Polk County, Nebraska

Polk County has a population of 5,225 and has grown 1.1% since the 2020 census. The median home is worth $189,900, about 2.7 times the county's median household income of $69,768.

Home price
$189,900
Income
$69,768
Population
5,225
Unemployment
1.3%

Housing

Home values, rent, property taxes, insurance and how local prices relate to local incomes.

Median home price$189,900county
Median gross rent$681county
Median year homes here were built1960county
Share of homes built before 198077.2%county
Share of homes that are manufactured or mobile6.0%county
Share of homes that are vacant16.5%county
Share of occupied homes that are rented21.1%county
Share of homes held for seasonal or occasional use10.0%county
Typical monthly rent$1,392(statewide)
HUD fair market rent, 2-bed$961county
HUD fair market rent, 1-bed$732county
HUD fair market rent, 3-bed$1,152county
Home insurance / yr$4,553(statewide)

Money

Household earnings and buying power. Adjusted income restates local income using the statewide cost-of-living index.

Cost of living92.6(statewide)
Median household income$69,768county
Family health premium / yr$23,696(statewide)
Infant childcare / yr$14,106(statewide)
Regular gas price / gal$3.842(statewide)
Poverty rate7.9%county

Jobs

What people here do for work, who they work for, whether they work from home, and how much of the local economy sits in one industry.

Workers who work from home11.7%county
Unemployment rate1.3%county
Share of adults in the labor force67.3%county
Share of workers who are self-employed11.7%county
Share of workers employed by government12.9%county
Share of workers in the largest industry18.4%county
Economic output per resident$89,393county

Taxes

State tax rules that can affect take-home pay, investments and everyday purchases.

Property tax rate0.99%county
Top state income tax4.55%(statewide)
Capital gains tax4.55%(statewide)
Combined sales tax6.98%(statewide)

Transportation

Distance to air travel and how people get around locally. Distances are straight-line from the county's population-weighted centre, so driving is further.

Mean commute time20.8 mincounty
Miles to nearest airport with airline service42 micounty
Passengers boarding at the nearest airline airport67747county
Miles to nearest general aviation field18 micounty
Airports with airline service located here0county
General aviation airfields located here0county
Passenger train stations and the railway network0county
Miles to the nearest passenger rail station50 micounty
Households without a vehicle2.1%county
Traffic deaths95.7county
Change in traffic deaths per 100,0004.5(statewide)

Schools

Public schools and colleges counted where they actually sit, plus the education level of adults who live here. Students per teacher is a staffing measure, not a quality ranking.

Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher20.0%county
Adults 25+ with a high school diploma or higher94.0%county
Public schools in the county10county
Public school enrollment1118county
Students per full-time teacher10.5county
Free lunch eligible29.1%county
Elementary schools3county
Middle schools3county
High schools4county
Institutions granting bachelor's degrees or above0county
Two-year institutions0county
Miles to the nearest bachelor's-granting institution21 micounty

Health

Primary care physicians58county
Medicare-certified hospitals in this county1county
Hospitals here with an emergency department1county
Average CMS star rating of hospitals here4(statewide)
Fine particulate matter6.4 µgcounty
Without health insurance5.5%county
Adults who were food insecure in the past year10.4%county
Adults who received food assistance in the past year7.1%county
Frequent mental distress14.1%county
No leisure-time physical activity27.7%county
Diagnosed diabetes12.3%county

Place

Who lives here and what the place is like: population, age, migration, safety and civic profile.

Population5,225county
Land area in square miles439county
People per square mile of land11.9county
Supermarkets and grocery stores0county
Convenience stores0county
Share living far from a food store12.4%county
Share living in a low-income, low-access tract0.0%county
Population change since 2020+1.1%county
Natural change per 1,000 residents-4county
Net international migration per 1,000 residents2county
Median age43.4 yrscounty
Share of residents under 1822.3%county
Share of residents 65 and over23.2%county
Share of households that are one person29.1%county
Share of residents born outside the United States2.6%county
Second languages5.1%county
Share of residents on a religious body’s rolls51.5%county
Congregations per 100,000 residents345county
Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents-1county
Households that moved in120county
Households that moved away126county
Average income of arriving households$50,175county
Average income of departing households$43,254county
Homes authorised per 1,000 existing homes5county
Housing units authorised in the latest year13county
Share of permitted homes in multifamily buildings47.0%(statewide)
Violent crime rate221(statewide)

Weather

Measured annual temperature, precipitation and snowfall. These are climate facts, not a ranking.

Avg. annual temperature52.6°Fcounty
Annual precipitation25.2 incounty
Annual snowfall20.2 incounty
Average daily solar energy4.26 kWh/m²county
Days reaching 90°F30 dayscounty
Days at or below freezing121 dayscounty

Gardening

Plant hardiness zoneZone 5bcounty
Frost-free days172 dayscounty
Average last spring frostApr 28county
Average first fall frostOct 17county

Utilities

Average monthly electric bill$122(statewide)
Electric utilities serving this county2(statewide)
Electricity price per kWh12.8¢(statewide)
Household electricity use952 kWh(statewide)
Residential natural gas price$15.40(statewide)
Homes heated by electricity34.4%county
Homes heated by utility gas40.3%county
Homes heated by propane19.1%county
Homes heated by fuel oil0.0%county
Homes heated by wood3.2%county
Households with broadband84.7%county

Risk

Relative exposure to air pollution and natural hazards. Higher values indicate more measured risk, not a prediction.

Riverine flood risk16.4county
Coastal flood risk0.0county
Drought risk81.3county
Landslide risk3.6county
Hail risk95.5county
Earthquake risk8.2county
Tornado risk36.8county
Tropical cyclone risk0.0county
Extreme heat risk23.0county
Winter weather risk43.6county
Strong wind risk73.0county
Wildfire risk38.4county

Sports

Major pro teams based here0county
NFL teams based here0county
NBA teams based here0county
MLB teams based here0county
NHL teams based here0county
MLS soccer teams based here0county
Top-division college football teams0county
Second-tier college football teams0county
Affiliated minor league baseball teams0county
AHL teams based here0county
ECHL teams based here0county

Figures marked county are measured for Polk County directly. The rest are published at state level only and show the Nebraska figure — see methodology for each source and its limits.

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