.25

Average Family Size

2.73

Average Household Size

69.8%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Polk County, Florida Households and Families

Male

Female

Education Attained
Count
Percentage
9th to 12th Grade39,3857.73%
Associates Degree50,2819.86%
Bachelors Degree73,60114.44%
Graduate Degree35,6847%
High School Graduate172,83433.91%
Less Than 9th Grade27,3255.36%
Some College110,58221.7%

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Polk County, Florida Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Polk County, Florida Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Race
Total
High School
Bachelors
White306,787280,38972,326
Hispanic113,43388,12019,373
Black69,21357,03910,797
Other Race41,36031,8095,695
2+ Races37,90430,7158,705
Asian9,7648,3283,978
Native American1,4421,093248
Islander108829

The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 91.4%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 40.74%.

Polk County, Florida Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Name
Average
Male
Female
Bachelors Degree$51,187$59,116$47,249
Graduate Degree$61,885$70,665$57,045
High School Graduate$33,934$39,400$27,579
Less Than 9th Grade$27,826$32,899$23,054
Overall$38,912$44,420$34,087
Some College$39,267$46,805$34,054

$38,912

Average Earnings

$44,420

Average Male

$34,087

Average Female

Polk County, Florida Earnings by Educational Attainment

Polk County, Florida Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Polk County, Florida Language

74.88% of Polk County, Florida residents speak only English, while 25.12% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 20.82% of the population.

Polk County, Florida Language

Polk County, Florida Poverty by Race

rate

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White390,74642,55510.89%
Hispanic190,47434,91818.33%
Black106,04324,26622.88%
Other69,43214,20520.46%
Multiple65,8149,47814.4%
Asian12,8171,42711.13%
Native2,13368231.97%
Islander23414059.83%

14.82%

Overall Poverty Rate

13.57%

Male Poverty Rate

16.03%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Polk County, Florida

The race most likely to be in poverty in Polk County, Florida is Islander, with 59.83% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Polk County, Florida is White, with 10.89% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3.12%. Among those working part-time, it was 15.44%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 21.72%.

Polk County, Florida Poverty

rate

Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade27.66%
High School13.86%
Some College9.89%
Bachelors or Greater4.81%

Polk County, Florida Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed28.48%
Male Unemployed22.89%
Female Employed6.71%
Male Employed5.45%

Polk County, Florida Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Polk County, Florida Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Name
Median
Mean
Families$69,667$90,095
Households$60,901$80,027
Married Families$80,911$104,045
Non Families$37,895$51,759

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Polk County, Florida Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

46.4%

Overall Marriage Rate

48.9%

Male Marriage Rate

44.0%

Female Marriage Rate

Polk County, Florida Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Polk County, Florida Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.

Polk County, Florida Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Polk County, Florida Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

45,358

Number of Veterans

41,157

Male Veterans

4,201

Female Veterans

War
Veterans
Vietnam16,141
Second Gulf War8,191
First Gulf War7,867
Korea3,043
World War II1,030

Polk County, Florida Veterans by War

count

Age Group
Veterans
75+13,068
65 to 7411,814
55 to 648,681
35 to 548,362
18 to 343,433

Polk County, Florida Veterans by Age

count

Name
Veterans
% of Total
White36,1379.35%
Hispanic4,9573.68%
Black4,5735.71%
2+ Races2,3315.08%
Other Race1,7333.52%
Asian3563.3%
Native American22813.55%

Polk County, Florida Veterans by Race

Polk County, Florida Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

8.03%

Veteran Poverty Rate

31.01%

Veteran Disability Rate

Polk County, Florida Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

56.6%

Labor Force Participation

53.9%

Employment Rate

4.6%

Unemployment Rate

Polk County, Florida Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Polk County, Florida Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Polk County, Florida Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

42.17%

Born in Polk County, Florida

89.15%

Native Born

10.85%

Foreign Born

5.69%

Non Citizen

5.17%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

89.15% of Polk County, Florida residents were born in the United States, with 42.17% having been born in Florida. 5.69% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Polk County, Florida Place of Birth

Sources