• county
  • FIPS 12105
  • Largest town: Lakeland

Polk County, Florida

Polk County had 852,878 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,798.2 square miles of land. It ranks 9th of 67 in Florida by population and 4th by land area.

Population
852,878
#9 of 67 in Florida · #74 in US
Area
1,798.2 sq mi
#4 of 67 in Florida · #328 in US
Density
474 / sq mi
#18 of 67 in Florida · #287 in US
Median household income
$66,709
#35 of 67 in Florida · #1,233 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Polk County within Florida. Pin: Tallahassee.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Polk County

Polk County population, land area and income

Polk County had 852,878 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,798.2 square miles of land. It ranks 9th of 67 in Florida by population and 4th by land area. That works out to 474.3 people per square mile, 4.9 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top tenth nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Florida has 154,693 residents, so Polk County is 5.5 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $66,709 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

852,878

3144th1st

74th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

1,798 sq mi

3144th1st

328th of 3,144 (US)

Density

474.3 / sq mi

3144th1st

287th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$66,709

3143rd1st

1233rd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Florida (67)

Population

852,878

67th1st

9th of 67 (FL)

Land area

1,798 sq mi

67th1st

4th of 67 (FL)

Density

474.3 / sq mi

67th1st

18th of 67 (FL)

Median household income

$66,709

67th1st

35th of 67 (FL)

How Polk County's population changed since 2020

Polk County gained 122,699 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 16.8%. That ranks 7th of 67 in Florida for growth. The median Florida county changed by +7.8%, and the state as a whole by +8.2%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Polk County recorded 36,740 births and 36,895 deaths, a natural change of -155. Net international migration added +20,375 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +107,127. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 107,127 people.

730.2k2020755.7k2021790.5k2022824.2k2023852.9k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
36,740
Deaths
36,895
Net international migration
+20,375
Net domestic migration
+107,127
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+28,706

Where Polk County is

The Census internal point of Polk County is at 27.953700, -81.693500. It sits in UTM zone 17N. The map shades Florida's 67 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Polk County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Escambia County: +2.7%Okaloosa County: +4.0%St. Lucie County: +17.9%Okeechobee County: +6.8%DeSoto County: +7.8%Bradford County: -0.5%Bay County: +14.4%Holmes County: +1.6%Gilchrist County: +13.1%Manatee County: +14.1%Hardee County: +2.9%Lafayette County: +5.0%Flagler County: +17.9%Nassau County: +14.7%Pasco County: +16.4%Martin County: +4.4%Palm Beach County: +5.9%Alachua County: +4.3%Lee County: +12.5%Brevard County: +8.2%Polk County: +16.8%Pinellas County: +0.6%Highlands County: +8.3%Hamilton County: +4.4%Wakulla County: +9.5%Clay County: +8.1%Suwannee County: +9.2%Madison County: +2.9%Columbia County: +6.0%Jackson County: +6.1%Calhoun County: -3.1%Franklin County: +4.0%Gulf County: +11.3%Hernando County: +11.5%Washington County: +4.7%Levy County: +10.9%Liberty County: +1.9%Putnam County: +5.3%Volusia County: +8.5%Walton County: +18.2%Osceola County: +19.7%Leon County: +2.2%Union County: +2.0%Sarasota County: +9.2%Dixie County: +5.6%Charlotte County: +12.8%Indian River County: +7.3%Broward County: +4.8%Hendry County: +16.1%Sumter County: +18.7%Miami-Dade County: +5.3%Citrus County: +10.1%Seminole County: +4.9%Lake County: +15.0%Marion County: +13.6%St. Johns County: +20.9%Gadsden County: +1.7%Jefferson County: +10.5%Baker County: +4.3%Glades County: +8.7%Collier County: +10.3%Duval County: +5.7%Taylor County: +0.4%Monroe County: -2.3%Hillsborough County: +7.8%Santa Rosa County: +9.9%Orange County: +7.1%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +4.0%
  2. < +5.7%
  3. < +8.7%
  4. < +13.1%
  5. ≥ +13.1%
no data

Orange pin: Polk County internal point. Dark pin: Tallahassee.

Internal point

Decimal
27.953700, -81.693500
DMS
27°57'13.32"N 81°41'36.60"W
UTM
17N 431783.3E 3092267.0N
Geohash
dhvzj0bd5
Plus code
76VWX834+FJ

Towns in Polk County

15 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Polk County, 343,324 people together, or 40% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Polk County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Lakeland with 124,990.

  1. 01Lakeland124,990
  2. 02Winter Haven59,975
  3. 03Haines City42,073
  4. 04Bartow22,084
  5. 05Auburndale20,659
  6. 06Lake Wales17,798
  7. 07Davenport16,764
  8. 08Lake Alfred8,632
  9. 09Dundee6,275
  10. 10Eagle Lake5,576
  11. 11Fort Meade5,341
  12. 12Mulberry4,488
  13. 13Frostproof3,467
  14. 14Polk City3,076
  15. 15Lake Hamilton2,126
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Polk County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 10 neighbors for Polk County. The most populous is Hillsborough County, FL, with 1,581,426 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Tallahassee and the nearest big city

Tallahassee is 232.0 miles NW of Polk County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Lakeland, FL (population 124,990), 17.4 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Lake Wales, FL (population 17,798), 6.2 miles away.

Polk County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Polk County is 12105: state code 12 for Florida plus county code 105. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $66,709.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Polk County, Florida?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 852,878. That is up 122,699 people (16.8%) from the July 2020 estimate of 730,179.

What is the FIPS code of Polk County?

12105. The first two digits (12) are Florida; the last three (105) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Polk County?

Lakeland, with 124,990 residents inside Polk County in 2024.

Which counties border Polk County?

10 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Hillsborough County, FL; Orange County, FL; Pasco County, FL; Osceola County, FL; Manatee County, FL; Lake County, FL; Sumter County, FL; Highlands County, FL; Okeechobee County, FL; Hardee County, FL.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.