Polk County, Georgia Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Polk County is located in Georgia with a total population of 43,785. It is the 47th most populous county out of 159 in Georgia. The county encompasses 3 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Polk County is 38.0 years. This is 1% higher than the state median of 37.6 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Polk County is $58,515. This is 24% lower than the state median of $77,353. It is also 28% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 16.4%. This is 22% higher than the state poverty rate of 13.4%. The unemployment rate is 5.9%. This is 15% higher than the state rate of 5.1%. The median home value is $187,600. Housing costs are 38% lower than the state median of $303,300. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.2x. 66.0% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Polk County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 70.4% of the population. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 13.9%. The Black or African American population (11.9%) is well below the state average of 30.7%. The Asian population (0.7%) is well below the state average of 4.5%.

Education

15.4% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 56% lower than the state rate of 34.9%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 84.5%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Polk County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates, with comparisons drawn against Georgia and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.