Polk County, NC

County

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2024 Population

19,891

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

54.9

0.919% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

14%

2.59% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$67,758

11.1% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$315,000

12.1% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

8,820

1.37% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Polk County, NC 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.

98.4% of the residents in Polk County, NC are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Polk County, NC was $315,000, and the homeownership rate was 76.9%.

Most people in Polk County, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 28.4 minutes. The average car ownership in Polk County, NC was 2 cars per household.

Polk County, NC borders Henderson County, NC, Rutherford County, NC, Greenville County, SC, and Spartanburg County, SC.

United States North Carolina

Population & Diversity

Polk County, NC is home to a population of 19.9k people, from which 98.4% are citizens. As of 2024, 4.49% of Polk County, NC residents were born outside of the country (893 people).

In 2024, there were 18.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (17.2k people) in Polk County, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 940 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 876 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.4%

2024 Citizenship

98.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.4% of Polk County, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Polk County, NC was 98.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Polk County, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
17.2k ± 86
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
940 ± 108
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
876 ± 90

5.62%

Hispanic Population

1.12k people

5.62% of the people in Polk County, NC are hispanic (1.12k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Polk County, NC 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 North Carolina.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
224,963 ± 11,520 people
India
83,219 ± 7,055 people
Honduras
48,247 ± 5,380 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 224,963 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 83,219 and Honduras with 48,247.

Foreign-Born Population

4.49%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

893 people

4.39%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

864 people

As of 2024, 4.49% of Polk County, NC residents (893 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, NC was 4.39%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
762 ± 125
Gulf War (2001-)
162 ± 83
Gulf War (1990s)
148 ± 78

Polk County, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 4.7 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Polk County, NC employs 8.82k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Polk County, NC were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,577 people), Retail Trade (928 people), and Construction (796 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($145,656), Wholesale Trade ($72,045), and Finance & Insurance ($67,877).

Employment

Occupations

8.82k

2024 Value

± 624

1.37%

1 Year growth

± 10.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Polk County, NC grew at a rate of 1.37%, from 8.7k employees to 8.82k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Polk County, NC, are Sales & Related Occupations (990 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (945 people), and Management Occupations (865 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Polk County, NC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in North Carolina (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

8.82k

2024 Value

± 624

1.37%

1 Year growth

± 10.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Polk County, NC grew at a rate of 1.37%, from 8.7k employees to 8.82k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Polk County, NC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,577 people), Retail Trade (928 people), and Construction (796 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Polk County, NC, though some of these residents may live in Polk County, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$44,278

Median earning men ± $5,392

$31,153

Median earning women ± $2,648

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($73,456), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($69,432), and Information ($65,526).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($60,117), Public Administration ($54,583), and Manufacturing ($48,036).

Employment by Industry Sector

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

Y-Axis

3.04%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.86M people employed in North Carolina. This represents a 3.04% 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 10.9%.

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

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

57
Construction
39
Other Services (except Public Administration)
31
Retail Trade

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

$52.3k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$22.9k
Construction
$16.9k
Manufacturing

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Polk County, NC was $315,000 in 2024, which is 0.947 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $281,100 to $315,000, a 12.1% increase. The homeownership rate in Polk County, NC is 76.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Polk County, NC have an average commute time of 28.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Polk County, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 10.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Polk County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.64%.

Housing

Property

$315,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$21,515

$6,902

Median Property Taxes

±$509

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, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

76.9%

Homeownership

2024

62.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 76.9% of the housing units in Polk County, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 76.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Polk County, NC 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.

$67,758

Median Household Income

± $6,109

8.98k

Number of Households

± 591

In 2024, the median household income of the 8.98k households in Polk County, NC grew to $67,758 from the previous year's value of $61,005.

The following chart displays the households in Polk County, NC 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, NC is from North Carolina.

0.467

2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.47

2022 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2023, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.467 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.639% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in North Carolina in comparison to the national average.

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

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (70.4%)
Worked At Home (15.8%)
Carpooled (11.6%)

In 2024, 70.4% of workers in Polk County, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (15.8%) and those who carpooled to work (11.6%).

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

28.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Polk County, NC have a longer commute time (28.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 4.32% of the workforce in Polk County, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Polk County, NC 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, NC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Polk County, NC have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 10.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Polk County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.64%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

14% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Polk County, NC (2.74k out of 19.6k 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 75+, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 45 - 54.

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

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 19.8% of the children was living in poverty in Polk County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 9.7%.

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 63.4 in Polk County, NC. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 58.1 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

90.1% of the population of Polk County, NC has health coverage, with 36.8% on employee plans, 12.5% on Medicaid, 22.6% on Medicare, 16.7% on non-group plans, and 1.5% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Polk County, NC see 1,310 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,310 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2855 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 446 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48% were men and 52% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,310 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Polk County, NC

Primary care physicians in Polk County, NC see an average of 1,310 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,310 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 16.3% under 18 years, 13% between 18 and 34 years, 38.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 32% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48% were men and 52% were women.

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

Uninsured People

9.86%

Uninsured

36.8%

Employer Coverage

12.5%

Medicaid

22.6%

Medicare

16.7%

Non-Group

1.5%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Polk County, NC grew by 1.37% from 9.73% to 9.86%.

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

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2014, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 70.4 in Polk County, NC.

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

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 32.2% in Polk County, NC.

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