Polk County, Oregon Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Polk County, OR 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 Oregon
-
C
Income Below averageWealthier than 80% of counties in Oregon
-
C
Education Below averageBetter educated than 80% of counties in Oregon
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Polk County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 89,625 | 4,252,306 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 120.5 | 43.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.70% | 0.82% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.8 | 40.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 32,972 | 1,717,698 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Polk County grew by 20.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 89,625 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Polk County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 24.3% of residents. That is 3.6 points above Oregon as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 21,815 24.3% +3.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 17,236 19.2% -3.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 17,249 19.2% -0.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 15,124 16.9% -1.1 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 Oregon, 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 50.6% of the people living in Polk County and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% Oregon 50.1%
- Men 49.4% Oregon 49.9%
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 C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Polk County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $86,020 | $83,617 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.82% | 5.70% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.6% | 5.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Polk County is about 3% higher than in Oregon.
Housing
| Metric | Polk County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $85,076 | $406,603 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,299 | $1,525 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 64.7% | 63.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Polk County is about 5.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,299 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Polk County spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 185 hours, about 7.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Polk County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.2 | 20.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 44.4 | 40.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 185 | 168 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,732 | $5,203 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 17.5% | 19.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 12,967 | 7,643 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,228 | 967 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Oregon:
Lake County (7.7 min), Harney County (8.6 min), Baker County (8.9 min).
Slowest:
Columbia County (31.7 min), Clackamas County (23.9 min), Polk County (22.2 min).
The average commute time in Polk County is 22 minutes, longer than the 20 minutes in Oregon.
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 C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Polk County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28.1% | 32.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.65 | 2.41 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Oregon:
Benton County (0.4), Multnomah County (0.4), Washington County (0.4).
Lowest:
Morrow County (0.2), Malheur County (0.2), Gilliam County (0.2).
Health
Polk County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Polk County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.3 | 78.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 14.5% | 15.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.0% | 17.0% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Oregon:
Benton County (0.8), Washington County (0.8), Clackamas County (0.8).
Lowest:
Josephine County (0.8), Malheur County (0.8), Lake County (0.8).
Polk County, OR Compared With Nearby Counties
Polk County, OR is typical in size for this group, 89,625 residents against a local median of 96,284, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. The measure that sets Polk County, OR apart most is median home price: $85,076, 77% below the local median of $364,860.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 22.2 min against a local median of 16.5 min, 35% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 35% above the local median it puts Polk County, OR at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $394,937 on median home price, so Polk County, OR sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Polk County, OR has the 5th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County, OR | 89,625 | $86,020 #3/6 | $85,076 #5/6 | 22.2 min #6/6 |
| Yamhill County, OR | 108,598 | $89,058 | $443,771 | 21.6 min |
| Benton County, OR | 96,284 | $76,897 | $77,748 | 15.8 min |
| Lincoln County, OR | 50,961 | $63,695 | $295,722 | 16.5 min |
| Tillamook County, OR | 27,495 | $68,636 | $364,860 | 13.5 min |
| Washington County, OR | 603,920 | $108,282 | $472,684 | 21.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Polk County, Oregon.
How many people live in Polk County, Oregon?
About 89,625 people live in Polk County, Oregon, in 32,972 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 35.8, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is Polk County, Oregon mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Polk County, Oregon has 121 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Is Polk County, Oregon an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.0 times the median household income ($85,076 against $86,020), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,299 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →