Polk County, GA

County

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2023 Population
43,365
0.804% 1-year growth
US Senator
Jon Ossoff
Democratic Party
US Senator
Raphael Warnock
Democratic Party
2023 Median Age
38.5
1.58% 1-year increase
2023 Poverty Rate
19.4%
12.8% 1-year increase
2023 Median Household Income
$55,308
6.45% 1-year growth
2023 Median Property Value
$163,500
7.99% 1-year growth
2023 Employed Population
17,865
2.13% 1-year decline

About

In 2023, Polk County, GA had a population of 43.4k people with a median age of 38.5 and a median household income of $55,308. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Polk County, GA grew from 43,019 to 43,365, a 0.804% increase and its median household income grew from $51,956 to $55,308, a 6.45% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Polk County, GA are White (Non-Hispanic) (70.8%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (11.9%), Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) (4.79%), White (Hispanic) (4.73%), and Other (Hispanic) (3.26%).

None of the households in Polk County, GA 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.

94.9% of the residents in Polk County, GA are U.S. citizens.

In 2023, the median property value in Polk County, GA was $163,500, and the homeownership rate was 64.5%.

Most people in Polk County, GA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 29.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Polk County, GA was 2 cars per household.

United StatesGeorgiaCedartown, GA

Population & Diversity

Polk County, GA is home to a population of 43.4k people, from which 94.9% are citizens. As of 2023, 7.01% of Polk County, GA residents were born outside of the country (3.04k people).

In 2023, there were 5.97 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (30.7k people) in Polk County, GA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 5.14k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 2.08k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

94.9%
2023 Citizenship
94.8%
2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 94.9% of Polk County, GA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Polk County, GA was 94.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Polk County, GA
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    30.7k ± 218
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    5.14k ± 514
  3. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    2.08k ± 772
13.5%
Hispanic Population
5.84k people

In 2023, there were 5.97 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (30.7k people) in Polk County, GA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 5.14k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 2.08k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

13.5% of the people in Polk County, GA are hispanic (5.84k people).

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

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Georgia.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    229,616 ± 11,639 people
  2. India
    106,959 ± 7,990 people
  3. Jamaica
    51,506 ± 5,559 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Georgia was Mexico, the natal country of 229,616 Georgia residents, followed by India with 106,959 and Jamaica with 51,506.

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Foreign-Born Population

7.01%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
3.04k people
6.85%
2022 Foreign-Born Population
2.95k people

As of 2023, 7.01% of Polk County, GA residents (3.04k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Polk County, GA was 6.85%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    583 ± 157
  2. Gulf War (1990s)
    520 ± 188
  3. Gulf War (2001-)
    190 ± 121

Polk County, GA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.12 times greater than any other conflict.

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Economy

The economy of Polk County, GA employs 17.9k people. In 2023, the largest industries in Polk County, GA were Manufacturing (3,911 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,136 people), and Retail Trade (1,591 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($87,917), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($73,993), and Wholesale Trade ($71,310).

Employment

Occupations

17.9k
2023 Value
± 1,285
−2.13%
1 Year decline
± 9.95%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Polk County, GA declined at a rate of −2.13%, from 18.3k employees to 17.9k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Polk County, GA, are Production Occupations (2,295 people), Sales & Related Occupations (1,902 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,743 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Polk County, GA.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Georgia (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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

17.9k
2023 Value
± 1,285
−2.13%
1 Year decline
± 9.95%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Polk County, GA declined at a rate of −2.13%, from 18.3k employees to 17.9k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Polk County, GA, are Manufacturing (3,911 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,136 people), and Retail Trade (1,591 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Polk County, GA, though some of these residents may live in Polk County, GA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$45,923
Median earning men ± $2,719
$33,726
Median earning women ± $2,662

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Wholesale Trade ($78,304), Information ($61,974), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($61,966).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Wholesale Trade ($70,238), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($54,318), and Construction ($48,472).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Georgia.
Y-Axis
2.94%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.87M people employed in Georgia. This represents a 2.94% 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 11.9%.

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

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Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments
  1. 67
    Retail Trade
  2. 54
    Other Services (except Public Administration)
  3. 48
    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.

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Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll
  1. $193k
    Manufacturing
  2. $47.5k
    Retail Trade
  3. $43.9k
    Health Care and Social Assistance

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

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Georgia went to Donald J. Trump with 50.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.5%), followed by Chase Oliver (0.394%).

Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are the senators currently representing the state of Georgia. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Georgia is currently represented by 14 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for Polk County, GA. Showing the available data for Georgia.
2024 Election Results
  1. Donald J. Trump (50.7%)
    Republican Party
  2. Kamala Harris (48.5%)
    Democratic Party
  3. Chase Oliver (0.394%)
    Libertarian Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Georgia went to Donald J. Trump with 50.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.5%), followed by Chase Oliver (0.394%).

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

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Georgia

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Georgia.
Jon Ossoff
Senator from Georgia2
Assumed office on January 20, 2021
Inauguration delayed as incumbent senator David Perdue's term expired on January 3, 2021, two days prior to the runoff election.
Raphael Warnock
Senator from Georgia3
Assumed office on January 20, 2021
Elected to the seat to succeed Kelly Loeffler, who had been appointed to the seat following the resignation of Johnny Isakson.

Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are the senators currently representing Georgia.

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 Georgia over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Georgia

Georgia is currently represented by 14 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Georgia have changed over time starting in 2008.

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Education

Completions

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.

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Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

In 2023, 1.22% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 1.12% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

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Educational Attainment

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

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2023 were High School or Equivalent (2.33M), Some college (1.77M), and Bachelors Degree (1.6M).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Polk County, GA was $163,500 in 2023, which is 0.539 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $151,400 to $163,500, a 7.99% increase. The homeownership rate in Polk County, GA is 64.5%, which is lower than the national average of 65%.

People in Polk County, GA have an average commute time of 29.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Polk County, GA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Polk County, GA is $55,308. In 2023, the tract with the highest Median Household Income in Polk County, GA was Census Tract 103, Polk County, GA with a value of $61,438, followed by Census Tract 101, Polk County, GA and Census Tract 106, Polk County, GA, with respective values of $57,955 and $56,502.

In 2024, 14.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Polk County, GA. From 2014 to 2024, the indicator declined 2.31%.

Housing

Property

$163,500
Median Property Value 2023
±$13,107
$10,053
Median Property Taxes
±$858

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, GA the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

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Rent vs Own

64.5%
Homeownership
2023
66.9%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2023

In 2023, 64.5% of the housing units in Polk County, GA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 65.1%.

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

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Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.
Race/Ethnicity
Highest Median Household Income (Total)
  1. Census Tract 103, Polk County, GA
  2. Census Tract 101, Polk County, GA
  3. Census Tract 106, Polk County, GA

In 2023, the tract with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Polk County, GA was Census Tract 103, Polk County, GA with a value of $61,438, followed by Census Tract 101, Polk County, GA and Census Tract 106, Polk County, GA, with respective values of $57,955 and $56,502.

The following map shows all of the tracts in Polk County, GA colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

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Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$55,308
Median Household Income
± $3,992
15.6k
Number of Households
± 1,089

In 2023, the median household income of the 15.6k households in Polk County, GA grew to $55,308 from the previous year's value of $51,956.

The following chart displays the households in Polk County, GA 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.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Polk County, GA is from Georgia.
0.471
2023 Wage GINI in Georgia
0.474
2022 Wage GINI in Georgia

In 2023, the income inequality in Georgia was 0.471 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.558% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Georgia was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Georgia in comparison to the national average.

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

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023
  1. Drove Alone (82.4%)
  2. Carpooled (9.49%)
  3. Worked At Home (4.8%)

In 2023, 82.4% of workers in Polk County, GA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.49%) 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.

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Commute Time

29.5 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Polk County, GA have a longer commute time (29.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 4.11% of the workforce in Polk County, GA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

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

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Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2024, 14.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Polk County, GA. From 2014 to 2024, the indicator declined 2.31%.

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

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Poverty & Diversity

19.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Polk County, GA (8.3k out of 42.8k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Males 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Polk County, GA is White, followed by Hispanic and Black.

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.

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Children in Poverty

In 2024, 19.8% of the children was living in poverty in Polk County, GA. From 2014 to 2024, the indicator declined 10.2%.

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

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Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 569 in Polk County, GA. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 189 per 100,000 population.

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

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Health

86% of the population of Polk County, GA has health coverage, with 42.1% on employee plans, 21.1% on Medicaid, 11.5% on Medicare, 10.6% on non-group plans, and 0.792% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Polk County, GA see 4,350 patients per year on average, which represents a 11.7% increase from the previous year (3,895 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 4371 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 1561 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49% were men and 51% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

4,350 to 1
Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Polk County, GA

Primary care physicians in Polk County, GA see an average of 4,350 patients per year. This represents a 11.7% increase from the previous year (3,895 patients).

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

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Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 26.9% under 18 years, 19.4% between 18 and 34 years, 38.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 15.4% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49% were men and 51% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

14%
Uninsured
42.1%
Employer Coverage
21.1%
Medicaid
11.5%
Medicare
10.6%
Non-Group
0.792%
Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Polk County, GA declined by 1.47% from 14.2% to 14%.

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

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Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2024, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 67.4 in Polk County, GA.

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

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Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2024, 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 37.2% in Polk County, GA.

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

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Clinical Care

Indicator

In 2024, the percentage of population under age 65 without health insurance was 17.6% in Polk County, GA.

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

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