• county
  • FIPS 19153
  • Largest town: Des Moines

Polk County, Iowa

Polk County had 516,185 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 572.7 square miles of land. It is the most populous of Iowa's 99 county-equivalents.

Population
516,185
#1 of 99 in Iowa · #144 in US
Area
572.7 sq mi
#41 of 99 in Iowa · #1,745 in US
Density
901 / sq mi
#1 of 99 in Iowa · #173 in US
Median household income
$79,509
#12 of 99 in Iowa · #493 in US

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

Polk County within Iowa. Pin: Des Moines.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Polk County

Polk County population, land area and income

Polk County had 516,185 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 572.7 square miles of land. It is the most populous of Iowa's 99 county-equivalents. That works out to 901.3 people per square mile, 9.4 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top tenth nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Iowa has 15,008 residents, so Polk County is 34.4 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $79,509 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

516,185

3144th1st

144th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

573 sq mi

3144th1st

1745th of 3,144 (US)

Density

901.3 / sq mi

3144th1st

173rd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$79,509

3143rd1st

493rd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Iowa (99)

Population

516,185

99th1st

1st of 99 (IA)

Land area

573 sq mi

99th1st

41st of 99 (IA)

Density

901.3 / sq mi

99th1st

1st of 99 (IA)

Median household income

$79,509

99th1st

12th of 99 (IA)

How Polk County's population changed since 2020

Polk County gained 23,146 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 4.7%. That ranks 3rd of 99 in Iowa for growth. The median Iowa county changed by -0.6%, and the state as a whole by +1.6%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Polk County recorded 27,258 births and 18,218 deaths, a natural change of +9,040. Net international migration added +12,332 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +2,366. The largest single component was international migration, which added 12,332 people.

493.0k2020497.9k2021501.3k2022507.5k2023516.2k2024
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
27,258
Deaths
18,218
Net international migration
+12,332
Net domestic migration
+2,366
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+8,698

Where Polk County is

The Census internal point of Polk County is at 41.684800, -93.569000. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Iowa's 99 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.

Monroe County: -2.9%Worth County: -1.7%Buena Vista County: +0.0%Jasper County: +0.8%Van Buren County: -0.0%Hardin County: -2.2%Ida County: -3.1%Marshall County: +0.8%Fayette County: -1.5%Ringgold County: -0.8%Wapello County: +1.0%Webster County: -0.2%Adams County: -2.8%Buchanan County: +0.6%Cerro Gordo County: -1.2%Lucas County: +1.6%Emmet County: -1.9%Floyd County: -3.8%Crawford County: -0.7%Linn County: +0.6%Montgomery County: -2.6%Polk County: +4.7%Cherokee County: +0.0%Bremer County: +1.3%Grundy County: +0.5%Adair County: -0.8%Cedar County: -1.4%Story County: +3.9%Mahaska County: -0.6%Davis County: +0.9%Clay County: +0.8%Johnson County: +4.6%Greene County: -1.0%Palo Alto County: -2.0%Benton County: +1.0%Cass County: -0.7%Wright County: -1.5%Audubon County: -2.1%Henry County: -5.3%Boone County: +0.1%Appanoose County: -1.4%Washington County: +0.4%Chickasaw County: -2.2%Poweshiek County: -0.9%Osceola County: -2.6%Wayne County: +1.8%Mitchell County: +0.4%Jefferson County: +0.5%Union County: -1.4%Butler County: -1.2%Hancock County: -1.3%Marion County: +1.9%Delaware County: +0.9%Humboldt County: +0.2%Sioux County: +1.8%Des Moines County: -1.1%O'Brien County: +0.8%Clayton County: -0.6%Black Hawk County: +1.0%Winnebago County: -2.6%Harrison County: +0.4%Decatur County: -1.0%Pocahontas County: -0.9%Lyon County: +3.8%Iowa County: -1.4%Franklin County: +0.3%Dickinson County: +2.2%Madison County: +3.2%Allamakee County: +0.8%Jones County: +2.2%Carroll County: -1.6%Kossuth County: -2.6%Hamilton County: -1.0%Howard County: -1.4%Page County: -1.1%Guthrie County: +1.5%Tama County: -1.8%Monona County: -3.6%Clarke County: -2.1%Lee County: -3.4%Mills County: +2.1%Sac County: -2.7%Scott County: +0.6%Keokuk County: -1.6%Jackson County: -0.3%Warren County: +7.1%Calhoun County: -1.9%Shelby County: +0.8%Fremont County: -1.1%Dubuque County: -0.1%Louisa County: -1.8%Taylor County: -0.6%Woodbury County: +1.2%Clinton County: -0.9%Winneshiek County: -1.6%Pottawattamie County: -0.1%Plymouth County: +0.5%Muscatine County: -2.4%Dallas County: +14.7%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.9%
  2. < -1.0%
  3. < +0.0%
  4. < +0.9%
  5. ≥ +0.9%
no data

Orange pin: Polk County internal point. Dark pin: Des Moines.

Internal point

Decimal
41.684800, -93.569000
DMS
41°41'5.28"N 93°34'8.40"W
UTM
15N 452644.8E 4614937.3N
Geohash
9zmmnu3ps
Plus code
86H8MCMJ+W9

Towns in Polk County

16 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Polk County, 486,981 people together, or 94% 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 Des Moines with 212,900.

  1. 01Des Moines (part)212,900
  2. 02Ankeny76,727
  3. 03West Des Moines (part)48,701
  4. 04Urbandale (part)35,312
  5. 05Johnston25,022
  6. 06Altoona22,598
  7. 07Grimes (part)17,232
  8. 08Pleasant Hill11,942
  9. 09Clive (part)11,150
  10. 10Bondurant9,511
  11. 11Polk City6,430
  12. 12Windsor Heights5,106
  13. 13Mitchellville (part)2,657
  14. 14Elkhart1,079
  15. 15Granger (part)544
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Polk County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Polk County. The most populous is Dallas County, IA, with 115,343 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Des Moines and the nearest big city

Des Moines is 6.7 miles SSW of Polk County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Des Moines, IA (population 213,096), 8.0 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Ankeny, IA (population 76,727), 3.5 miles away.

Polk County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Polk County is 19153: state code 19 for Iowa plus county code 153. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $79,509.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Polk County, Iowa?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 516,185. That is up 23,146 people (4.7%) from the July 2020 estimate of 493,039.

What is the FIPS code of Polk County?

19153. The first two digits (19) are Iowa; the last three (153) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Polk County?

Des Moines, with 212,900 residents inside Polk County in 2024 (213,096 across all 2 counties it spans).

Which counties border Polk County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Dallas County, IA; Story County, IA; Warren County, IA; Jasper County, IA; Marion County, IA; Boone County, IA; Madison County, IA.

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.