Polk County, AR

County

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2024 Population

19,361

US Senator

John Boozman

Republican Party

US Senator

Tom Cotton

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

44.3

0.225% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

15.9%

16.2% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$49,191

0.124% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$138,400

12.9% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

7,866

0.203% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Polk County, AR reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

98.5% of the residents in Polk County, AR are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Polk County, AR are University of Arkansas Community College Rich Mountain (373 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Polk County, AR was $138,400, and the homeownership rate was 78.9%.

Most people in Polk County, AR drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 21 minutes. The average car ownership in Polk County, AR was 2 cars per household.

Polk County, AR borders Howard County, AR, Montgomery County, AR, Pike County, AR, Scott County, AR, Sevier County, AR, Le Flore County, OK, and McCurtain County, OK.

United States Arkansas

Population & Diversity

Polk County, AR is home to a population of 19.4k people, from which 98.5% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.47% of Polk County, AR residents were born outside of the country (479 people).

In 2024, there were 17.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (16.7k people) in Polk County, AR than any other race or ethnicity. There were 934 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 642 Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.5%

2024 Citizenship

97.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.5% of Polk County, AR residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Polk County, AR was 97.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Polk County, AR compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Polk County, AR

White (Non-Hispanic)
16.7k ± 82
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
934 ± 90
Other (Hispanic)
642 ± 195

6.98%

Hispanic Population

1.35k people

6.98% of the people in Polk County, AR are hispanic (1.35k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Polk County, AR as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Arkansas.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
66,711 ± 6,271 people
El Salvador
16,390 ± 3,135 people
India
10,242 ± 2,480 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Arkansas was Mexico, the natal country of 66,711 Arkansas residents, followed by El Salvador with 16,390 and India with 10,242.

Foreign-Born Population

2.47%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

479 people

3.27%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

632 people

As of 2024, 2.47% of Polk County, AR residents (479 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Polk County, AR was 3.27%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Polk County, AR compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
637 ± 151
Gulf War (2001-)
186 ± 101
Gulf War (1990s)
169 ± 76

Polk County, AR has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.42 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Polk County, AR.

Economy

The economy of Polk County, AR employs 7.87k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Polk County, AR were Retail Trade (1,230 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,135 people), and Manufacturing (1,101 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($68,000), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($66,806), and Construction ($60,875).

Employment

Occupations

7.87k

2024 Value

± 647

−0.203%

1 Year decline

± 11.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Polk County, AR declined at a rate of −0.203%, from 7.88k employees to 7.87k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Polk County, AR, are Production Occupations (812 people), Sales & Related Occupations (792 people), and Management Occupations (737 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Polk County, AR.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Arkansas.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Arkansas (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

7.87k

2024 Value

± 647

−0.203%

1 Year decline

± 11.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Polk County, AR declined at a rate of −0.203%, from 7.88k employees to 7.87k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Polk County, AR, are Retail Trade (1,230 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,135 people), and Manufacturing (1,101 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Polk County, AR, though some of these residents may live in Polk County, AR and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$42,236

Median earning men ± $3,673

$26,283

Median earning women ± $4,586

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($62,596), Construction ($61,313), and Manufacturing ($61,207).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($47,750), Manufacturing ($40,813), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($38,750).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Arkansas.

Y-Axis

2.24%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.35M people employed in Arkansas. This represents a 2.24% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 8.69%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Arkansas.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

43
Other Services (except Public Administration)
31
Retail Trade
22
Construction

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$50.3k
Manufacturing
$48k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$22.6k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Arkansas went to Donald J. Trump with 64.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (33.6%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.12%).

John Boozman and Tom Cotton are the senators currently representing the state of Arkansas. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Arkansas is currently represented by 4 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Polk County, AR. Showing the available data for Arkansas.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (64.2%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (33.6%)
Democratic Party
Robert Kennedy (1.12%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Arkansas went to Donald J. Trump with 64.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (33.6%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.12%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Arkansas for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Arkansas

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Arkansas.

John Boozman

Senator from Arkansas

Assumed office on January 3, 2011

Tom Cotton

Senator from Arkansas

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

John Boozman and Tom Cotton are the senators currently representing Arkansas.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Arkansas over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2023, universities in Polk County, AR awarded 373 degrees. The student population of Polk County, AR in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 279 male students and 440 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Polk County, AR are White (286 and 79.9%), Hispanic or Latino (47 and 13.1%), American Indian or Alaska Native (12 and 3.35%), and Black or African American (6 and 1.68%).

The largest universities in Polk County, AR by number of degrees awarded are University of Arkansas Community College Rich Mountain (373 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Polk County, AR are General Studies (116 and 31.1%), Liberal Arts & Sciences (49 and 13.1%), and Nursing Assistant & Patient Care Assistant (22 and 5.9%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 719 students enrolled in Polk County, AR, 38.8% men and 61.2% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 562 records, of which 63% were women and 37% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Studies
36 degrees awarded
Other Multidisciplinary Studies
22 degrees awarded
Liberal Arts & Sciences
49 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Polk County, AR was General Studies with 36 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Polk County, AR according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

University of Arkansas Community College Rich Mountain

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

373 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of Arkansas Community College Rich Mountain with 373 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 132 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Polk County, AR, which is 0.548 times less than the 241 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 286 degrees mean that there were 6.09 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 47 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($2,400) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,464) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($930) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Polk County, AR was $138,400 in 2024, which is 0.416 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $122,600 to $138,400, a 12.9% increase. The homeownership rate in Polk County, AR is 78.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Polk County, AR have an average commute time of 21 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Polk County, AR is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 14.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Polk County, AR. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 2.21%.

Housing

Property

$138,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$17,969

$6,232

Median Property Taxes

±$482

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Polk County, AR the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Polk County, AR compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

78.9%

Homeownership

2024

70.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 78.9% of the housing units in Polk County, AR were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 82.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Polk County, AR compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$49,191

Median Household Income

± $5,643

7.9k

Number of Households

± 615

In 2024, the median household income of the 7.9k households in Polk County, AR declined from $49,191 from the previous year's value of $49,252.

The following chart displays the households in Polk County, AR distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Polk County, AR is from Arkansas.

0.448

2023 Wage GINI in Arkansas

0.452

2022 Wage GINI in Arkansas

In 2023, the income inequality in Arkansas was 0.448 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.73% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Arkansas was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Arkansas in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Arkansas across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (76.5%)
Carpooled (14.9%)
Worked At Home (4.8%)

In 2024, 76.5% of workers in Polk County, AR drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (14.9%) and those who worked at home (4.8%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

21 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Polk County, AR have a shorter commute time (21 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.98% of the workforce in Polk County, AR have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Polk County, AR compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Polk County, AR distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Polk County, AR have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 14.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Polk County, AR. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 2.21%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

15.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Polk County, AR (3.03k out of 19.1k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Males 6 - 11 and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Polk County, AR is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 26.2% of the children was living in poverty in Polk County, AR. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 10.3%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 297 in Polk County, AR. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 2.4 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

91% of the population of Polk County, AR has health coverage, with 30.5% on employee plans, 25.7% on Medicaid, 16% on Medicare, 14.8% on non-group plans, and 4.04% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Polk County, AR see 1,290 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,290 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2417 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 926 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.3% were men and 51.7% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,290 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Polk County, AR

Primary care physicians in Polk County, AR see an average of 1,290 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,290 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Polk County, AR in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.8% under 18 years, 16.8% between 18 and 34 years, 37.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 22.4% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.3% were men and 51.7% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

9.03%

Uninsured

30.5%

Employer Coverage

25.7%

Medicaid

16%

Medicare

14.8%

Non-Group

4.04%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Polk County, AR declined by 6.78% from 9.68% to 9.03%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Polk County, AR changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 88.3 in Polk County, AR.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Polk County, AR.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 37% in Polk County, AR.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Polk County, AR.