2020 census As of the
2020 census, the county had a population of 19,221. The median age was 45.2 years. 22.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.3 males age 18 and over. The racial makeup of the county was 85.5%
White, 0.2%
Black or African American, 1.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
Asian, <0.1%
Native Hawaiian and
Pacific Islander, 3.2% from some other race, and 8.6% from
two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.6% of the population. There were 7,992 households in the county, of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.0% were married-couple households, 19.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. there were 20,229 people, 8,047 households, and 5,793 families residing in the county. The
population density was . There were 9,236 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.69%
White, 0.16%
Black or
African American, 1.49%
Native American, 0.21%
Asian, 0.06%
Pacific Islander, 1.72% from
other races, and 1.67% from two or more races. 3.50% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. There were 8,047
households, out of which 31.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.40% were
married couples living together, 8.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.97. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.60% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 25.00% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 17.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $25,180, and the median income for a family was $31,379. Males had a median income of $23,397 versus $17,294 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $14,063. 18.20% of the population and 14.00% of families were below the
poverty line. Out of the total people living in
poverty, 23.50% were under the age of 18 and 16.20% were 65 or older. As of 2010 Polk County had a population of 20,662. Of this population 89.77% were non-Hispanic whites, 0.31% were blacks, 1.76% Native Americans, 0.45% Asians, 2.03% non-Hispanics reporting one or more race and 5.76% Hispanic or Latino. ==Government==