Demographics of Polk County, Iowa

Polk County, Iowa had 516,546 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +23,533 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Polk County, in four figures

516,546
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +4.8%
Change since July 2020: +23,533 people.; 36.2 ±0.2
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $83,576 ±$1,283
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Polk County, Iowa's population grew 4.8% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Polk County, Iowa's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

Source: The Census Bureau

About this chart

The figures

Polk County, Iowa's population grew 4.8% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Polk County, Iowa's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	493,013	100.0	100.0
2021	497,973	101.0	100.2
2022	501,174	101.7	100.7
2023	506,787	102.8	101.6
2024	513,511	104.2	102.5
2025	516,546	104.8	103.1

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Population of Polk County, Iowa on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	493,013	+624	+419	+66	−69
2021	497,973	+4,960	+2,019	+814	+1,846
2022	501,174	+3,201	+1,875	+2,132	−432
2023	506,787	+5,613	+2,121	+3,553	+39
2024	513,511	+6,724	+2,196	+3,395	+1,139
2025	516,546	+3,035	+2,182	+1,431	−618

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 36.2 ±0.2: for men 35.6 ±0.2 and for women 36.8 ±0.2. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Polk County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Iowa	United States
Under 5	32,692 ±25	6.5% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	89,902 ±1,600	17.9% ±0.3	17.0% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	44,194 ±1,240	8.8% ±0.2	10.0% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	148,218 ±1,676	29.5% ±0.3	25.1% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	117,894 ±1,487	23.4% ±0.3	23.9% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	70,275 ±1,611	14.0% ±0.3	18.1% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $83,576 ±$1,283, and income per person $45,622 ±$752, in 2024 dollars. The median is $75,059 ±$418 in Iowa and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Polk County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Iowa	United States
Under $25,000	23,003 ±1,429	11.2% ±0.7	13.9% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	35,390 ±1,601	17.2% ±0.8	18.5% ±0.3	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	34,359 ±1,692	16.7% ±0.8	17.5% ±0.3	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	27,978 ±1,648	13.6% ±0.8	14.0% ±0.3	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	38,585 ±1,596	18.8% ±0.8	18.7% ±0.3	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	22,180 ±1,239	10.8% ±0.6	8.8% ±0.2	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	23,863 ±1,104	11.6% ±0.5	8.6% ±0.2	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Polk County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Iowa	United States
All ages	50,969 ±3,035	10.3% ±0.6	11.1% ±0.2	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	16,943 ±1,358	14.0% ±1.1	12.9% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	26,066 ±1,776	9.4% ±0.6	11.4% ±0.3	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	7,960 ±829	8.2% ±0.8	8.8% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Polk County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Polk County	Iowa	United States
Housing units	218,486 ±136	1,437,699 ±523	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	94.0% ±0.5	91.5% ±0.3	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	6.0% ±0.5	8.5% ±0.3	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	67.4% ±0.8	71.7% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	32.6% ±0.8	28.3% ±0.3	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$262,100 ±$3,486	$208,000 ±$1,141	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$1,149 ±$16	$972 ±$6	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1982 ±1	1972 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Polk County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Iowa	United States
Hispanic or Latino	52,317 ±0	10.4% ±<0.1	7.3% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	368,110 ±948	73.2% ±0.2	82.3% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	36,704 ±1,253	7.3% ±0.2	3.8% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	24,778 ±588	4.9% ±0.1	2.5% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	300 ±115	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	71 to 359	< 0.1% to 0.1%	0.2% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	1,453 ±485	0.3% ±0.1	0.3% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	19,298 ±1,640	3.8% ±0.3	3.5% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Polk County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Iowa	United States
Born in the state	334,512 ±3,401	66.5% ±0.7	69.6% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	113,038 ±3,136	22.5% ±0.6	23.8% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	4,838 ±855	1.0% ±0.2	0.7% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	50,787 ±1,946	10.1% ±0.4	5.9% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	23,752 ±1,420	4.7% ±0.3	2.6% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	27,035 ±1,815	5.4% ±0.4	3.3% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

Polk County among the counties of Iowa

1st of 99 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the Iowa page.

Counties of Iowa near Polk County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Polk County	516,546	+4.8%
Linn County	232,028	+0.7%
Scott County	175,259	+0.4%
Johnson County	160,044	+4.6%
Black Hawk County	131,532	+0.4%
Dallas County	118,457	+17.8%

Elsewhere on the site

Rankings this appears in

No. 1 Counties by population in Iowa
No. 3 Counties by population growth in Iowa

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Compiled automatically from Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change and American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File by a checked SQL query · Editor: Kian O'Connor · How this site is built

Data retrieved September 25, 2026