• county
  • FIPS 47139
  • Largest town: Benton

Polk County, Tennessee

Polk County had 18,338 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 434.6 square miles of land. It ranks 71st of 95 in Tennessee by population and 49th by land area.

Population
18,338
#71 of 95 in Tennessee · #1,914 in US
Area
434.6 sq mi
#49 of 95 in Tennessee · #2,334 in US
Density
42 / sq mi
#77 of 95 in Tennessee · #1,626 in US
Median household income
$57,045
#53 of 95 in Tennessee · #2,128 in US

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

Polk County within Tennessee. Pin: Nashville.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Polk County

Polk County population, land area and income

Polk County had 18,338 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 434.6 square miles of land. It ranks 71st of 95 in Tennessee by population and 49th by land area. That works out to 42.2 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Tennessee has 32,883 residents; Polk County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $57,045 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

18,338

3144th1st

1914th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

435 sq mi

3144th1st

2334th of 3,144 (US)

Density

42.2 / sq mi

3144th1st

1626th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$57,045

3143rd1st

2128th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Tennessee (95)

Population

18,338

95th1st

71st of 95 (TN)

Land area

435 sq mi

95th1st

49th of 95 (TN)

Density

42.2 / sq mi

95th1st

77th of 95 (TN)

Median household income

$57,045

95th1st

53rd of 95 (TN)

How Polk County's population changed since 2020

Polk County gained 771 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 4.4%. That ranks 49th of 95 in Tennessee for growth. The median Tennessee county changed by +4.4%, and the state as a whole by +4.3%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Polk County recorded 643 births and 1,316 deaths, a natural change of -673. Net international migration added -1 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,450. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 1,450 people.

17.6k202017.7k202117.8k202218.1k202318.3k2024
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
643
Deaths
1,316
Net international migration
-1
Net domestic migration
+1,450
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+272

Where Polk County is

The Census internal point of Polk County is at 35.109400, -84.541100. It sits in UTM zone 16N. The map shades Tennessee's 95 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.

Warren County: +6.2%Bledsoe County: +4.3%Cheatham County: +3.7%Crockett County: +0.5%Putnam County: +6.0%Houston County: +2.8%Macon County: +7.6%Sequatchie County: +11.2%Fayette County: +6.2%Trousdale County: +4.5%Union County: +6.1%Claiborne County: +3.1%Weakley County: +0.8%Coffee County: +5.4%Johnson County: +2.8%Overton County: +4.3%Lake County: -8.1%Moore County: +4.7%Hardeman County: -0.0%Jefferson County: +7.8%Smith County: +4.1%Robertson County: +7.5%Gibson County: +1.9%Henry County: +2.3%Grundy County: +4.4%Decatur County: +3.2%Greene County: +4.3%Hamblen County: +4.9%Humphreys County: +2.9%Knox County: +5.5%Roane County: +5.7%Lewis County: +6.4%Rhea County: +4.4%Rutherford County: +9.8%Montgomery County: +11.2%Lauderdale County: -2.0%Shelby County: -2.1%Tipton County: +1.9%Perry County: +7.2%Stewart County: +4.8%Chester County: +2.8%Washington County: +4.8%Polk County: +4.4%Van Buren County: +8.3%Dyer County: -0.8%Davidson County: +1.9%Cocke County: +4.3%Williamson County: +7.8%Benton County: +2.0%Dickson County: +5.9%Lawrence County: +5.2%Hamilton County: +5.0%McNairy County: +0.9%Meigs County: +8.8%Hawkins County: +4.7%Blount County: +4.8%White County: +6.1%Marshall County: +9.8%Sullivan County: +2.8%Campbell County: +2.4%Haywood County: -4.1%Bradley County: +4.5%Franklin County: +5.4%Sumner County: +7.2%Hardin County: +2.4%Grainger County: +6.4%Hickman County: +3.6%Pickett County: +2.2%Carroll County: +2.4%Henderson County: +1.3%Sevier County: +1.3%Hancock County: +6.2%Scott County: +2.9%McMinn County: +6.4%Morgan County: +4.3%Lincoln County: +4.0%Obion County: -1.7%Unicoi County: -0.0%Wayne County: -1.5%Cannon County: +4.0%Fentress County: +8.6%Loudon County: +12.7%Wilson County: +14.3%Bedford County: +7.6%Monroe County: +5.9%DeKalb County: +7.7%Marion County: +3.2%Carter County: +1.9%Clay County: +3.5%Madison County: +1.6%Cumberland County: +6.9%Anderson County: +5.3%Maury County: +11.4%Giles County: +2.1%Jackson County: +6.4%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +1.9%
  2. < +3.7%
  3. < +4.9%
  4. < +6.4%
  5. ≥ +6.4%
no data

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

Internal point

Decimal
35.109400, -84.541100
DMS
35°06'33.84"N 84°32'27.96"W
UTM
16N 724103.1E 3887941.9N
Geohash
dn5zsprp1
Plus code
867Q4F55+QH

Towns in Polk County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Polk County, 1,458 people together, or 8% 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 Benton with 1,458.

  1. 01Benton1,458
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, including 3 across a state line. The most populous is Bradley County, TN, with 113,782 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Nashville and the nearest big city

Nashville is 145.6 miles WNW of Polk County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Chattanooga, TN (population 191,496), 40.1 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Cleveland, TN (population 50,232), 19.3 miles away.

Polk County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Polk County is 47139: state code 47 for Tennessee plus county code 139. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $57,045.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Polk County, Tennessee?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 18,338. That is up 771 people (4.4%) from the July 2020 estimate of 17,567.

What is the FIPS code of Polk County?

47139. The first two digits (47) are Tennessee; the last three (139) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Polk County?

Benton, with 1,458 residents inside Polk County in 2024.

Which counties border Polk County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Bradley County, TN; McMinn County, TN; Monroe County, TN; Murray County, GA; Cherokee County, NC; Fannin County, GA.

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.