• county
  • FIPS 27119
  • Largest town: East Grand Forks

Polk County, Minnesota

Polk County had 30,413 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,971.0 square miles of land. It ranks 35th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 8th by land area.

Population
30,413
#35 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,432 in US
Area
1,971.0 sq mi
#8 of 87 in Minnesota · #290 in US
Density
15 / sq mi
#64 of 87 in Minnesota · #2,383 in US
Median household income
$68,136
#61 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,125 in US

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

Polk County within Minnesota. Pin: Saint Paul.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Polk County

Polk County population, land area and income

Polk County had 30,413 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,971.0 square miles of land. It ranks 35th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 8th by land area. That works out to 15.4 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Minnesota has 22,050 residents; Polk County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $68,136 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

30,413

3144th1st

1432nd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

1,971 sq mi

3144th1st

290th of 3,144 (US)

Density

15.4 / sq mi

3144th1st

2383rd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$68,136

3143rd1st

1125th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Minnesota (87)

Population

30,413

87th1st

35th of 87 (MN)

Land area

1,971 sq mi

87th1st

8th of 87 (MN)

Density

15.4 / sq mi

87th1st

64th of 87 (MN)

Median household income

$68,136

87th1st

61st of 87 (MN)

How Polk County's population changed since 2020

Polk County lost 668 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 2.1%. That ranks 77th of 87 in Minnesota for growth. The median Minnesota county changed by +0.6%, and the state as a whole by +1.4%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Polk County recorded 1,325 births and 1,677 deaths, a natural change of -352. Net international migration added +283 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -694. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 694 people.

31.1k202030.8k202130.8k202230.4k202330.4k2024
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
1,325
Deaths
1,677
Net international migration
+283
Net domestic migration
-694
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-25

Where Polk County is

The Census internal point of Polk County is at 47.774300, -96.400000. It sits in UTM zone 14N. The map shades Minnesota's 87 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.

Cook County: -0.5%Kanabec County: +3.4%Carlton County: +1.5%Becker County: +0.7%Dodge County: +1.7%Douglas County: +2.1%Murray County: -1.5%Pipestone County: -3.3%Rock County: -1.7%Steele County: +0.1%Waseca County: -1.4%Pennington County: -2.1%Red Lake County: -1.5%Stevens County: +1.6%Hubbard County: +3.1%Mahnomen County: -1.8%Fillmore County: +1.2%Otter Tail County: +1.4%Rice County: +2.9%Meeker County: +0.2%Nobles County: -1.1%Swift County: -1.5%Watonwan County: -0.3%Wadena County: +2.2%Polk County: -2.1%Lyon County: +0.6%St. Louis County: +0.4%Todd County: +2.6%Carver County: +5.0%Kandiyohi County: +2.2%Olmsted County: +2.1%Roseau County: -0.3%Dakota County: +2.9%Yellow Medicine County: -1.2%Crow Wing County: +3.6%Sibley County: +2.7%Morrison County: +1.5%Lac qui Parle County: -1.0%Lincoln County: -1.3%Martin County: -2.2%Clay County: +2.3%Houston County: -2.5%Wilkin County: -3.3%Nicollet County: -0.0%Norman County: -2.4%Benton County: +1.3%Anoka County: +3.4%Blue Earth County: +2.2%Traverse County: -6.7%Aitkin County: +4.0%Marshall County: -3.0%Grant County: +0.3%Wabasha County: +0.8%Lake County: -2.0%Cottonwood County: -1.6%Brown County: -0.8%Cass County: +4.2%Lake of the Woods County: +0.7%Scott County: +3.9%Isanti County: +5.5%Stearns County: +3.5%Clearwater County: +0.7%Hennepin County: -0.7%Kittson County: -4.7%Wright County: +9.0%Goodhue County: +0.8%Jackson County: -1.3%Washington County: +5.8%Chippewa County: -2.5%Freeborn County: -1.9%Koochiching County: -3.6%Big Stone County: -1.8%Redwood County: -1.1%Chisago County: +4.2%Faribault County: -0.1%Renville County: -1.6%Itasca County: +0.9%Mower County: +2.1%Sherburne County: +5.6%Mille Lacs County: +4.2%Winona County: +0.6%Ramsey County: -1.8%Pine County: +4.9%McLeod County: +0.1%Pope County: +1.5%Le Sueur County: +2.8%Beltrami County: +1.1%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.7%
  2. < -0.3%
  3. < +1.2%
  4. < +2.8%
  5. ≥ +2.8%
no data

Orange pin: Polk County internal point. Dark pin: Saint Paul.

Internal point

Decimal
47.774300, -96.400000
DMS
47°46'27.48"N 96°24'0.00"W
UTM
14N 694786.4E 5294488.9N
Geohash
cb7ry359m
Plus code
86V5QJF2+P2

Towns in Polk County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Polk County, 17,561 people together, or 58% 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 East Grand Forks with 8,915.

  1. 01East Grand Forks8,915
  2. 02Crookston7,269
  3. 03Fosston1,377
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Polk County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 8 neighbors for Polk County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Grand Forks County, ND, with 73,771 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Saint Paul and the nearest big city

Saint Paul is 250.3 miles SE of Polk County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Fargo, ND (population 136,285), 66.0 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Grand Forks, ND (population 59,845), 33.4 miles away.

Polk County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Polk County is 27119: state code 27 for Minnesota plus county code 119. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $68,136.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Polk County, Minnesota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 30,413. That is down 668 people (2.1%) from the July 2020 estimate of 31,081.

What is the FIPS code of Polk County?

27119. The first two digits (27) are Minnesota; the last three (119) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Polk County?

East Grand Forks, with 8,915 residents inside Polk County in 2024.

Which counties border Polk County?

8 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Grand Forks County, ND; Pennington County, MN; Marshall County, MN; Clearwater County, MN; Traill County, ND; Norman County, MN; Mahnomen County, MN; Red Lake County, MN.

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.