Polk County, Missouri (MO)

Back to: Missouri, Missouri smaller cities, Missouri smallest towns, All US cities.

General Map
Google Map
MSN Map

County population in July 2007: 30,216 (32% urban, 68% rural)
County owner-occupied houses and condos: 7,236
Renter-occupied apartments: 2,681

% of renters here:	27%
State:	30%

Land area: 637 sq. mi.
Water area: 5.3 sq. mi.

Population density: 47 people per square mile

(average).

2008 cost of living index in Polk County: 79.6 (low, U.S. average is 100)

We are giving away a $200 prize - enter simply by sending us your own pictures of this county!

Industries providing employment: Educational,health and social services (25.9%), Manufacturing (13.9%), Retail trade (11.5%).

Type of workers:

Private wage or salary: 78%
Government: 10%
Self-employed, not incorporated: 11%
Unpaid family work: 1%

Polk County, Missouri business data: stores, dealers, real estate agents, wholesalers, restaurants...

Races in Polk County, Missouri:

White Non-Hispanic (96.4%)
American Indian (1.3%)
Hispanic (1.3%)
Two or more races (1.1%)

(Total can be greater than 100% because Hispanics could be counted in other races)

Median resident age:	35.0 years
Missouri median age:	36.1 years

Males: 13,141	(48.7%)
Females: 13,851	(51.3%)

Average wage per job in 2003: $22,690
County population in 2003: 28,060
Jobs in 2003: 8,321

Recent posts about Polk County, Missouri on our local forum with over 400,000 registered users. Polk County is mentioned 17 times on our forum:

	Help me find an inexpensive, rural MO town (79 replies)
	Tornado Warnings (27 replies)
	Best places in southwest Missouri (12 replies)
	Springfield, MO (14 replies)
	willard/ash grove areas (19 replies)
	Here are the cities, towns, and counties that the Springfield area sub-forum will cover. (2 replies)

Polk County,MO real estate house value trend

Total labor force in 2004: 13,971
Unemployment rate in 2004: 5.0%

Average household size:

Polk County:	2.6 people
Missouri:	2.5 people

Estimated median household income in 2007: $35,269 ($29,656 in 1999)

This county:	$35,269
Missouri:	$45,114

2007 median house/condo value: $123,767 ($77,000 in 2000)

Polk County:	$123,767
Missouri:	$138,600

Median contract rent in 2007 for apartments: $370 (lower quartile is $282, upper quartile is $475)

This county:	$370
State:	$481

Median monthly housing costs for homes and condos with a mortgage: $892
Median monthly housing costs for units without a mortgage: $272

Institutionalized population: 515

Crime in 2005 (reported by the sheriff's office or county police, not the county total):

Murders: 0
Rapes: 4
Robberies: 2
Assaults: 24
Burglaries: 107
Thefts: 166
Auto thefts: 25

Crime in 2004 (reported by the sheriff's office or county police, not the county total):

Murders: 0
Rapes: 1
Robberies: 0
Assaults: 32
Burglaries: 110
Thefts: 172
Auto thefts: 33

Polk County races chart

Single-family new house construction building permits:

2000: 40 buildings, average cost: $101,800
2001: 36 buildings, average cost: $95,600
2002: 33 buildings, average cost: $92,900
2003: 37 buildings, average cost: $96,200
2004: 44 buildings, average cost: $85,800

Number of permits per 10,000 residents

Average cost (in 1000s)

2004 Presidential Election results in Polk County Missouri:

Bush/Cheney (Republican): 68.9%
Kerry/Edwards (Democratic): 30.3%

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units in 2000: $447 (0.6%)

Polk County household income distribution in 2007

Polk County contract rent distribution in 2007

Residents with income below the poverty level in 2007:

This county:	16.3%
Whole state:	11.7%

Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level in 2007:

This county:	6.9%
Whole state:	5.1%

Fair market rent in 2006 for a 1-bedroom apartment in Polk County is $353 a month.
Fair market rent for a 2-bedroom apartment is $464 a month.
Fair market rent for a 3-bedroom apartment is $676 a month.

Cities in this county include: Bolivar, Humansville, Pleasant Hope, Fair Play, Morrisville, Halfway, Flemington, Aldrich.

Neighboring counties: Cedar County , Dade County , Dallas County , Greene County , Hickory County , St. Clair County .

Click to draw/clear county borders

Notable locations in this county outside city limits:

Notable locations in Polk County: Woodmansey Ford (A), Woodlawn School (B), Union Grove School (C), Morrisville (D), Good Samaritan Ranch (E). Display/hide their locations on the map

Churches in Polk County include: Union Grove Church (A), Harmony Church (B), Turkey Creek Church (C), Providence Church (D), Enon Church (E), Sunset Church (F), Slagle Church (G), Mount Gilead Church (H), Oak Grove Baptist Church (I). Display/hide their locations on the map

Cemeteries: Glover Cemetery (1), Goff Cemetery (2), Gorden Cemetery (3), Akard Cemetery (4), Spencer Cemetery (5), Mount Olive Cemetery (6), Ankrom Cemetery (7). Display/hide their locations on the map

Reservoirs: Chester Jenkins Lake (A), Pocomo Lake (B), Ralph Brooks Reservoir (C). Display/hide their locations on the map

Streams, rivers, and creeks: Schultz Creek (A), Little Pomme de Terre River (B), Walnut Creek (C), McKinney Branch (D), Horse Creek (E), Flint Creek (F), North Dry Sac River (G), Little Wilson Creek (H), Steinshouer Branch (I). Display/hide their locations on the map

Park in Polk County: Bolivar Public Use Area (1). Display/hide its location on the map

Unemployment in September 2007:

Here:	4.7%
Missouri:	5.1%

Unemployment by year (%)

County total employment by year

County average yearly wages by year ($)

Current college students: 2,320
People 25 years of age or older with a high school degree or higher: 77.5%
People 25 years of age or older with a bachelor's degree or higher: 14.6%

Number of foreign born residents: 396 (47% naturalized citizens)

Polk County:	1.5%
Whole state:	2.7%

Year of entry for the foreign-born population
	1995 to March 2000: 196 1990 to 1994: 86 1985 to 1989: 12 1980 to 1984: 16 1975 to 1979: 10 1970 to 1974: 12 1970 to 1974: 11 1965 to 1969: 53

Mean travel time to work: 25.3 minutes

Percentage of county residents living and working in this county: 62.5%

Housing units in structures:

One, detached: 7,892
One, attached: 77
Two: 263
3 or 4: 317
5 to 9: 188
10 to 19: 114
20 or more: 71
Mobile homes: 2,241
Boats, RVs, vans, etc.: 20

Housing units in Polk County with a mortgage: 2,076 (184 second mortgage, 125 home equity loan, 20 both second mortgage and home equity loan)
Houses without a mortgage: 1,633

Here:	56.0% with mortgage
State:	67.6% with mortgage

Agriculture in Polk County
Average size of farms: 209 acres
Average value of agricultural products sold per farm: $33917
Average value of crops sold per acre for harvested cropland: $42.30
The value of nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, and sod as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 1.41%
The value of livestock, poultry, and their products as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 92.57%
Average total farm production expenses per farm: $28761
Harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 28.52%
Irrigated harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 0.19%
Average market value of all machinery and equipment per farm: $30529
The percentage of farms operated by a family or individual: 94.17%
Average age of principal farm operators: 55 years
Average number of cattle and calves per 100 acres of all land in farms: 29.61
Milk cows as a percentage of all cattle and calves: 5.70%
Corn for grain: 1197 harvested acres
All wheat for grain: 1171 harvested acres
Soybeans for beans: 997 harvested acres
Vegetables: 17 harvested acres
Land in orchards: 149 acres

Polk County historical area-adjusted tornado activity is significantly below Missouri state average. It is 1.6 times below overall U.S. average.
Tornadoes in this county have caused 3 injuries recorded between 1950 and 2004.
On 12/18/2002, a category 1 (max. wind speeds 73-112 mph) tornado injured 2 people and caused $540,000 in damages.

Class of Workers

Most common industries for males:

Construction (12%)
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (9%)
Educational services (8%)
Truck transportation (7%)
Transportation equipment (5%)
Health care (4%)
Repair and maintenance (4%)

Most common industries for females:

Health care (19%)
Educational services (18%)
Accommodation and food services (7%)
Finance and insurance (6%)
Department and other general merchandise stores (4%)
Social assistance (4%)
Professional, scientific, and technical services (3%)

Most common occupations for males

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers (9%)
Farmers and farm managers (6%)
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers (5%)
Laborers and material movers, hand (4%)
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (4%)
Other management occupations except farmers and farm managers (4%)
Other production occupations including supervisors (4%)

Most common occupations for females

Preschool, kindergarten, elementary and middle school teachers (6%)
Secretaries and administrative assistants (5%)
Other office and administrative support workers including supervisors (5%)
Information and record clerks except customer service representatives (5%)
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (4%)
Registered nurses (4%)
Other sales and related workers including supervisors (3%)

Most common places of birth for the foreign-born residents:

Romania (33%)
Canada (10%)
Mexico (8%)
Germany (6%)
Malaysia (6%)
Philippines (5%)
United Kingdom (5%)

Most common first ancestries reported in Polk County:

United States or American (25%)
German (17%)
English (13%)
Irish (12%)
French (except Basque) (2%)
European (2%)
Scottish (2%)

Polk County mode of transportation to work chart

Means of transportation to work

Drove a car alone: 9,009 (77%)
Carpooled: 1,486 (13%)
Bus or trolley bus: 10 (0%)
Bicycle: 5 (0%)
Walked: 463 (4%)
Other means: 93 (1%)
Worked at home: 675 (6%)

People in group quarters in Polk County, Missouri

975 people in college dormitories (includes college quarters off campus)
369 people in nursing homes
80 people in training schools for juvenile delinquents
52 people in homes for the mentally retarded
35 people in schools, hospitals, or wards for the mentally retarded
33 people in other nonhousehold living situations
21 people in wards in general hospitals for patients who have no usual home elsewhere
19 people in homes for the mentally ill
10 people in local jails and other confinement facilities (including police lockups)
6 people in other noninstitutional group quarters

Average gross adjusted income of non-migrant taxpayers in this county in 2005 was $38,247.

9.64% of this county's 2006 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2005 ($31,132 average adjusted gross income)

Here:	9.64%
Missouri average:	7.87%

10 or fewer of this county's residents moved from foreign countries.
6.74% relocated from other counties in Missouri ($20,756 average AGI)
2.90% relocated from other states ($10,376 average AGI)
Polk County: 2.90%
Missouri average: 2.98%

Percentage of residents relocating from other counties or countries

Top counties from which taxpayers relocated into this county between 2005 and 2006:

from Greene County, MO	2.92% ($30,445 average AGI)
from Hickory County, MO	0.49% ($21,723)
from Dallas County, MO	0.42% ($26,195)
from Cedar County, MO	0.31% ($27,000)
from Webster County, MO	0.24% ($33,217)
from Jackson County, MO	0.20% ($32,053)
from Christian County, MO	0.20% ($27,105)

8.32% of this county's 2005 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2006 ($27,010 average adjusted gross income)

Here:	8.32%
Missouri average:	7.66%

10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries.
6.31% relocated to other counties in Missouri ($20,060 average AGI)
2.01% relocated to other states ($6,950 average AGI)
Polk County: 2.01%
Missouri average: 2.81%

Percentage of residents relocating to other counties or countries

Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2005 and 2006:

to Greene County, MO	2.95% ($27,669 average AGI)
to Dallas County, MO	0.41% ($26,744)
to Christian County, MO	0.40% ($24,184)
to Hickory County, MO	0.32% ($33,032)
to Jackson County, MO	0.21% ($26,450)
to Cedar County, MO	0.14% ($28,769)
to St. Clair County, MO	0.12% ($23,273)

Births per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 13.2
Births per 1000 population from 2000 to 2003: 12.9

Births per 1000 population in Polk County

Deaths per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 11.3
Deaths per 1000 population from 2000 to 2003: 10.8

Deaths per 1000 population in Polk County

Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 1990 to 1999: 7.2
Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 2000 to 2003: 5.3

Infant deaths per 1000 live births in Polk County

Persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare) in July 1, 2003: 5,392 (4,505 aged, 887 disabled)
Population without health insurance coverage in 2000: 16%
Children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2000: 14%

Short term general hospitals per 100,000 population in 2004: 3.53
Short term general hospital admissions per 100,000 population in 2004: 11910.31
Short term general hospital beds per 100,000 population in 2004: 261.3
Emergency room visits per 100,000 population in 2004: 66528.95

General practice office based MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 1429.460
Medical specialist MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 1031.430
Dentists per 100,000 population in 1998: 3.46

Total births per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006 : 15.67
Total deaths per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006: 65.76

Limited-service eating places per 100,000 population in 2005 : 10.38

Household type by relationship

Households: 25,376

In family households: 22,066 (6,123 male householders, 1,067 female householders)
6,168 spouses, 7,644 children (6,737 natural, 166 adopted, 741 stepchildren), 336 grandchildren, 89 brothers or sisters, 68 parents, 275 other relatives, 296 non-relatives
In nonfamily households: 3,310 (1,048 male householders (859 living alone)), 1,661 female householders (1,435 living alone)), 601 nonrelatives
In group quarters: 1,616 (499 institutionalized population)

Size of family households: 3,332 2-persons, 1,526 3-persons, 1,378 4-persons, 621 5-persons, 255 6-persons, 78 7-or-more-persons.

Size of nonfamily households: 2,294 1-person, 297 2-persons, 87 3-persons, 29 4-persons, 2 5-persons.

95.5% of residents of Polk County speak English at home.
1.5% of residents speak Spanish at home (69% speak English very well, 18% speak English well, 13% speak English not well).
2.6% of residents speak other Indo-European language at home (63% speak English very well, 23% speak English well, 11% speak English not well, 4% don't speak English at all).
0.3% of residents speak Asian or Pacific Island language at home (47% speak English very well, 51% speak English well, 2% speak English not well).
0.1% of residents speak other language at home (100% speak English very well).

In fiscal year 2004:
Federal Government expenditure: $165,221,000 ($5834 per capita)
Department of Defense expenditure: $5,111,000
Federal direct payments to individuals for retirement and disability: $78,080,000
Federal other direct payments to individuals: $36,930,000
Federal direct payments not to individuals: $732,000
Federal grants: $42,575,000
Federal procurement contracts: $1,927,000 ($713,000 Department of Defense)
Federal salaries and wages: $4,977,000 ($0,000 Department of Defense)
Federal Government direct loans: $528,000
Federal guaranteed/insured loans: $7,964,000
Federal Government insurance: $860,000

Population change from April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005:
Births: 1,852

Here:	64 per 1000 residents
State:	69 per 1000 residents

Deaths: 1,560

Here:	54 per 1000 residents
State:	49 per 1000 residents

Net international migration: +162

Here:	+6 per 1000 residents
State:	+7 per 1000 residents

Net internal migration: +1,492

Here:	+52 per 1000 residents
State:	+5 per 1000 residents

Population growth in Polk County

Total withdrawal of fresh water for public supply: 1.67 millions of gallons per day (all from ground)

Median number of rooms in houses and condos:

Here:	5.7
State:	6.0

Median number of rooms in apartments:

Here:	4.4
State:	4.2

Year house built:

1999 to March 2000: 355
1995 to 1998: 1,419
1990 to 1994: 1,010
1980 to 1989: 1,571
1970 to 1979: 2,352
1960 to 1969: 1,166
1950 to 1959: 904
1940 to 1949: 634
1939 or earlier: 1,772

Rooms in owner-occupied houses in Polk County, Missouri:
	1 room: 12 2 rooms: 107 3 rooms: 211 4 rooms: 933 5 rooms: 2,028 6 rooms: 1,862 7 rooms: 984 8 rooms: 496 9+ rooms: 603

Rooms in renter-occupied apartments in Polk County, Missouri:
	1 room: 10 2 rooms: 148 3 rooms: 368 4 rooms: 888 5 rooms: 611 6 rooms: 367 7 rooms: 125 8 rooms: 94 9+ rooms: 70

Bedrooms in owner-occupied houses and condos in Polk County:
	no bedroom: 19 1 bedroom: 293 2 bedrooms: 1,891 3 bedrooms: 3,932 4 bedrooms: 878 5+ bedrooms: 223

Bedrooms in renter-occupied apartments in Polk County:
	no bedroom: 14 1 bedroom: 502 2 bedrooms: 1,206 3 bedrooms: 772 4 bedrooms: 144 5+ bedrooms: 43

Cars and other vehicles available in Polk County in owner-occupied houses/condos:
	no vehicle: 277 1 vehicle: 1,759 2 vehicles: 3,291 3 vehicles: 1,356 4 vehicles: 425 5+ vehicles: 128

Cars and other vehicles available in Polk County in renter-occupied apartments
	no vehicle: 271 1 vehicle: 1,245 2 vehicles: 860 3 vehicles: 194 4 vehicles: 100 5+ vehicles: 11

52% of Polk County residents lived in the same house 5 years ago.
Out of people who lived in different houses, 40% lived in this county.
Out of people who lived in different counties, 66% lived in Missouri.

Polk County:	51.7%
State average:	54.3%

Place of birth for U.S.-born residents:

This state: 18226
Northeast: 381
Midwest: 3376
South: 2625
West: 1871

Median price asked for vacant for-sale houses in 2000: $43,300

Housing units lacking complete plumbing facilities: 1%

Housing units lacking complete kitchen facilities: 2%

Year Householders Moved Into Unit:

Most commonly used house heating fuel in houses and condos:
	Electricity (47%) Bottled, tank, or LP gas (39%) Wood (12%) Utility gas (1%) Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (1%)

Most commonly used house heating fuel in apartments:
	Electricity (58%) Bottled, tank, or LP gas (33%) Wood (6%) Utility gas (1%) Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (1%)

Private vs. public school enrollment:
Students in private schools in grades 1 to 8 (elementary and middle school): 179

Here:	5.9%
Missouri:	13.7%

Students in private schools in grades 9 to 12 (high school): 70

Here:	4.8%
Missouri:	11.6%

Students in private undergraduate colleges: 1,667

Here:	79.3%
Missouri:	24.9%

Educational Attainment

School Enrollment by Level of School

Age and Sex of Sensory-Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Physically-Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Mentally-Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Self-Care Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Go-Outside-Home Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Residents with Employment Disability (Noninst.)

Polk County government finances in 2002:

Charges - All Other: $420,000
Construction - Regular Highways: $370,000
Current Operations - Regular Highways: $1,920,000
Police Protection: $740,000

Financial Administration: $332,000

Central Staff Services: $289,000

General - Other: $210,000

Judicial and Legal Services: $150,000

Corrections - Other: $120,000

General Public Buildings: $113,000
Miscellaneous - General Revenue, NEC: $100,000
Rents: $28,000

Interest Earnings: $27,000
Other Capital Outlay - General Public Building: $229,000
Regular Highways: $205,000
Other Funds - Cash & Deposits: $250,000
State Intergovernmental - Highways: $1,093,000
Tax - Total General Sales: $2,153,000
Property: $510,000
Total Salaries & Wages: $1,049,000

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Total Number Of Recipients

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of aged recipients

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of blind and disabled recipients

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of recipients under 18

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of recipients between 18 and 64

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of recipients older than 64

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of recipients also receiving OASDI