Data / Polk County / Profile

Polk County in figures

A profile of Polk County from official statistics: 24 figures in 5 sections, each with its period, its change from a year earlier, its rank among similar places where a ranking exists, and its source.

Figures last updated on 2026-10-12.

People

Population in Polk County was 18,592 in 2025, up 1% from 2024, and the 25th lowest of 95 counties in Tennessee.

Population18,5922025Up 1% from 2024The 25th lowest of 95 counties in Tennessee
Median age46.9 years2024Up 0.7 years from 2023Tied for the 10th highest of 95 counties in Tennessee
Population aged 65 and over23.2%2025Up 0.4 percentage points from 2024The 26th highest of 95 counties in Tennessee
Foreign-born population share1%2024Up less than 0.1 percentage points from 2023
Population density16.5 inhabitants per km²2025Up 1% from 2024
Net domestic migration, July to June2722025, estimatedCompared with 425 in 2024
17.5K17.8K18K18.3K18.5K18.8K2020202120222023202420252020: 17,558 persons2021: 17,704 persons2022: 17,776 persons2023: 18,064 persons2024: 18,408 persons2025: 18,592 persons
Population, 2020 to 2025. persons. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual estimates of the resident population for the United States, states and counties, 1 July (Population Estimates Program).

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual estimates of the resident population for the United States, states and counties, 1 July (Population Estimates Program); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B01002: median age, total population; U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex (cc-est agesex): residents aged 65 and over as a percentage of the total, 1 July; states and the nation summed from counties; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs; U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program resident population on 1 July divided by land area from the latest Census Gazetteer files, persons per km²; U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program: net domestic migration, states and counties, July 1 of the previous year to June 30 of the reported year; vintage 2020 files for 2011 to 2020 and the latest 2020s vintage from 2021. Population and demography statistics and rankings

Work and income

Unemployment rate in Polk County was 3.7% (provisional) in August 2026, down 0.1 percentage points from August 2025, and tied for the 36th lowest of 95 counties in Tennessee.

Unemployment rate3.7%August 2026, provisionalDown 0.1 percentage points from August 2025Tied for the 36th lowest of 95 counties in Tennessee
Median household income$62,5222024Up 3.8% from 2023The 36th highest of 95 counties in Tennessee
Per capita personal income$45,3972024Up 5.9% from 2023The 23rd lowest of 95 counties in Tennessee
Poverty rate (US official measure)14.6%2024Down 0.4 percentage points from 2023
Gini index492024Up 0.7 points from 2023
2.533.544.552021-072022-042023-012023-102024-072025-042026-082021-07: 4.5 %2021-08: 4 %2021-09: 3.5 %2021-10: 3.3 %2021-11: 3 %2021-12: 3.1 %2022-01: 3.8 %2022-02: 3.5 %2022-03: 3.4 %2022-04: 3.3 %2022-05: 3.4 %2022-06: 4.2 %2022-07: 3.9 %2022-08: 3.8 %2022-09: 3.4 %2022-10: 3.6 %2022-11: 3.6 %2022-12: 3.8 %2023-01: 4.3 %2023-02: 4.3 %2023-03: 3.9 %2023-04: 3.3 %2023-05: 3.7 %2023-06: 4.4 %2023-07: 4.1 %2023-08: 3.9 %2023-09: 3.6 %2023-10: 3.6 %2023-11: 3.3 %2023-12: 3.4 %2024-01: 3.8 %2024-02: 3.3 %2024-03: 3.6 %2024-04: 2.9 %2024-05: 3.3 %2024-06: 4.3 %2024-07: 4.4 %2024-08: 4 %2024-09: 3.8 %2024-10: 4.1 %2024-11: 3.9 %2024-12: 3.8 %2025-01: 4.1 %2025-02: 3.7 %2025-03: 3.7 %2025-04: 3.3 %2025-05: 3.6 %2025-06: 4.4 %2025-07: 4.4 %2025-08: 3.8 %2025-09: 3.9 %2025-11: 4 %2025-12: 3.6 %2026-01: 3.8 %2026-02: 4.2 %2026-03: 4.7 %2026-04: 3.4 %2026-05: 3.4 %2026-06: 4.2 %2026-07: 3.8 %2026-08: 3.7 %
Unemployment rate, July 2021 to August 2026. %. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19013: median household income in the past 12 months; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC1: county annual personal income summary, per capita personal income, current dollars, individual counties and county equivalents; U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people of all ages in poverty, states and counties; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19083: Gini index of household income inequality (coefficient multiplied by 100). Labor market statistics and rankings

Economy

GDP (US dollars) in Polk County was $482.59 million in 2024, up 8.6% from 2023, and the 18th lowest of 95 counties in Tennessee.

Gross domestic product (GDP), US dollars$482.59 million2024Up 8.6% from 2023The 18th lowest of 95 counties in Tennessee
GDP per capita, US dollars$26,3162024Up 7% from 2023The 12th lowest of 95 counties in Tennessee
Real GDP growth6.8%2024Up 19.8 percentage points from 2023The 13th highest of 95 counties in Tennessee
20030040050020012005200920132017202120242001: 216.4 USD million2002: 223.8 USD million2003: 229.8 USD million2004: 240.5 USD million2005: 262.7 USD million2006: 250.3 USD million2007: 246.7 USD million2008: 267.2 USD million2009: 292.8 USD million2010: 301.4 USD million2011: 282.5 USD million2012: 281.8 USD million2013: 300.2 USD million2014: 304.3 USD million2015: 300.2 USD million2016: 286.2 USD million2017: 295.5 USD million2018: 313 USD million2019: 310.9 USD million2020: 334 USD million2021: 413.6 USD million2022: 494 USD million2023: 444.5 USD million2024: 482.6 USD million
Gross domestic product (GDP), US dollars, 2001 to 2024. USD million. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1: county GDP summary, current-dollar GDP (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions).

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1: county GDP summary, current-dollar GDP (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions); Invokely, GDP in current dollars (BEA SAGDP2 and CAGDP1) divided by mid-year population (BEA SAINC1 and CAINC1); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP11: annual percent change in real GDP, all industry total, individual counties and county equivalents. Economy statistics and rankings

Prices and housing

Median home value in Polk County was $169,900 in 2024, up 24.6% from 2023, and the 31st lowest of 95 counties in Tennessee.

Median home value$169,9002024Up 24.6% from 2023The 31st lowest of 95 counties in Tennessee
County house price annual change, sales and refinances-9.24%2025Down 32.28 percentage points from 2024The lowest of 91 counties in Tennessee
Median gross rent (monthly)$6762024Up 1.2% from 2023The 8th lowest of 95 counties in Tennessee
Homeownership rate (US, housing units)83.6%2024Down 0.5 percentage points from 2023
Housing units authorized by building permits1502025, estimatedDown 28.9% from 2024
120K130K140K150K160K170K20212022202320242021: 122,800 USD2022: 128,200 USD2023: 136,400 USD2024: 169,900 USD
Median home value, 2021 to 2024. USD. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25077: median value (dollars), owner-occupied housing units.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25077: median value (dollars), owner-occupied housing units; Federal Housing Finance Agency, FHFA developmental all-transactions county house prices, published annual percent change, nominal, not seasonally adjusted; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25064: median gross rent (dollars), renter-occupied housing units paying cash rent; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: owner-occupied housing units as a percentage of occupied housing units, calculated with stored inputs; U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey: final annual county estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized, including imputation. Housing statistics and rankings

Business and tourism

Employer firms in Polk County were 191 in 2023, up 1.6% from 2022, and the 19th lowest of 95 counties in Tennessee.

Employer firms1912023Up 1.6% from 2022The 19th lowest of 95 counties in Tennessee
Establishment entry rate13.4%2023Up 2.4 percentage points from 2022The 9th highest of 94 counties in Tennessee
Establishment exit rate9.926%2023Down 3.07 percentage points from 2022The 11th highest of 95 counties in Tennessee
Job creation rate23.43%2023Up 3.32 percentage points from 2022
Farms2692022No 2021 figure to compare
16017018019020021019992003200720112015201920231999: 203 count2000: 197 count2001: 191 count2002: 188 count2003: 193 count2004: 201 count2005: 199 count2006: 199 count2007: 197 count2008: 195 count2009: 184 count2010: 180 count2011: 175 count2012: 166 count2013: 166 count2014: 172 count2015: 178 count2016: 175 count2017: 180 count2018: 180 count2019: 179 count2020: 189 count2021: 191 count2022: 188 count2023: 191 count
Employer firms, 1999 to 2023. count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties; U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010; U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010; U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010; U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Census of Agriculture: number of farms, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Companies statistics and rankings

Sources and citations

Each figure comes from the table cited here. Cite the publisher; these citations include any notice the publisher requires.

  1. U.S. Census Bureau. Annual estimates of the resident population for the United States, states and counties, 1 July (Population Estimates Program). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
  2. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B01002: median age, total population. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b01002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
  3. U.S. Census Bureau. Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex (cc-est agesex): residents aged 65 and over as a percentage of the total, 1 July; states and the nation summed from counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/counties/asrh/cc-est2025-agesex-all.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  4. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b05002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  5. U.S. Census Bureau. Population Estimates Program resident population on 1 July divided by land area from the latest Census Gazetteer files, persons per km². https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  6. U.S. Census Bureau. Population Estimates Program: net domestic migration, states and counties, July 1 of the previous year to June 30 of the reported year; vintage 2020 files for 2011 to 2020 and the latest 2020s vintage from 2021. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/data-sets.html. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  7. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
  8. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19013: median household income in the past 12 months. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b19013.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
  9. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAINC1: county annual personal income summary, per capita personal income, current dollars, individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC1.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  10. U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people of all ages in poverty, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2024/2024-state-and-county/est24all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
  11. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19083: Gini index of household income inequality (coefficient multiplied by 100). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b19083.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  12. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAGDP1: county GDP summary, current-dollar GDP (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions). https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAGDP1.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
  13. Invokely calculation from GDP in current dollars (BEA SAGDP2 and CAGDP1) divided by mid-year population (BEA SAINC1 and CAINC1). https://invokely.ai/docs/methodology#gdp_per_capita_usd. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  14. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAGDP11: annual percent change in real GDP, all industry total, individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAGDP11.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
  15. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25077: median value (dollars), owner-occupied housing units. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25077.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  16. Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). FHFA developmental all-transactions county house prices, published annual percent change, nominal, not seasonally adjusted. https://www.fhfa.gov/hpi/download/annual/hpi_at_county.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  17. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25064: median gross rent (dollars), renter-occupied housing units paying cash rent. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25064.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  18. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: owner-occupied housing units as a percentage of occupied housing units, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  19. U.S. Census Bureau. Building Permits Survey: final annual county estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized, including imputation. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/County/co2025a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  20. U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  21. U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  22. U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  23. U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  24. Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Census of Agriculture. Census of Agriculture: number of farms, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Retrieved through Data Commons (datacommons.org). https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/. Retrieved 2026-10-11. Retrieved through Data Commons (https://datacommons.org).

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