Polk County, Iowa

17 cities & places have their primary county here.

Population: 497,441
Median household income: $81,621
Median home value: $248,400

Home to 497,441 residents, Polk County is one of Iowa's counties. 17 cities and places have their primary county here. At $81,621, its median household income sits above Iowa's $73,147.

From 2019 to 2023, Polk County's population grew 3.7% from 479,612 to 497,441, while its median household income rose 20.7% from $67,637 to $81,621.

Households average 2.41 people. The median gross rent is $1,113.

Demographics

ACS 2019–2023

Population: 497,441
Median age: 36.2 yrs
Median household income: $81,621
Median home value: $248,400
Median gross rent: $1,113
Housing units: 215,016
Homeownership rate: 67.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher: 39.5%
Unemployment rate: 4.4%

Trends

ACS 5-year · 2019–2023

Population

479,612497,441

Median household income

$67,637$81,621

Median home value

$179,900$248,400

Median gross rent

$910$1,113

Year	Population	Median household income	Median home value	Median gross rent
2019	479,612	$67,637	$179,900	$910
2020	485,418	$69,747	$190,400	$938
2021	488,871	$73,015	$201,300	$977
2022	493,378	$78,827	$232,000	$1,060
2023	497,441	$81,621	$248,400	$1,113

Each year is a US Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimate ending that year.

Age distribution

Under 56.6%

5 to 1718.0%

18 to 248.7%

25 to 3415.1%

35 to 4414.2%

45 to 5412.1%

55 to 6411.6%

65 to 748.4%

75 and over5.3%

	Count	Share
Under 5	32,945	6.6%
5 to 17	89,439	18.0%
18 to 24	43,467	8.7%
25 to 34	75,348	15.1%
35 to 44	70,603	14.2%
45 to 54	60,001	12.1%
55 to 64	57,612	11.6%
65 to 74	41,851	8.4%
75 and over	26,175	5.3%

Race & ethnicity

	Count	Share
White (non-Hispanic)	368,617	74.1%
Black or African American	36,708	7.4%
American Indian & Alaska Native	400	0.1%
Asian	24,354	4.9%
Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander	33	0.0%
Some other race	1,028	0.2%
Two or more races	16,485	3.3%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	49,816	10.0%

Educational attainment (age 25+)

No high school diploma7.5%

High school graduate24.3%

Some college or associate's28.7%

Bachelor's degree26.7%

Graduate or professional degree12.8%

	Count	Share
No high school diploma	24,895	7.5%
High school graduate	80,479	24.3%
Some college or associate's	95,087	28.7%
Bachelor's degree	88,699	26.7%
Graduate or professional degree	42,430	12.8%

Commute to work

Mean travel time to work: 20 min

Drove alone74.1%

Carpooled8.6%

Public transit0.6%

Walked1.4%

Bicycle0.2%

Worked from home13.9%

Other means1.2%

How workers get to work

	Count	Share
Drove alone	192,795	74.1%
Carpooled	22,256	8.6%
Public transit	1,669	0.6%
Walked	3,620	1.4%
Bicycle	558	0.2%
Worked from home	36,162	13.9%
Other means	2,991	1.2%

Travel time

	Count	Share
Under 15 min	71,149	31.8%
15 to 29 min	110,882	49.5%
30 to 44 min	30,508	13.6%
45 to 59 min	5,402	2.4%
60+ min	5,948	2.7%

Households

Average household size: 2.41
Poverty rate: 10.1% (49,165 of 488,661)

	Count	Share
Family households	123,050	60.8%
Nonfamily households	79,354	39.2%

Housing

Median year structure built: 1981

Occupancy

	Count	Share
Occupied	202,404	94.1%
Vacant	12,612	5.9%

Tenure (of occupied units)

	Count	Share
Owner-occupied	135,757	67.1%
Renter-occupied	66,647	32.9%

1-unit, detached62.4%

1-unit, attached7.6%

2 to 4 units3.6%

5 to 19 units9.5%

20 or more units14.8%

Mobile home & other2.1%

Units in structure

	Count	Share
1-unit, detached	134,175	62.4%
1-unit, attached	16,302	7.6%
2 to 4 units	7,814	3.6%
5 to 19 units	20,328	9.5%
20 or more units	31,877	14.8%
Mobile home & other	4,520	2.1%

Geography

County GEOID: 19153
State: Iowa
Land area: 573 sq mi
Water area: 19 sq mi
Center point: 41.6848, -93.5690