Polk County, Iowa

Polk County, Iowa, had an estimated population of 516,546 in 2025 across 1,483 km². The figures below come from the US Census Bureau's population estimates and the American Community Survey, each shown with its own vintage and its rank among Iowa's counties and nationally.

Population: 516,546; 2025 estimate
Area: 1,483 km²
Density: 348; per km²
Median income: $83,576; household, ACS 2024
Median age: 36.2; years, ACS 2024

How Iowa's counties spread

Amenities & Infrastructure

Indicator	Value	In Iowa	In the US
Households with Broadband2024	91.9%	5 / 99	448 / 3,144
Median Gross Rent2024	$1,149	2 / 99	624 / 3,137
Median Home Value2024	$262,100	5 / 99	832 / 3,139
Owner-Occupied Homes2024	67.4%	96 / 99	2,481 / 3,144
Vacant Homes2024	6.0%	92 / 99	2,829 / 3,144

Demography

Indicator	Value	In Iowa	In the US
Aged 65 and Over2024	14.0%	96 / 99	2,900 / 3,144
American Indian & Alaska Native2024	0.1%	28 / 99	1,566 / 3,144
Asian, non-Hispanic2024	4.9%	5 / 99	190 / 3,144
Average Household Size2024people	2.4	24 / 99	1,641 / 3,144
Black, non-Hispanic2024	7.3%	3 / 99	905 / 3,144
Foreign-Born2024	10.1%	7 / 99	378 / 3,144
Hispanic or Latino2024	10.4%	14 / 99	849 / 3,144
Median Age2024years	36.2	91 / 99	2,766 / 3,144
Sex Ratio2024per 1,000 males	1,009	22 / 99	1,325 / 3,144
Speak a Language Other Than English2024	14.7%	11 / 99	599 / 3,144
Under 182024	24.4%	18 / 99	574 / 3,144
Veterans2024	5.6%	89 / 99	2,533 / 3,144
White, non-Hispanic2024	73.2%	95 / 99	1,928 / 3,144

Economy

Indicator	Value	In Iowa	In the US
Below Poverty Line2024	10.3%	48 / 99	2,275 / 3,144
Households on SNAP2024	9.8%	31 / 99	1,963 / 3,144
Income Inequality2024index	0.437	44 / 99	1,892 / 3,144
Median Household Income2024	$83,576	9 / 99	464 / 3,143
Per Capita Income2024	$45,622	3 / 99	377 / 3,144
Unemployment Rate2024	4.4%	15 / 99	1,539 / 3,144

Education

Indicator	Value	In Iowa	In the US
Bachelor's Degree or Higher2024	40.3%	5 / 99	265 / 3,144
High School or Higher2024	92.5%	68 / 99	914 / 3,144

Health Coverage

Indicator	Value	In Iowa	In the US
No Health Insurance2024	5.3%	40 / 99	2,394 / 3,144
With a Disability2024	11.4%	87 / 99	2,809 / 3,144

Population & Density

Indicator	Value	In Iowa	In the US
Population2025	516,546	1 / 99	145 / 3,144
Population Density2025/km²	348	1 / 99	175 / 3,144

Work & Commute

Indicator	Value	In Iowa	In the US
Commute by Public Transit2024	0.5%	19 / 99	782 / 3,144
Households with No Vehicle2024	5.8%	31 / 99	1,326 / 3,144
Mean Commute Time2024minutes	20	56 / 99	2,460 / 3,143
Work from Home2024	15.7%	4 / 99	358 / 3,144

Other counties of Iowa

Compare Polk County against every other county on a map, add layers and run a scatter — open the atlas. Sources and vintages for every figure on this page are listed under datasets, or browse all 3,144 counties.