Polk County, Iowa Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Polk County, IA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
B
Health Around averageHealthier than 77% of counties in Iowa
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 94% of counties in Iowa
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B
Education Around averageAmong the top 5 best educated counties in Iowa
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Polk County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 502,972 | 3,204,793 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 850.4 | 57.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.13% | 0.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 36.8 | 36.8 | 37.3 |
| Households | 205,272 | 1,308,457 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Polk County grew by 20.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 502,972 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Polk County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 23.5% of residents. That is 3.1 points above Iowa as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 112,479 22.4% on par
- Millennials 29–44 118,329 23.5% +3.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 97,509 19.4% +0.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 69,479 13.8% -3.9 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Iowa, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.3% of the people living in Polk County and men 49.7%.
- Women 50.3% Iowa 50.0%
- Men 49.7% Iowa 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Polk County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Polk County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Polk County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $83,877 | $75,133 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.86% | 3.99% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.3% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Polk County is about 12% higher than in Iowa.
Housing
| Metric | Polk County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $195,018 | $153,425 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,148 | $971 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 67.4% | 71.7% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Polk County is about 14.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,148 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Polk County spend about 37 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 154 hours, about 6.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Polk County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.5 | 17.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 36.9 | 33.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 154 | 141 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,770 | $4,382 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 15.7% | 11.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 10,911 | 4,993 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,206 | 606 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Iowa:
Sioux County (10.1 min), Union County (10.4 min), Cass County (10.6 min).
Slowest:
Monroe County (30.4 min), Madison County (30.1 min), Mills County (26.7 min).
The average commute time in Polk County is 18 minutes, longer than the 17 minutes in Iowa.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Polk County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Polk County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36.3% | 27.9% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.41 | 2.37 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Iowa:
Johnson County (0.4), Dallas County (0.4), Story County (0.4).
Lowest:
Crawford County (0.2), Wayne County (0.2), Louisa County (0.2).
Health
Polk County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Polk County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.4 | 79.2 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.6% | 13.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.7% | 17.6% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Iowa:
Johnson County (0.8), Story County (0.8), Winneshiek County (0.8).
Lowest:
Davis County (0.8), Wayne County (0.8), Appanoose County (0.8).
Polk County, IA Compared With Nearby Counties
Polk County, IA is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 502,972 residents against a local median of 54,398. Polk County, IA's median home price, at $195,018, runs 30% below the $279,595 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread $186,272 on median home price, so Polk County, IA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Polk County, IA has the 6th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County, IA | 502,972 | $83,877 #4/6 | $195,018 #6/6 | 18.5 min #2/6 |
| Warren County, IA | 54,398 | $95,575 | $310,000 | 22.9 min |
| Story County, IA | 100,466 | $70,594 | $260,937 | 15.2 min |
| Dallas County, IA | 107,966 | $102,109 | $279,595 | 20.4 min |
| Boone County, IA | 26,668 | $84,575 | $405,319 | 20.8 min |
| Jasper County, IA | 37,954 | $70,936 | $219,047 | 21.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Polk County, Iowa.
How big is Polk County, Iowa by population?
About 502,972 people live in Polk County, Iowa, in 205,272 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 36.8, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Polk County, Iowa mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Polk County, Iowa has 850 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 9.8 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Polk County, Iowa?
The median home costs 2.3 times the median household income ($195,018 against $83,877), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,148 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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