• county
  • FIPS 37149
  • Largest town: Tryon

Polk County, North Carolina

Polk County had 20,320 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 237.7 square miles of land. It ranks 80th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 94th by land area.

Population
20,320
#80 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,809 in US
Area
237.7 sq mi
#94 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,933 in US
Density
85 / sq mi
#64 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,027 in US
Median household income
$59,012
#55 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,935 in US

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

Polk County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Polk County

Polk County population, land area and income

Polk County had 20,320 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 237.7 square miles of land. It ranks 80th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 94th by land area. That works out to 85.5 people per square mile, near the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents, so Polk County has 39% of the typical county's population.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $59,012 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

20,320

3144th1st

1809th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

238 sq mi

3144th1st

2933rd of 3,144 (US)

Density

85.5 / sq mi

3144th1st

1027th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$59,012

3143rd1st

1935th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

20,320

100th1st

80th of 100 (NC)

Land area

238 sq mi

100th1st

94th of 100 (NC)

Density

85.5 / sq mi

100th1st

64th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$59,012

100th1st

55th of 100 (NC)

How Polk County's population changed since 2020

Polk County gained 940 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 4.9%. That ranks 31st of 100 in North Carolina for growth. The median North Carolina county changed by +2.7%, and the state as a whole by +5.7%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Polk County recorded 530 births and 1,437 deaths, a natural change of -907. Net international migration added -8 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,924. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 1,924 people.

19.4k202019.7k202120.0k202220.0k202320.3k2024
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
530
Deaths
1,437
Net international migration
-8
Net domestic migration
+1,924
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+290

Where Polk County is

The Census internal point of Polk County is at 35.277900, -82.167600. It sits in UTM zone 17N. The map shades North Carolina's 100 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.

Scotland County: +1.4%Rockingham County: +2.5%Franklin County: +15.6%Caswell County: -0.5%Stokes County: +2.9%Granville County: +2.3%Edgecombe County: +0.7%Randolph County: +2.8%Alexander County: +0.8%Person County: +2.4%Cherokee County: +5.2%Ashe County: +2.5%Davidson County: +5.2%Cabarrus County: +7.8%Mecklenburg County: +8.1%Burke County: +1.5%Cumberland County: +0.4%Northampton County: -4.9%Buncombe County: +3.5%Wilson County: +0.8%Bladen County: +0.5%Pitt County: +4.1%Yancey County: +2.7%Stanly County: +7.4%Harnett County: +9.3%Wilkes County: +0.5%Tyrrell County: +8.8%Pamlico County: +1.9%Hoke County: +6.0%Transylvania County: +2.5%Carteret County: +3.8%Durham County: +6.5%Anson County: +1.8%Pender County: +15.6%Alamance County: +6.7%Polk County: +4.9%Lenoir County: +0.5%Washington County: -3.0%Avery County: -0.0%Hyde County: +1.5%Gates County: -1.4%Davie County: +5.8%Jackson County: +7.4%Montgomery County: +2.5%Martin County: -2.0%Pasquotank County: +2.9%Perquimans County: +3.4%Cleveland County: +2.3%Sampson County: +2.3%Catawba County: +3.8%Alleghany County: +4.5%Robeson County: +2.3%Macon County: +4.4%Clay County: +8.0%Haywood County: +1.3%Duplin County: +3.8%Henderson County: +3.6%Craven County: +2.6%Warren County: +2.6%Graham County: +1.7%Union County: +9.9%Wayne County: +2.2%Gaston County: +5.9%Guilford County: +3.7%Yadkin County: +2.0%Watauga County: +1.0%Rowan County: +4.4%Swain County: -1.1%Chatham County: +9.4%Bertie County: -4.4%Halifax County: -2.9%Forsyth County: +4.1%Onslow County: +3.8%Dare County: +3.1%Chowan County: +1.3%Brunswick County: +20.9%Johnston County: +14.9%Orange County: +6.4%Currituck County: +13.6%New Hanover County: +7.5%Richmond County: -1.7%Vance County: -0.5%Iredell County: +9.9%Lincoln County: +12.0%Caldwell County: +0.2%McDowell County: +1.6%Rutherford County: +1.9%Mitchell County: +0.9%Moore County: +8.1%Columbus County: -0.8%Lee County: +8.1%Greene County: +1.1%Madison County: +5.0%Camden County: +7.5%Hertford County: -12.0%Beaufort County: -0.3%Jones County: +3.5%Wake County: +9.0%Nash County: +3.0%Surry County: +0.2%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +0.5%
  2. < +2.3%
  3. < +3.7%
  4. < +7.4%
  5. ≥ +7.4%
no data

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

Internal point

Decimal
35.277900, -82.167600
DMS
35°16'40.44"N 82°10'3.36"W
UTM
17N 393813.6E 3904486.8N
Geohash
dnm8dnpks
Plus code
867V7RHJ+5X

Towns in Polk County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Polk County, 2,652 people together, or 13% 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 Tryon with 1,611.

  1. 01Tryon1,611
  2. 02Columbus1,041
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Polk County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 4 neighbors for Polk County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Greenville County, SC, with 570,745 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 201.4 miles E of Polk County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Charlotte, NC (population 943,476), 75.6 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Hendersonville, NC (population 15,656), 16.5 miles away.

Polk County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Polk County is 37149: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 149. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $59,012.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Polk County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 20,320. That is up 940 people (4.9%) from the July 2020 estimate of 19,380.

What is the FIPS code of Polk County?

37149. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (149) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Polk County?

Tryon, with 1,611 residents inside Polk County in 2024.

Which counties border Polk County?

4 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Greenville County, SC; Spartanburg County, SC; Henderson County, NC; Rutherford County, NC.

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.