Polk County, Tennessee

Polk County has a population of 17,898 and has grown 6.0% since the 2020 census. The median home is worth $169,900, about 2.7 times the county's median household income of $62,522.

Home price
$169,900
Income
$62,522
Population
17,898
Unemployment
5.3%

Housing

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

Median home price$169,900county
Median gross rent$676county
Median year homes here were built1988county
Share of homes built before 198039.6%county
Share of homes that are manufactured or mobile22.2%county
Share of homes that are vacant18.1%county
Share of occupied homes that are rented16.4%county
Share of homes held for seasonal or occasional use5.0%county
Typical monthly rent$1,585(statewide)
HUD fair market rent, 2-bed$1,233county
HUD fair market rent, 1-bed$940county
HUD fair market rent, 3-bed$1,584county
Home insurance / yr$2,958(statewide)

Money

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

Cost of living90.3(statewide)
Median household income$62,522county
Family health premium / yr$22,085(statewide)
Infant childcare / yr$12,249(statewide)
Regular gas price / gal$3.565(statewide)
Poverty rate13.9%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 home8.3%county
Unemployment rate5.3%county
Share of adults in the labor force53.5%county
Share of workers who are self-employed7.1%county
Share of workers employed by government15.1%county
Share of workers in the largest industry22.8%county
Economic output per resident$26,963county

Taxes

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

Property tax rate0.50%county
Top state income tax0.00%(statewide)
Capital gains tax0.00%(statewide)
Combined sales tax9.61%(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 time31.4 mincounty
Miles to nearest airport with airline service36 micounty
Passengers boarding at the nearest airline airport557741county
Miles to nearest general aviation field14 micounty
Airports with airline service located here0county
General aviation airfields located here1county
Passenger train stations and the railway network0county
Miles to the nearest passenger rail station72 micounty
Households without a vehicle4.6%county
Traffic deaths100.6county
Change in traffic deaths per 100,000-2.7(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 higher16.6%county
Adults 25+ with a high school diploma or higher86.5%county
Public schools in the county7county
Public school enrollment2160county
Students per full-time teacher14.5county
Elementary schools3county
Middle schools1county
High schools2county
Institutions granting bachelor's degrees or above0county
Two-year institutions0county
Miles to the nearest bachelor's-granting institution17 micounty

Health

Primary care physicians34county
Medicare-certified hospitals in this county0county
Hospitals here with an emergency department0county
Average CMS star rating of hospitals here3(statewide)
Fine particulate matter7.0 µgcounty
Without health insurance14.9%county
Frequent mental distress20.3%county
No leisure-time physical activity31.2%county
Diagnosed diabetes15.8%county

Place

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

Population17,898county
Land area in square miles435county
People per square mile of land41.2county
Supermarkets and grocery stores0county
Convenience stores0county
Share living far from a food store0.5%county
Share living in a low-income, low-access tract0.0%county
Population change since 2020+6.0%county
Natural change per 1,000 residents-4county
Net international migration per 1,000 residents-0county
Median age46.9 yrscounty
Share of residents under 1818.8%county
Share of residents 65 and over21.0%county
Share of households that are one person29.7%county
Share of residents born outside the United States1.0%county
Second languages2.4%county
Share of residents on a religious body’s rolls68.6%county
Congregations per 100,000 residents405county
Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents15county
Households that moved in572county
Households that moved away444county
Average income of arriving households$56,505county
Average income of departing households$48,369county
Homes authorised per 1,000 existing homes17county
Housing units authorised in the latest year150county
Share of permitted homes in multifamily buildings0.0%county
Violent crime rate592(statewide)

Weather

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

Avg. annual temperature59.2°Fcounty
Annual precipitation50.5 incounty
Annual snowfall0.0 incounty
Average daily solar energy4.30 kWh/m²county
Days reaching 90°F26 dayscounty
Days at or below freezing76 dayscounty

Gardening

Plant hardiness zoneZone 7b(statewide)
Frost-free days194 dayscounty
Average last spring frostApr 18county
Average first fall frostOct 29county

Utilities

Average monthly electric bill$143county
Electric utilities serving this county2county
Electricity price per kWh13.1¢county
Household electricity use1,099 kWhcounty
Residential natural gas price$15.77(statewide)
Homes heated by electricity71.1%county
Homes heated by utility gas1.8%county
Homes heated by propane18.7%county
Homes heated by fuel oil2.1%county
Homes heated by wood4.7%county
Households with broadband84.0%county

Risk

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

Riverine flood risk42.6county
Coastal flood risk0.0county
Drought risk42.8county
Landslide risk96.6county
Hail risk29.3county
Earthquake risk70.8county
Tornado risk50.7county
Tropical cyclone risk46.0county
Extreme heat risk18.7county
Winter weather risk16.9county
Strong wind risk69.1county
Wildfire risk75.6county

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 Tennessee figure — see methodology for each source and its limits.

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