Polk County, Iowa Population 2024

509,326

Polk County, Iowa's estimated 2024 population is 509,326 with a growth rate of 0.81% in the past year according to the most recent United States census data. Polk County, Iowa is the largest county in Iowa. The 2010 population was 432,360 and has seen a growth of 17.8% since that time.

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change

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Year
Population
Growth
Growth Rate
2029529,6814,0710.77%
2028525,6104,0710.78%
2027521,5394,0710.79%
2026517,4684,0710.79%
2025513,3974,0710.8%
2024509,3264,0710.81%
2023505,2554,0710.81%
2022501,1843,3420.67%
2021497,8424,8200.98%
2020493,0221,9910.41%
2019491,0314,8090.99%
2018486,2225,2601.09%
2017480,9626,3691.34%
2016474,5937,0761.51%
2015467,5176,4481.4%
2014461,0698,2891.83%
2013452,7808,0271.8%
2012444,7535,9701.36%
2011438,7836,4231.49%
2010432,36000%
1990327,14023,9707.91%
1980303,17017,0695.97%
1970286,10119,7867.43%
1960266,31540,30517.83%
1950226,01030,17515.41%
1940195,83522,99813.31%
1930172,83718,80812.21%
1920154,02943,59139.47%
1910110,43827,81433.66%
190082,62417,21426.32%
189065,41023,01554.29%
188042,39514,53852.19%
187027,85716,232139.63%
186011,6257,112157.59%
18504,513-525,168-99.15%
showing: 35 rows
2024 Growth Rate
0.81% (4,071)
County Website
Polk County
State
Iowa
County Seat
2020 Population
493,022
Area
572 mi²
Density
890 people/mi²
Growth Since 2020
3.31% (16,304)
Founded
1846

Polk County, Iowa Population 2024

Population by Race

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Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White393,71779.8%
Black or African American35,9947.3%
Two or more races26,5625.38%
Asian24,3254.93%
Other race11,6302.36%
Native American1,0570.21%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander930.02%

White

Black or African American

Two or more races

Asian

Other race

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Polk County, Iowa Population by Race

Polk County, Iowa Population Pyramid 2024

Polk County, Iowa Median Age

36.1

Total

35.3

Male

36.7

Female

Polk County, Iowa Adults

There are 372,721 adults, (66,726 of whom are seniors) in Polk County, Iowa.

Polk County, Iowa Age Dependency

61.2

Age Dependency Ratio

21.8

Old Age Dependency Ratio

39.4

Child Dependency Ratio

Polk County, Iowa Sex Ratio

Female248,13750.29%
Male245,24149.71%

Polk County, Iowa Population by Age

Polk County, Iowa Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All199,0132.4467.132.9
Married91,0423.1486.313.7
Non Family77,1071.2747.852.2
Female22,0033.3454.245.8
Male8,8613.0968.531.5

3.09

Average Family Size

2.44

Average Household Size

67.1%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Polk County, Iowa Households and Families

Male

Female

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Education Attained
Count
Percentage
Less Than 9th Grade11,6683.55%
9th to 12th Grade12,3493.76%
High School Graduate81,09424.69%
Some College61,85618.83%
Associates Degree33,69910.26%
Bachelors Degree87,04526.5%
Graduate Degree40,80012.42%

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

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

Polk County, Iowa Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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Race
Total
High School
Bachelors
White265,905257,215112,742
Hispanic21,06814,3783,094
Black19,44815,9753,764
Asian15,61811,0225,715
2+ Races10,9018,9403,349
Other Race6,0963,658785
Native American589544109
Islander454325

The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 96.73%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among islander people with a rate of 55.56%.

Polk County, Iowa Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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Name
Average
Male
Female
Overall$52,600$60,267$45,527
Less Than 9th Grade$32,382$38,275$25,702
High School Graduate$39,295$45,567$30,378
Some College$47,263$56,234$39,574
Bachelors Degree$65,811$76,848$57,072
Graduate Degree$82,024$99,850$72,132

$52,600

Average Earnings

$60,267

Average Male

$45,527

Average Female

Polk County, Iowa Earnings by Educational Attainment

Polk County, Iowa Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Polk County, Iowa Language

85.93% of Polk County, Iowa residents speak only English, while 14.07% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 6.04% of the population.

Polk County, Iowa Language

Polk County, Iowa Poverty by Race

rate

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Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White365,77626,4057.22%
Black34,92811,43332.73%
Hispanic43,4136,78515.63%
Multiple26,2233,88514.82%
Asian24,1623,19613.23%
Other11,5751,99217.21%
Native1,01515214.98%
Islander8611.16%

10.33%

Overall Poverty Rate

9.65%

Male Poverty Rate

11.01%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Polk County, Iowa

The race most likely to be in poverty in Polk County, Iowa is Black, with 32.73% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Polk County, Iowa is Islander, with 1.16% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.06%. Among those working part-time, it was 14.99%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 19.18%.

Polk County, Iowa Poverty

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade23.45%
High School11.7%
Some College7.4%
Bachelors or Greater3.38%

Polk County, Iowa Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed31.44%
Male Unemployed25.29%
Female Employed6.23%
Male Employed4.1%

Polk County, Iowa Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Polk County, Iowa Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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Name
Median
Mean
Households$78,827$101,787
Families$99,161$122,574
Married Families$117,244$141,659
Non Families$50,958$64,507

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Polk County, Iowa Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

48.9%

Overall Marriage Rate

50.6%

Male Marriage Rate

47.2%

Female Marriage Rate

Polk County, Iowa Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Polk County, Iowa 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 35-44.

Polk County, Iowa Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Polk County, Iowa Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

22,629

Number of Veterans

20,894

Male Veterans

1,735

Female Veterans

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War
Veterans
Vietnam7,042
First Gulf War5,125
Second Gulf War4,982
Korea1,305
World War II379

Polk County, Iowa Veterans by War

count

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Age Group
Veterans
35 to 545,480
65 to 745,441
75+4,750
55 to 644,482
18 to 342,476

Polk County, Iowa Veterans by Age

count

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Name
Veterans
% of Total
White20,8636.79%
Black8543.69%
Hispanic6882.59%
2+ Races3722.51%
Asian2321.28%
Other Race1802.47%
Native American10214.07%
Islander2650%

Polk County, Iowa Veterans by Race

Polk County, Iowa Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

6.63%

Veteran Poverty Rate

27.22%

Veteran Disability Rate

Polk County, Iowa Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

71.1%

Labor Force Participation

67.7%

Employment Rate

4.5%

Unemployment Rate

Polk County, Iowa Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Polk County, Iowa Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Polk County, Iowa 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

67.54%

Born in Polk County, Iowa

90.29%

Native Born

9.71%

Foreign Born

5.12%

Non Citizen

4.59%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

90.29% of Polk County, Iowa residents were born in the United States, with 67.54% having been born in Iowa. 5.12% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.

Polk County, Iowa Place of Birth

Sources