Polk County, IA Population

Overview

488,871

Total Population

35.9

Median age

50.44%

Female population %

98.3:100

Gender ratio (M:F)

25-29 years

Largest age group

51.3

Total dependency ratio

White

Largest racial group

42,591

Hispanic population

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Age

Polk County's population is young compared to the rest of the country:

The median age in Polk County is 35.9, compared to 38.8 nationwide, according to the American Community Survey 2017 - 2021 5 Year estimates.
Polk County's population under 18 was 24.92%, compared to the 22.51% nationwide.
Polk County's elderly or the senior population (over 65 age) was 13.04% as compared to 16.04% nationwide.
Of the total population in Polk County, 20.85% were under the age of 15, 20.39% aged 15 to 29, 45.71% aged 30 to 64, 11.52% aged 65 to 84, and 1.52% were 85 years of age and older.

There are 4,275 more females than males in Polk County:

The female percentage in the USA is 50.50% while the male percentage is 49.50%, compared to 50.44% females and 49.56% males in Polk County, IA.
The Polk County, IA gender ratio is 98.3:100 i.e. 98.3 men to 100 women (0.983).
For male population, the largest age group is 10-14 years with a population of 18,914.
For the female population, the largest age group is 25-29 years with a population of 18,763.

Polk County's population has become increasingly diverse:

Racial distribution of Polk County population: 81.35% are White, 7.18% are Black or African American, 0.23% are American Indian and Alaska Native, 4.94% are Asian, 0.08% are Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 1.88% are some other race and 4.34% are multiracial.
Polk County's racial breakdown clearly shows that there is an absolute majority of White population in the county.
By ethnicity, 42,591 is Hispanic or Latino (of any race), and 446,28 (91.29% of the total population) is Non-Hispanic.
The largest racial group in Polk County is White with a population of 397,715 (81.35% of the total population).

Polk County's population has not reached its peak yet and is showing a trend of further growth:

The peak population was 501,089 in the year 2022
From 2000 to 2010, Polk County's population increased by 56,633 (15.07%), as compared to the national growth of 9.63%.
From 2010 to 2020, Polk County's population increased by 60,637 (14.02%), according to Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program. For the same period, the rate of growth for the United States was 7.17%.
Between the year 2000 and 2022, Polk County's population was lowest in year 2000 at 375,727.