• county
  • FIPS 31143
  • Largest town: Stromsburg

Polk County, Nebraska

Polk County had 5,269 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 438.8 square miles of land. It ranks 53rd of 93 in Nebraska by population and 83rd by land area.

Population
5,269
#53 of 93 in Nebraska · #2,800 in US
Area
438.8 sq mi
#83 of 93 in Nebraska · #2,309 in US
Density
12 / sq mi
#39 of 93 in Nebraska · #2,499 in US
Median household income
$79,938
#7 of 93 in Nebraska · #478 in US

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

Polk County within Nebraska. Pin: Lincoln.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Polk County

Polk County population, land area and income

Polk County had 5,269 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 438.8 square miles of land. It ranks 53rd of 93 in Nebraska by population and 83rd by land area. That works out to 12.0 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Nebraska has 6,103 residents; Polk County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $79,938 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

5,269

3144th1st

2800th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

439 sq mi

3144th1st

2309th of 3,144 (US)

Density

12.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

2499th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$79,938

3143rd1st

478th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Nebraska (93)

Population

5,269

93rd1st

53rd of 93 (NE)

Land area

439 sq mi

93rd1st

83rd of 93 (NE)

Density

12.0 / sq mi

93rd1st

39th of 93 (NE)

Median household income

$79,938

93rd1st

7th of 93 (NE)

How Polk County's population changed since 2020

Polk County gained 51 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 1.0%. That ranks 27th of 93 in Nebraska for growth. The median Nebraska county changed by -0.6%, and the state as a whole by +2.1%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Polk County recorded 229 births and 353 deaths, a natural change of -124. Net international migration added +41 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +142. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 142 people.

5,21820205,19320215,23420225,21220235,2692024
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
229
Deaths
353
Net international migration
+41
Net domestic migration
+142
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+57

Where Polk County is

The Census internal point of Polk County is at 41.187900, -97.570700. It sits in UTM zone 14N. The map shades Nebraska's 93 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.

York County: +1.9%Boone County: -0.1%Grant County: -7.0%Saline County: +0.2%Adams County: +0.1%Clay County: -0.1%Logan County: -3.3%Hamilton County: +1.7%Thomas County: -5.9%Lancaster County: +3.0%Sherman County: -0.1%Lincoln County: -3.5%Stanton County: -1.1%Dawes County: -1.9%Madison County: +0.1%Perkins County: -2.9%Arthur County: -2.1%Deuel County: +3.2%Banner County: -1.9%Dundy County: -4.2%Garfield County: -5.4%Wheeler County: +4.3%Seward County: +0.9%Johnson County: -1.4%Wayne County: +1.7%Hayes County: -0.4%Gosper County: -4.6%Blaine County: +6.1%Valley County: -0.6%Keith County: -2.1%Antelope County: +1.3%Hooker County: -1.3%Hitchcock County: -6.1%Box Butte County: -1.1%Morrill County: -1.6%Chase County: -3.2%Howard County: +1.3%Holt County: +0.1%Phelps County: +0.7%Cuming County: -0.7%Jefferson County: -1.7%Garden County: -4.5%Dodge County: +2.1%Buffalo County: +1.9%Butler County: +1.0%Fillmore County: -1.0%Boyd County: -5.7%Nuckolls County: +0.1%Loup County: -3.8%Sioux County: -3.7%Thayer County: -3.1%Cheyenne County: +1.2%Rock County: -1.9%Nance County: -3.9%Greeley County: +0.8%Hall County: +0.1%Brown County: -0.9%Dakota County: -1.0%Kearney County: +0.9%Webster County: -1.9%Nemaha County: -0.6%Franklin County: -2.5%Furnas County: -3.5%Sarpy County: +7.1%Platte County: +3.5%Kimball County: -3.0%Polk County: +1.0%Dixon County: -1.1%Knox County: -1.0%Thurston County: -1.8%Douglas County: +2.7%Scotts Bluff County: -0.9%Pierce County: -0.1%Burt County: +0.0%Merrick County: +2.3%Sheridan County: -3.5%Washington County: +1.6%Frontier County: +1.3%Colfax County: +2.6%Cass County: +3.3%Pawnee County: -0.8%Richardson County: -2.5%Cedar County: -1.3%Gage County: +0.2%Dawson County: +2.0%Keya Paha County: +7.8%Cherry County: +1.9%McPherson County: -5.1%Otoe County: +4.3%Red Willow County: -2.6%Custer County: -0.0%Harlan County: -1.2%Saunders County: +4.6%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -3.0%
  2. < -1.1%
  3. < +0.1%
  4. < +1.7%
  5. ≥ +1.7%
no data

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

Internal point

Decimal
41.187900, -97.570700
DMS
41°11'16.44"N 97°34'14.52"W
UTM
14N 619866.0E 4560600.8N
Geohash
9z6d7dp0v
Plus code
86H45CQH+5P

Towns in Polk County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Polk County, 1,159 people together, or 22% 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 Stromsburg with 1,159.

  1. 01Stromsburg1,159
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Polk County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Polk County. The most populous is Platte County, NE, with 35,499 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Lincoln and the nearest big city

Lincoln is 52.4 miles ESE of Polk County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Lincoln, NE (population 300,619), 53.5 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Columbus, NE (population 25,126), 20.4 miles away.

Polk County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Polk County is 31143: state code 31 for Nebraska plus county code 143. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $79,938.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Polk County, Nebraska?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 5,269. That is up 51 people (1.0%) from the July 2020 estimate of 5,218.

What is the FIPS code of Polk County?

31143. The first two digits (31) are Nebraska; the last three (143) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Polk County?

Stromsburg, with 1,159 residents inside Polk County in 2024.

Which counties border Polk County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Platte County, NE; Seward County, NE; York County, NE; Hamilton County, NE; Butler County, NE; Merrick County, NE.

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.