Polk County, Texas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Polk County, TX Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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D
Health Well below averageLess healthy than 92% of counties in Texas
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D
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 74% of counties in Texas
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Polk County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 52,800 | 30,160,889 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 47.6 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.59% | 1.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.6 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 19,517 | 10,982,153 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Polk County grew by 14.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 52,800 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Polk County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 22.7% of residents. That is 9.5 points above Texas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 9,542 18.1% -5.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 10,038 19.0% -3.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 11,820 22.4% +2.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 12,008 22.7% +9.5 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 Texas, 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 45.8% of the people living in Polk County and men 54.2%.
- Women 45.8% Texas 50.1%
- Men 54.2% Texas 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 D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Polk County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $63,925 | $78,939 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.68% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 8.0% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Polk County is about 19% lower than in Texas.
Housing
| Metric | Polk County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $165,456 | $258,873 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $986 | $1,402 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 78.1% | 62.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Polk County is about 14.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $986 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Polk County spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 172 hours, about 7.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Polk County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.6 | 22.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.2 | 45.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 172 | 190 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,328 | $5,888 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.4% | 14.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,238 | 9,879 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 702 | 1,441 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Texas:
Loving County (3.2 min), King County (5.8 min), Terrell County (6.5 min).
Slowest:
Bandera County (38.6 min), San Jacinto County (35.9 min), Liberty County (33.6 min).
The average commute time in Polk County is 21 minutes, shorter than the 23 minutes in Texas.
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 F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Polk County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 12.5% | 29.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.51 | 2.69 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Texas:
Collin County (0.4), Travis County (0.4), Fort Bend County (0.4).
Lowest:
Kenedy County (0.0), Hudspeth County (0.1), La Salle County (0.1).
Health
Polk County has a health index of D, which means it is barely healthy.
| Metric | Polk County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.2 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 23.3% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 24.2% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Texas:
Collin County (0.8), Travis County (0.8), Denton County (0.8).
Lowest:
Starr County (0.7), Brooks County (0.7), Presidio County (0.7).
Polk County, TX Compared With Nearby Counties
Polk County, TX is the 3rd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 52,800 residents against a local median of 43,042. Polk County, TX's commute, at 20.6 min, runs 30% below the 29.3 min typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $165,456 against a local median of $198,189, 17% below it. The counties themselves spread 19.5 min on commute, so Polk County, TX sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Polk County, TX has the 2nd lowest commute of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County, TX | 52,800 | $63,925 #3/5 | $165,456 #3/5 | 20.6 min #2/5 |
| San Jacinto County, TX | 28,441 | $64,688 | $259,750 | 35.9 min |
| Tyler County, TX | 20,238 | $55,397 | $136,627 | 28.3 min |
| Angelina County, TX | 87,274 | $61,193 | $97,840 | 16.4 min |
| Hardin County, TX | 57,642 | $76,037 | $281,935 | 30.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Polk County, Texas.
How big is Polk County, Texas by population?
About 52,800 people live in Polk County, Texas, in 19,517 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 41.6, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Polk County, Texas urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Polk County, Texas has 48 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 55% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Polk County, Texas?
The median home costs 2.6 times the median household income ($165,456 against $63,925), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $986 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Polk County, Texas?
Unemployment in Polk County, Texas is 8.0%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How educated are people in Polk County, Texas?
12.5% of adults in Polk County, Texas hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 8), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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