COUNTY
Polk County
Iowa · 516,546 residents (2025 est.) · 572 sq mi
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Part of the Des Moines metro area
Notable rankings
#145Largest by populationof 3,144516,546The short version
With 503,175 people, Polk County is a county in Iowa. Few US counties rank higher on income. The population is up 34% since 2000. The typical home is worth $262,100, having more than doubled since 2000. Getting to work takes 20 minutes on average. About 40% of adults have finished a four-year degree.
At a glance
Average income
median household income $83,576, near the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 36.2
US median: 38.9
More educated
40% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 44%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Polk County
Among the 99 counties in Iowa
- 9th in household income$83,576
- 5th in share with a bachelor's degree40.3%
- 5th in home value$262,100
- 5th in diversity score55.6
Section 01
Population & growth
503,175
+34%since 2000
from 374,601 in 2000
516,546 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Land area
572 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024503K
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.5%(32,692)
5 to 96.6%(33,452)
10 to 147%(35,419)
15 to 196.6%(33,037)
20 to 246.4%(32,188)
25 to 3415.2%(76,592)
35 to 4414.2%(71,626)
45 to 5412%(60,270)
55 to 6411.5%(57,624)
65 to 748.5%(43,014)
75 to 843.9%(19,680)
85 and over1.5%(7,581)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$83,576
−1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $46,116 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
54.8%
+20.4 ptssince 2009
from 34.5% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Other services13.5%
Public administration12.1%
Information11.2%
Retail trade9%
Wholesale trade7.3%
Finance & insurance5.1%
Professional, scientific, technical4.5%
Transportation & warehousing2.7%
Arts, entertainment, food1.7%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.1%
Construction1.1%
Education & health services0.6%
Manufacturing0%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$262,100
+44%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $100,100 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
3.1
+19%since 2009
from 2.6 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
56
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2000
White, non-Hispanic86.4%(323,785)
Black4.8%(17,874)
Hispanic / Latino4.4%(16,490)
Asian2.6%(9,765)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic73.2%(368,110)
Black7.3%(36,704)
Hispanic / Latino10.4%(52,317)
Asian4.9%(24,778)
Other4.2%(21,266)
56
+51%since 2009
from 37 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
33
−9%since 2020
from 36 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
Mexican7%(35,389)
Central American1.7%(8,515)
Salvadoran0.9%(4,692)
Puerto Rican0.6%(3,190)
Honduran0.4%(1,915)
South American0.3%(1,624)
Guatemalan0.3%(1,612)
Spaniard0.2%(1,033)
Cuban0.1%(720)
Colombian0.1%(550)
Ecuadorian0.1%(471)
Dominican0%(181)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Peruvian0%(177)
Venezuelan0%(172)
Nicaraguan0%(153)
Argentine0%(153)
Panamanian0%(94)
Chilean0%(61)
Costa Rican0%(35)
Uruguayan0%(7)
Asian origin
Burmese0.9%(4,468)
Asian Indian0.8%(4,171)
Vietnamese0.6%(2,853)
Laotian0.5%(2,657)
Chinese0.4%(1,864)
Nepalese0.2%(1,246)
Korean0.2%(1,214)
Filipino0.2%(825)
Bhutanese0.1%(611)
Kazakh0.1%(574)
Thai0.1%(486)
Cambodian0.1%(321)
+ 8 more asian origin groups with data
Hmong0%(206)
Japanese0%(178)
Sri Lankan0%(124)
Malaysian0%(92)
Bangladeshi0%(46)
Pakistani0%(33)
Taiwanese0%(23)
Indonesian0%(21)
Pacific Islander origin
Marshallese0%(206)
Native Hawaiian0%(172)
Chamorro0%(80)
Samoan0%(65)
Tongan0%(15)
Guamanian0%(2)
Ancestry
German24.5%(123,418)
Irish13.3%(66,949)
English11.8%(59,452)
Norwegian3.7%(18,785)
American3.3%(16,737)
Italian3.2%(16,108)
Subsaharan African3%(14,954)
Dutch2.6%(13,123)
Swedish2.5%(12,383)
Scottish2%(9,998)
French1.4%(6,944)
Polish1.3%(6,587)
+ 47 more ancestry groups with data
Danish1.3%(6,313)
Czech0.8%(4,185)
Scotch-Irish0.8%(3,882)
Welsh0.7%(3,729)
British0.4%(2,073)
Russian0.4%(1,952)
Hungarian0.3%(1,324)
Somali0.3%(1,299)
West Indian0.2%(1,244)
Arab0.2%(1,199)
Swiss0.2%(1,187)
Croatian0.2%(1,142)
Ethiopian0.2%(1,041)
French Canadian0.2%(898)
Austrian0.2%(841)
Nigerian0.2%(813)
Greek0.2%(758)
Jamaican0.1%(653)
Ukrainian0.1%(587)
Lithuanian0.1%(495)
Lebanese0.1%(456)
Latvian0.1%(451)
Haitian0.1%(426)
Belgian0.1%(409)
Canadian0.1%(322)
Egyptian0.1%(308)
Finnish0.1%(305)
Kenyan0.1%(257)
Romanian0%(240)
Slovak0%(228)
Ghanaian0%(190)
Iraqi0%(187)
Serbian0%(182)
Portuguese0%(176)
Slovene0%(144)
Turkish0%(130)
Bulgarian0%(96)
Iranian0%(88)
Brazilian0%(86)
Australian0%(81)
Israeli0%(42)
Armenian0%(32)
Jordanian0%(19)
Syrian0%(18)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(15)
Moroccan0%(5)
Palestinian0%(5)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
92.5%
+4.1 ptssince 2000
from 88.3% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
81.4%
+1.3 ptssince 2020
from 80.1% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
96.9%
+3.0 ptssince 2020
from 93.9% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married36.6%(72,793)
Married51.9%(103,053)
Widowed2.2%(4,298)
Divorced9.3%(18,549)
Women 15+
Never married31.4%(63,659)
Married48.5%(98,407)
Widowed7.4%(15,041)
Divorced12.7%(25,812)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
11.8%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 12.3% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
2.1%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 2.1% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
71.9%
−2.4 ptssince 2020
from 74.3% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
34.0%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 33.5% in 2020
US average: 36.7%
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)26.6%(5,689)
Gulf War (1990s)22.9%(4,903)
Vietnam era28.8%(6,165)
Korean War4.4%(943)
World War II1%(220)
Share of the 21,413 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Polk County, decade by decade
| Year | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Bachelor's degree+ | Diversity score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 327,140 | $74,933 | $142,324 | 23.9% | 19.7 |
| 2000 | 374,601 | $84,007 | $182,348 | 29.7% | 31.0 |
| 2010 | 430,640 | $80,695 | $215,354 | 32.8% | 42.1 |
| 2020 | 492,401 | $84,536 | $230,772 | 37.6% | 55.1 |
| 2024 | 503,175 | $83,576 | $262,100 | 40.3% | 55.6 |
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
Drill deeper
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Pop 479,958
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Pop 541,623
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Pop 473,197
Places similar to Polk CountyHead to head
Compare Polk County to nearby counties
POLK COUNTY VS
Dallas County
Income$102,379+22%
Home value$355,600+36%
Population118,457−77%
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POLK COUNTY VS
Warren County
Income$94,588+13%
Home value$269,600+3%
Population57,331−89%
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POLK COUNTY VS
Story County
Income$69,685−17%
Home value$258,700−1%
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POLK COUNTY VS
Jasper County
Income$71,311−15%
Home value$186,300−29%
Population38,153−93%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked
How many people live in Polk County, Iowa?
Polk County, Iowa has about 503,175 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Polk County, Iowa?
The typical household in Polk County, Iowa earns about $83,576 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Polk County, Iowa expensive?
In Polk County, Iowa, the median home is worth about $262,100, and the typical rent is about $1,149 a month.
How educated are people in Polk County, Iowa?
About 40.3% of adults age 25 and over in Polk County, Iowa hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Polk County, Iowa?
About 10.3% of people in Polk County, Iowa live below the federal poverty line.
Has Polk County, Iowa grown since 1990?
Yes, Polk County, Iowa has grown since 1990. The population has added about 176,035 residents, a change of about 54 percent over that period.
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Explore from here
112 census tracts (top 20 by population)
Census Tract 102.16Census Tract 101.02Census Tract 102.14Census Tract 102.05Census Tract 108.05Census Tract 115Census Tract 113.03Census Tract 106.02Census Tract 51.01Census Tract 110.27Census Tract 105Census Tract 107.02Census Tract 102.15Census Tract 107.08Census Tract 114.06Census Tract 102.09Census Tract 108.04Census Tract 8.01Census Tract 101.01Census Tract 117.0333 ZIP codes (top 30 by population)
ZIP 50023ZIP 50317ZIP 50315ZIP 50265ZIP 50322ZIP 50310ZIP 50021ZIP 50320ZIP 50131ZIP 50009ZIP 50325ZIP 50313ZIP 50111ZIP 50316ZIP 50312ZIP 50311ZIP 50327ZIP 50314ZIP 50035ZIP 50309ZIP 50321ZIP 50226ZIP 50324ZIP 50169ZIP 50237ZIP 50109ZIP 50161ZIP 50244ZIP 50073ZIP 50032Up the hierarchy
All counties in IowaDATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024