COUNTY
Polk County
Florida · 874,790 residents (2025 est.) · 1,798.119 sq mi
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Part of the Lakeland metro area
The short version
Polk County has lower-than-average household income, with a median household income of $65,978. The county has grown rapidly, with population up 63% since 2000. Median home value has more than tripled since 2000, reaching $266,500.
At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 39.5
US median: 38.9
Less educated
23% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 110%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01
Population & growth
PEP 2025 EST:874,790 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024791K
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.6%(44,379)
5 to 96%(47,176)
10 to 146.5%(51,365)
15 to 196.4%(50,940)
20 to 246.1%(48,468)
25 to 3413.4%(105,773)
35 to 4412.9%(102,257)
45 to 5411.7%(92,880)
55 to 6411.8%(93,263)
65 to 7410.8%(85,643)
75 to 846.5%(51,623)
85 and over2.1%(16,927)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$65,978
+1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $36,036 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
43.8%
+20.1 ptssince 2009
from 23.7% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information14%
Wholesale trade8.4%
Finance & insurance7.8%
Professional, scientific, technical6.8%
Other services6.7%
Retail trade6.2%
Public administration4.9%
Transportation & warehousing2.1%
Arts, entertainment, food1.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.2%
Construction1%
Education & health services1%
Manufacturing0.1%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$266,500
+110%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $69,800 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
4.0
+27%since 2009
from 3.2 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
54
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Polk County on RentDataNow
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2000
White, non-Hispanic74.7%(361,366)
Black13.3%(64,544)
Hispanic / Latino9.5%(45,933)
Asian0.9%(4,448)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic50.8%(401,528)
Black14.1%(111,326)
Hispanic / Latino29.2%(230,841)
Asian1.8%(14,071)
Other4.2%(32,928)
79
+28%since 2009
from 62 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
31
−2%since 2020
from 32 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry
Hispanic origin
Puerto Rican12.1%(95,449)
Mexican7.4%(58,817)
South American3.3%(25,728)
Cuban2.4%(18,764)
Central American1.7%(13,326)
Venezuelan1.4%(11,036)
Dominican1.3%(10,189)
Colombian1.1%(8,816)
Guatemalan0.5%(3,570)
Honduran0.4%(3,181)
Nicaraguan0.3%(2,482)
Peruvian0.3%(2,335)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Ecuadorian0.2%(1,720)
Panamanian0.2%(1,657)
Spaniard0.2%(1,634)
Costa Rican0.2%(1,241)
Salvadoran0.2%(1,195)
Chilean0.1%(592)
Argentine0.1%(543)
Uruguayan0%(278)
Bolivian0%(267)
Paraguayan0%(78)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.5%(4,307)
Filipino0.5%(3,608)
Chinese0.2%(1,425)
Vietnamese0.1%(1,059)
Thai0.1%(452)
Japanese0.1%(447)
Korean0%(360)
Pakistani0%(356)
Laotian0%(330)
Burmese0%(319)
Bangladeshi0%(222)
Cambodian0%(148)
+ 6 more asian origin groups with data
Ancestry
American10.6%(84,050)
German8.2%(64,993)
English8%(63,497)
Irish6.8%(53,695)
Italian3.7%(29,578)
West Indian3.1%(24,546)
Haitian1.6%(13,020)
Polish1.5%(12,069)
French1.4%(11,235)
Scottish1.4%(10,678)
Subsaharan African1%(8,029)
Jamaican0.9%(7,341)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
Scotch-Irish0.6%(4,516)
Dutch0.5%(4,276)
French Canadian0.5%(3,769)
Swedish0.5%(3,740)
Norwegian0.3%(2,697)
Portuguese0.3%(2,571)
British0.3%(2,500)
Welsh0.3%(2,420)
Canadian0.3%(2,259)
Arab0.3%(2,153)
Greek0.3%(2,114)
Hungarian0.3%(2,096)
Russian0.2%(1,863)
Brazilian0.2%(1,772)
Danish0.2%(1,204)
Guyanese0.1%(1,103)
Czech0.1%(971)
Austrian0.1%(938)
Ukrainian0.1%(935)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0.1%(908)
Finnish0.1%(874)
Lithuanian0.1%(813)
Barbadian0.1%(665)
Slovak0.1%(582)
Swiss0.1%(576)
Nigerian0.1%(523)
Belgian0.1%(492)
Romanian0.1%(475)
Lebanese0.1%(465)
Armenian0.1%(429)
Egyptian0.1%(420)
Iranian0.1%(409)
Croatian0.1%(398)
Serbian0%(202)
Palestinian0%(200)
Australian0%(200)
Ghanaian0%(198)
Cape Verdean0%(194)
Moroccan0%(191)
Turkish0%(181)
Kenyan0%(101)
Slovene0%(100)
Latvian0%(90)
Syrian0%(60)
Ethiopian0%(45)
Israeli0%(38)
Iraqi0%(24)
Somali0%(23)
Jordanian0%(10)
Bulgarian0%(8)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
87.9%
+13.1 ptssince 2000
from 74.8% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Section 08
People & community
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married34.3%(108,680)
Married51.5%(163,160)
Widowed3.6%(11,272)
Divorced10.6%(33,498)
Women 15+
Never married29.8%(98,704)
Married47.2%(156,201)
Widowed9.5%(31,507)
Divorced13.5%(44,752)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
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Compare Polk County to nearby counties
POLK COUNTY VS
Hardee County
Income$60,489−8%
Home value$153,600−42%
Population25,932−97%
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POLK COUNTY VS
Osceola County
Income$72,637+10%
Home value$353,300+33%
Population481,718−45%
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POLK COUNTY VS
Hillsborough County
Income$79,540+21%
Home value$371,500+39%
Population1,574,115+80%
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POLK COUNTY VS
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Income$79,719+21%
Home value$390,100+46%
Population1,528,002+75%
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Frequently asked
How many people live in Polk County, Florida?
Polk County, Florida has about 790,694 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Polk County, Florida?
The typical household in Polk County, Florida earns about $65,978 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Polk County, Florida expensive?
In Polk County, Florida, the median home is worth about $266,500, and the typical rent is about $1,363 a month.
How educated are people in Polk County, Florida?
About 23.5% of adults age 25 and over in Polk County, Florida hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Polk County, Florida?
About 14.5% of people in Polk County, Florida live below the federal poverty line.
Has Polk County, Florida grown since 1990?
Yes, Polk County, Florida has grown since 1990. The population has added about 385,312 residents, a change of about 95 percent over that period.
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174 census tracts (top 20 by population)
Census Tract 125.02Census Tract 124.05Census Tract 125.14Census Tract 125.06Census Tract 148.04Census Tract 145.01Census Tract 124.13Census Tract 124.11Census Tract 141.27Census Tract 121.27Census Tract 125.15Census Tract 144.01Census Tract 115.02Census Tract 124.12Census Tract 118.34Census Tract 149.06Census Tract 141.23Census Tract 129Census Tract 128.04Census Tract 141.2840 ZIP codes (top 30 by population)
ZIP 33810ZIP 33844ZIP 33837ZIP 34759ZIP 33880ZIP 33823ZIP 33881ZIP 33813ZIP 33884ZIP 33801ZIP 33830ZIP 33809ZIP 33897ZIP 33811ZIP 33803ZIP 33805ZIP 33860ZIP 33898ZIP 33812ZIP 33815ZIP 33868ZIP 33853ZIP 33859ZIP 33843ZIP 33850ZIP 33841ZIP 33838ZIP 33839ZIP 33827ZIP 33851Up the hierarchy
All counties in FloridaDATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024