Polk County, NC Population

Overview

19,413

Total Population

54.0

Median age

52.88%

Female population %

89.1:100

Gender ratio (M:F)

65-69 years

Largest age group

77.1

Total dependency ratio

White

Largest racial group

1,171

Hispanic population

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

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Age

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

The median age in Polk County is 54.0, compared to 38.8 nationwide, according to the American Community Survey 2017 - 2021 5 Year estimates.
Polk County's population under 18 was 16.22%, compared to the 22.51% nationwide.
Polk County's elderly or the senior population (over 65 age) was 30.51% as compared to 16.04% nationwide.
Of the total population in Polk County, 13.02% were under the age of 15, 13.25% aged 15 to 29, 43.22% aged 30 to 64, 26.72% aged 65 to 84, and 3.79% were 85 years of age and older.

There are 1,119 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 52.88% females and 47.12% males in Polk County, NC.
The Polk County, NC gender ratio is 89.1:100 i.e. 89.1 men to 100 women (0.891).
For male population, the largest age group is 60-64 years with a population of 812.
For the female population, the largest age group is 55-59 years with a population of 970.

Polk County's population has become increasingly diverse:

Racial distribution of Polk County population: 90.63% are White, 4.84% are Black or African American, 0.11% are American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.69% are Asian, 1.42% are some other race and 2.32% are multiracial.
Polk County's racial breakdown clearly shows that there is an absolute majority of White population in the county.
By ethnicity, 1,171 is Hispanic or Latino (of any race), and 18,242 (93.97% of the total population) is Non-Hispanic.
The largest racial group in Polk County is White with a population of 17,594 (90.63% of the total population).

Polk County's population has already reached its peak and is showing a trend of decline:

The peak population was 20,723 in the year 2019
From 2000 to 2010, Polk County's population increased by 2,136 (11.65%), as compared to the national growth of 9.63%.
From 2010 to 2020, Polk County's population decreased by 1,091 (5.33%), 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 18,338.