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Polk County, Iowa

Polk County profile, demographic data, and geographic information.

Polk County is a county located in Iowa, United States of America. As of official census estimates, it has a reported population of 516,546. The land area covers 572.72 sq mi. [1]

Local Government Administration U.S. Census Bureau GMAF

County Of Polk County
Official Title: Central Accounting Manager
Address: 111 COURT AVE, DES MOINES IA 50309-2218

Demographics & Population

Demographic Metric Estimate / Count Margin of Error Survey Period / Source
Total Population (2025 PEP Estimate) 516,546 — 2025 / Census
Median Age 36.2 yrs ±0.2 2020-2024 / Census ACS 5-Year 2024
Total Households 205,358 ±1,156 2020-2024 / Census ACS 5-Year 2024
Source: U.S. Census Bureau (PEP, ACS 5-Year).

Housing & Real Estate Profile

Housing Metric Estimate / Value Margin of Error
Total Housing Units 218,486 ±136
Occupied Housing Units 205,358 ±1,156
Vacant Housing Units 13,128 ±1,160
Median Home Value $262,100 ±$3,486
Median Gross Rent $1,149 ±$16
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year (2020-2024).

Economy & Workforce

Economic Metric Estimate / Value Margin of Error
Median Household Income $83,576 ±$1,283
Per Capita Income $45,622 ±$752
Poverty Rate 10.3% ±0.6%
Population Below Poverty Level 50,969 ±3,035
Unemployment Rate 4.4% ±0.4%
Civilian Labor Force, Employed 268,627 ±2,419
Broadband Internet Rate 91.9% ±0.6%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year (2020-2024).

Climate & Weather Observations

NOAA Monthly Climate Normals

Observation Station: Climate data reflects NOAA 1991–2020 standard normals recorded at ANKENY, IA US, located 5.4 miles from Polk County. Local microclimates, topography, and elevation may cause municipal conditions to differ.
Month High (°F) Low (°F) Mean (°F) Precip (in) Snow (in)
January 29.5° 11.7° 20.6° 0.97" 6.2"
February 34.2° 16.0° 25.1° 0.99" 8.0"
March 47.4° 27.4° 37.4° 2.01" 3.7"
April 61.0° 38.1° 49.5° 4.00" 0.7"
May 71.9° 50.3° 61.1° 5.26" 0.0"
June 81.8° 60.8° 71.3° 5.37" 0.0"
July 85.7° 64.7° 75.2° 4.19" 0.0"
August 83.7° 61.7° 72.7° 4.72" 0.0"
September 77.1° 52.9° 65.0° 3.62" 0.0"
October 63.6° 40.5° 52.0° 2.67" 0.6"
November 47.8° 28.9° 38.4° 1.86" 1.0"
December 34.7° 18.0° 26.3° 1.39" 4.5"
Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020).

Local Weather Forecast

Weather forecast data is currently unavailable in the local cache.

Sources & Data Provenance

  1. Geographic Classification & Identifiers: U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer (2026) and TIGER/Line Shapefiles. GEOID: 19153. • Official Source Dataset →
  2. Socioeconomic & Housing Metrics: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates and Population Estimates Program (PEP). Margin of Error (MOE) intervals are reported where published; suppressed values are never estimated or replaced with false zeros.
  3. Civic Directory Datasets: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS Hospital Directory), National Center for Education Statistics (NCES IPEDS Postsecondary Directory), and Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS Public Libraries Survey). Airport landing facilities are provided by airport-data.com.
  4. Weather & Climate Observations: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 and National Weather Service (NWS) point forecasts.