Part of series
2026
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2000
2019
2018
Table Of Contents
Show More
Show Less
Data updates
Updated annually and as new data becomes available
Get email notifications -->
Share this page
Polk County, Wisconsin
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers
Population
45,555
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Age
46.7
years ∙ half population younger than 46.7, half older
Diversity Index
13.3%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Nativity
1.2%
foreign-born population
Geographic Context
Location, size, and surroundings
Demographics & Living
Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition
Population Composition
Key characteristics of the population
Sex Distribution
50.9%
male
Male
50.9%
Female
49.1%
males per 100 females
Polk County
103.6
Wisconsin
100.3
United States
98
Nativity
1.2%
foreign-born population
% Foreign-born
Polk County
1.2%
Wisconsin
5.2%
United States
14.1%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups
Median Age
46.7
years ∙ half population younger than 46.7, half older
Dependency ratio
73.9
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Polk County
73.9
Wisconsin
66.4
United States
64.4
AGE DISTRIBUTION
Distribution of age group
Median age
| Polk County | Wisconsin | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age Group | |||
| Children (Under 18) | 19.9% | 21.4% | 22% |
| Working age (18-64) | 57.5% | 60.1% | 60.8% |
| Senior (65+) | 22.6% | 18.5% | 17.2% |
| Dependency ratio | |||
| Total dependency ratio | 73.9 | 66.4 | 64.4 |
| Child dependency ratio | 34.6 | 35.6 | 36.1 |
| Old-age dependency ratio | 39.3 | 30.8 | 28.3 |
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares
Race & Ethnicity
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.
Diversity Index
13.3%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Polk County
13.3%
Wisconsin
37%
United States
61.4%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.
RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION
Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Polk County population
| Polk County | Wisconsin | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 2.2% | 8% | 19.3% |
| Mexican | 1.5% | 5.4% | 11.3% |
| Puerto Rican | 0.3% | 1.1% | 1.8% |
| Cuban | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.8% |
| Other Hispanic / Latino | 0.3% | 1.3% | 5.5% |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 97.8% | 92% | 80.7% |
| One race | 94.4% | 88.3% | 76.4% |
| White | 93% | 78.6% | 57.4% |
| Black or African American | 0.2% | 5.9% | 11.9% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Asian | 0.5% | 2.9% | 5.9% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0.2% |
| Some Other Race | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Two or more races (Multiracial) | 3.4% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure
Household structure
65.8%
family
Family
65.8%
Non family
34.2%
% family households
Polk County
65.8%
Wisconsin
60.5%
United States
64.2%
Average household size
2.31
persons per household
Household & Family COMPOSITION
Households
Percentage of Polk County population
| Polk County | Wisconsin | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total households | 19,542 | 2,479,480 | 129,227,496 |
| Average houshold size | 2.31 | 2.33 | 2.53 |
| Family households | 12,867 | 1,500,296 | 82,990,528 |
| Average family size | 2.79 | 2.95 | 3.14 |
| Married couple family | 10,504 | 1,161,326 | 60,637,388 |
| Other families | 2,363 | 338,970 | 22,353,140 |
| Male householder | 966 | 112,650 | 6,572,819 |
| Female householder | 1,397 | 226,320 | 15,780,321 |
| Non-family households | 6,675 | 979,184 | 46,236,968 |
| One-person households | 5,630 | 781,452 | 37,140,836 |
| Male householder | 2,896 | 373,428 | 16,871,444 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 1,003 | 109,743 | 5,225,110 |
| Female householder | 2,734 | 408,024 | 20,269,392 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 1,576 | 210,915 | 10,089,070 |
| Other living arrangements | 1,045 | 197,732 | 9,096,132 |
Housing Profile
Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens
Total housing units
24,558
housing units
Polk County
24,558
Wisconsin
2,778,572
United States
143,775,355
Occupancy status
79.6%
occupied
Occupied
79.6%
Vacant
20.4%
vacancy rate
Polk County
20.4%
Wisconsin
10.8%
United States
10.1%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used
Types of Housing unit
83.3%
Single family houses
Median Year Built
1982
Half of houses were built before 1982, and half after.
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.
Housing Characteristics
Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
| Polk County | Wisconsin | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms per unit | |||
| Median rooms | 5.7 | 5.6 | 5.5 |
| 1–3 rooms | 13% | 13.2% | 15.1% |
| 4–6 rooms | 51.4% | 52% | 51.6% |
| 7+ rooms | 35.6% | 34.9% | 33.4% |
| Bedrooms | |||
| No bedroom / studio | 1.6% | 2.1% | 2.9% |
| 1 bedroom | 8.3% | 10% | 10.9% |
| 2 bedrooms | 29.7% | 27.8% | 25% |
| 3 bedrooms | 40.3% | 40% | 38.7% |
| 4+ bedrooms | 20.2% | 20.1% | 22.4% |
| At a glance | |||
| Median year built | 1982 | 1975 | 1981 |
| Total housing units | 24,558 | 2,778,572 | 143,775,355 |
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it
Homeownership
81%
owners
Renter-occupied
19%
Owner-occupied
81%
homeownership rate
Polk County
81%
Wisconsin
67.8%
United States
65.2%
Average household size
2.4
Owner-occupied
1.91
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Polk County
2.4
Wisconsin
2.49
United States
2.64
Housing Characteristics
Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| Polk County | Wisconsin | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total occupied units | 19,542 | 2,479,480 | 129,227,496 |
| Year moved in | |||
| 2020 or later | 19.1% | 23.1% | 24.8% |
| 2010 to 2019 | 36.4% | 38% | 39.6% |
| 2000 to 2009 | 20.5% | 17.1% | 16.4% |
| 1999 or earlier | 24% | 21.8% | 19.1% |
| Occupants per room | |||
| 1.00 or fewer | 98.7% | 98.3% | 96.6% |
| 1.01 to 1.50 | 1% | 1.2% | 2.2% |
| 1.51 or more | 0.4% | 0.5% | 1.2% |
| Vehicles availability | |||
| No vehicles | 3.7% | 6.4% | 8.4% |
| 1 vehicle | 25.2% | 33% | 33.1% |
| 2 vehicles | 39.6% | 39.5% | 36.6% |
| 3 or more vehicles | 31.5% | 21.1% | 21.9% |
| House heating fuel used | |||
| Gas | 74.6% | 76.6% | 51.4% |
| Electricity | 14% | 17.8% | 41.3% |
| Solar | 0% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| Fuel oil, kerosene etc | 2.1% | 1.4% | 3.9% |
| All other fuels | 8.7% | 3.5% | 2% |
| No fuel used | 0.5% | 0.6% | 1.2% |
| Selected characteristics | |||
| Lacking complete plumbing | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| Lacking complete kitchen | 0.6% | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| No telephone service available | 0.6% | 0.8% | 0.9% |
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth
Median home value
$271,900
owner-occupied units
Housing Cost Burden
26.3%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.
Financial characteristics
Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| Polk County | Wisconsin | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property value | |||
| Median Value | $271,900 | $266,500 | $332,700 |
| Under $100,000 | 10.2% | 9.1% | 11.4% |
| $100,000 - $200,000 | 22.1% | 23% | 15.8% |
| $200,000 - $300,000 | 24.5% | 25.5% | 17.8% |
| $300,000 - $500,000 | 31.6% | 29.4% | 26.9% |
| $500,000 - $1,000,000 | 9.7% | 11.4% | 20.9% |
| $1,000,000 and more | 1.9% | 1.7% | 7.1% |
| Owner-occupied households | |||
| With a mortgage | 60.1% | 61.1% | 60.6% |
| Without a mortgage | 39.9% | 38.9% | 39.4% |
| Median monthly owner costs | |||
| With a mortgage | $1,604 | $1,689 | $1,963 |
| Without a mortgage | $644 | $659 | $638 |
| Gross rent | |||
| Median rent | $957 | $1,087 | $1,413 |
Education Profile
How educated is the community and how education pays off
Adults with a college degree
24.3%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Polk County
24.3%
Wisconsin
33.4%
United States
35.7%
Adults without a high school diploma
5.9%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Polk County
5.9%
Wisconsin
6.4%
United States
10.4%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level
School enrollment
8,649
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)
20.2%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Enrollment & school type
Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
| Polk County | Wisconsin | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total enrolled (age 3+) | 8,649 | 1,356,381 | 80,089,790 |
| Nursery / preschool | 6.1% | 5.3% | 5.7% |
| K–12 | 78.8% | 69.3% | 67.6% |
| Kindergarten | 6% | 5.5% | 5% |
| Elementary: Grades 1–4 | 21.7% | 20.2% | 19.8% |
| Elementary: Grades 5–8 | 23.4% | 21.3% | 21% |
| High School: Grades 9–12 | 27.7% | 22.3% | 21.7% |
| College or graduate school | 15.1% | 25.3% | 26.7% |
| College, undergraduate | 11.2% | 20.7% | 21% |
| Graduate, professional school | 3.9% | 4.7% | 5.8% |
| College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds | 20.2% | 39.8% | 40.9% |
| School type | |||
| Public school | 86.8% | 82.4% | 82% |
| Private school | 13.2% | 17.6% | 18% |
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults
Education attainment
33,560
population 25 years and over
Attainment by gender
Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
Educational Attainment Overview
Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
| Polk County | Wisconsin | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population (25+) | 33,560 | 4,099,973 | 230,807,303 |
| Less than 9th grade | 1.4% | 2.3% | 4.7% |
| 9th–12th, no diploma | 4.5% | 4.1% | 5.7% |
| High school diploma or GED | 33.3% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college, no degree | 22.5% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate's degree | 13.9% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24.3% | 33.4% | 35.7% |
| Bachelor's degree | 17.2% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate or professional | 7.1% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
| High School or higher | 94.1% | 93.6% | 89.6% |
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable
Median Earnings
$50,908
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Poverty Rate
3%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Outcomes by Education Level
Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
| Polk County | Wisconsin | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median earnings | |||
| Population 25+, with earnings | $50,908 | $53,060 | $52,696 |
| Less than high school graduate | $36,534 | $36,585 | $32,485 |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | $43,711 | $42,367 | $40,153 |
| Some college or associate's degree | $50,935 | $49,438 | $47,260 |
| Bachelor's degree | $62,426 | $66,239 | $70,044 |
| Graduate or professional degree | $69,345 | $79,916 | $90,720 |
| Poverty rates | |||
| Less than high school graduate | 19.5% | 22.6% | 24.2% |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | 9.8% | 12.2% | 14.4% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 6.8% | 7.9% | 9.8% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 3% | 3.7% | 4.5% |
About Neilsberg Research
Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.
Share
Cite this page
Url to be used as reference
This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be legal or tax advice. We recommend that you consult with a qualified professional such as a lawyer or accountant before making a decision. Many of the products and services featured here are from our affiliate partners. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. Read advertiser disclosure.
