Polk County, Nebraska (NE)

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County population in July 2007: 5,208 (all rural)
County owner-occupied houses and condos: 1,737
Renter-occupied apartments: 522

% of renters here:	23%
State:	33%

Land area: 439 sq. mi.
Water area: 1.9 sq. mi.

Population density: 12 people per square mile

(low).

2008 cost of living index in Polk County: 79.2 (low, U.S. average is 100)

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Industries providing employment: Educational,health and social services (19.6%), Agriculture,forestry,fishing and hunting, and mining (18.1%), Manufacturing (12.6%).

Type of workers:

Private wage or salary: 71%
Government: 11%
Self-employed, not incorporated: 17%
Unpaid family work: 1%

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

Races in Polk County, Nebraska:

White Non-Hispanic (98.3%)
Hispanic (1.1%)

Median resident age:	41.6 years
Nebraska median age:	35.3 years

Males: 2,827	(50.1%)
Females: 2,812	(49.9%)

Average wage per job in 2003: $23,140
County population in 2003: 5,480
Jobs in 2003: 1,459

Recent posts about Polk County, Nebraska on our local forum with over 400,000 registered users:

2005 Per-capita income statistics for Nebraska and regional counties: more reason for the state to prioritize Omaha! (1 reply)

Total labor force in 2004: 3,033
Unemployment rate in 2004: 3.4%

Average household size:

Polk County:	2.4 people
Nebraska:	2.5 people

Estimated median household income in 2007: $45,368 ($37,819 in 1999)

This county:	$45,368
Nebraska:	$47,085

2007 median house/condo value: $89,013 ($57,800 in 2000)

Polk County:	$89,013
Nebraska:	$122,200

Median contract rent in 2007 for apartments: $346 (lower quartile is $253, upper quartile is $412)

This county:	$346
State:	$497

Median monthly housing costs for homes and condos with a mortgage: $1,042
Median monthly housing costs for units without a mortgage: $303

Institutionalized population: 159

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

Murders: 0
Rapes: 0
Robberies: 0
Assaults: 0
Burglaries: 5
Thefts: 27
Auto thefts: 1

Polk County races chart

2004 Presidential Election results in Polk County Nebraska:

Bush/Cheney (Republican): 78.7%
Kerry/Edwards (Democratic): 20.1%

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units in 2000: $851 (1.3%)

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:	5.8%
Whole state:	9.7%

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

This county:	2.3%
Whole state:	4.0%

Fair market rent in 2006 for a 1-bedroom apartment in Polk County is $418 a month.
Fair market rent for a 2-bedroom apartment is $502 a month.
Fair market rent for a 3-bedroom apartment is $637 a month.

Cities in this county include: Stromsburg, Osceola, Shelby, Polk.

Neighboring counties: Butler County , Hamilton County , Merrick County , Platte County , Seward County , York County .

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Notable locations in this county outside city limits:

Notable locations in Polk County: Durant (A), Ryan Hill Country Club (B), Polk Bible Camp (C), Polk County Fair Grounds (D). Display/hide their locations on the map

Churches in Polk County include: Saint Andrews Church (A), Swedish Lutheran Church (B), Swede Plain Church (C), Fairview Church (D), Saint Marys Church (E), Wayland Church (F), Valley Church (G), Saint Johns Church (H). Display/hide their locations on the map

Cemeteries: Thelen Cemetery (1), Beulah Cemetery (2), Laclede Cemetery (3), Hoffer Cemetery (4), Polk Cemetery (5), Palo Cemetery (6), Wesley Chapel Cemetery (7). Display/hide their locations on the map

Reservoirs: Anderson Reservoir (A), Ransom Reservoir (B), Hopwood Reservoir (C), Berck Reservoir (D), Stevens Reservoir (E), Buchta Reservoir (F), Burritt Reservoir (G), Olson Reservoir (H). Display/hide their locations on the map

Rivers and creeks: South Channel Platte River (A), Davis Creek (B). Display/hide their locations on the map

Unemployment in September 2007:

Here:	2.5%
Nebraska:	2.7%

Unemployment by year (%)

County total employment by year

County average yearly wages by year ($)

Current college students: 152
People 25 years of age or older with a high school degree or higher: 86.6%
People 25 years of age or older with a bachelor's degree or higher: 13.5%

Number of foreign born residents: 46 (39% naturalized citizens)

Polk County:	0.8%
Whole state:	4.4%

Year of entry for the foreign-born population
	1995 to March 2000: 22 1990 to 1994: 3 1985 to 1989: 0 1980 to 1984: 0 1975 to 1979: 3 1970 to 1974: 0 1970 to 1974: 0 1965 to 1969: 18

Mean travel time to work: 19.8 minutes

Percentage of county residents living and working in this county: 58.2%

Housing units in structures:

One, detached: 2,352
One, attached: 10
Two: 22
3 or 4: 29
5 to 9: 34
10 to 19: 21
20 or more: 27
Mobile homes: 213
Boats, RVs, vans, etc.: 9

Housing units in Polk County with a mortgage: 556 (36 second mortgage, 42 home equity loan, 2 both second mortgage and home equity loan)
Houses without a mortgage: 724

Here:	43.4% with mortgage
State:	64.8% with mortgage

Agriculture in Polk County
Average size of farms: 502 acres
Average value of agricultural products sold per farm: $281900
Average value of crops sold per acre for harvested cropland: $236.41
The value of nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, and sod as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 0.00%
The value of livestock, poultry, and their products as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 66.70%
Average total farm production expenses per farm: $256285
Harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 79.12%
Irrigated harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 68.50%
Average market value of all machinery and equipment per farm: $142746
The percentage of farms operated by a family or individual: 80.65%
Average age of principal farm operators: 52 years
Average number of cattle and calves per 100 acres of all land in farms: 21.02
Corn for grain: 110843 harvested acres
All wheat for grain: 447 harvested acres
Soybeans for beans: 83380 harvested acres

Polk County historical area-adjusted tornado activity is significantly above Nebraska state average. It is 4.3 times above overall U.S. average.
Tornadoes in this county have caused 4 injuries recorded between 1950 and 2004.
On 7/30/1968, a category 2 (max. wind speeds 113-157 mph) tornado injured 2 people and caused between $50,000 and $500,000 in damages.

Class of Workers

Most common industries for males:

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (28%)
Construction (12%)
Repair and maintenance (4%)
Educational services (4%)
Truck transportation (3%)
Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers (3%)
Transportation equipment (3%)

Most common industries for females:

Health care (23%)
Educational services (9%)
Accommodation and food services (8%)
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (6%)
Social assistance (5%)
Public administration (5%)
Finance and insurance (5%)

Most common occupations for males

Farmers and farm managers (18%)
Agricultural workers including supervisors (8%)
Metal workers and plastic workers (6%)
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers (6%)
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers (5%)
Electrical equipment mechanics and other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations including supervisors (5%)
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (3%)

Most common occupations for females

Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks (5%)
Cooks and food preparation workers (5%)
Preschool, kindergarten, elementary and middle school teachers (5%)
Secretaries and administrative assistants (5%)
Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides (4%)
Health technologists and technicians (4%)
Other office and administrative support workers including supervisors (4%)

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

Mexico (57%)
Canada (15%)
Germany (11%)
Sweden (7%)
France (4%)
Ecuador (4%)

Most common first ancestries reported in Polk County:

German (37%)
Swedish (22%)
Polish (7%)
Irish (6%)
English (6%)
United States or American (5%)
Czech (2%)

Polk County mode of transportation to work chart

Means of transportation to work

Drove a car alone: 2,098 (76%)
Carpooled: 281 (10%)
Bus or trolley bus: 1 (0%)
Motorcycle: 2 (0%)
Bicycle: 9 (0%)
Walked: 122 (4%)
Other means: 9 (0%)
Worked at home: 231 (8%)

156 people in nursing homes
3 people in local jails and other confinement facilities (including police lockups)

Average gross adjusted income of non-migrant taxpayers in this county in 2005 was $42,216.

5.60% of this county's 2006 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2005 ($28,612 average adjusted gross income)

Here:	5.60%
Nebraska average:	7.03%

10 or fewer of this county's residents moved from foreign countries.
4.68% relocated from other counties in Nebraska ($24,569 average AGI)
0.92% relocated from other states ($4,043 average AGI)
Polk County: 0.92%
Nebraska average: 2.84%

Percentage of residents relocating from other counties or countries

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

from Platte County, NE	0.92% ($27,947 average AGI)
from York County, NE	0.87% ($27,667)
from Butler County, NE	0.58% ($34,167)

7.73% of this county's 2005 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2006 ($28,439 average adjusted gross income)

Here:	7.73%
Nebraska average:	7.41%

10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries.
6.32% relocated to other counties in Nebraska ($22,470 average AGI)
1.41% relocated to other states ($5,976 average AGI)
Polk County: 1.41%
Nebraska average: 3.31%

Percentage of residents relocating to other counties or countries

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

to York County, NE	1.13% ($24,458 average AGI)
to Platte County, NE	1.04% ($30,227)
to Lancaster County, NE	0.66% ($35,286)
to Douglas County, NE	0.52% ($14,273)

Births per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 11.5
Births per 1000 population from 2000 to 2003: 12.1

Births per 1000 population in Polk County

Deaths per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 14.2
Deaths per 1000 population from 2000 to 2003: 12.2

Deaths per 1000 population in Polk County

Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 1990 to 1999: 4.6
Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 2000 to 2003: 3.6

Infant deaths per 1000 live births in Polk County

Persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare) in July 1, 2003: 1,088 (1,027 aged, 61 disabled)
Population without health insurance coverage in 2000: 11%
Children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2000: 10%

Short term general hospitals per 100,000 population in 2004: 18.49
Short term general hospital admissions per 100,000 population in 2004: 4992.600
Short term general hospital beds per 100,000 population in 2004: 388.310
Emergency room visits per 100,000 population in 2004: 7951.180

General practice office based MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 1272.830
Medical specialist MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 922.340

Total births per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006 : 35.52
Total deaths per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006: 36.89

Household type by relationship

Households: 5,478

In family households: 4,691 (1,385 male householders, 177 female householders)
1,438 spouses, 1,588 children (1,458 natural, 38 adopted, 92 stepchildren), 24 grandchildren, 4 brothers or sisters, 8 parents, 24 other relatives, 43 non-relatives
In nonfamily households: 787 (345 male householders (296 living alone)), 345 female householders (328 living alone)), 97 nonrelatives
In group quarters: 161 (all institutionalized)

Size of family households: 805 2-persons, 274 3-persons, 265 4-persons, 150 5-persons, 53 6-persons, 15 7-or-more-persons.

Size of nonfamily households: 624 1-person, 48 2-persons, 10 3-persons, 4 4-persons, 4 5-persons.

97.3% of residents of Polk County speak English at home.
1.5% of residents speak Spanish at home (59% speak English very well, 21% speak English well, 20% speak English not well).
1.1% of residents speak other Indo-European language at home (66% speak English very well, 20% speak English well, 14% speak English not well).
0.1% of residents speak Asian or Pacific Island language at home (100% speak English very well).

In fiscal year 2004:
Federal Government expenditure: $39,017,000 ($7215 per capita)
Department of Defense expenditure: $213,000
Federal direct payments to individuals for retirement and disability: $13,692,000
Federal other direct payments to individuals: $6,807,000
Federal direct payments not to individuals: $13,571,000
Federal grants: $3,387,000
Federal procurement contracts: $333,000 ($0,000 Department of Defense)
Federal salaries and wages: $1,227,000 ($0,000 Department of Defense)
Federal Government direct loans: $486,000
Federal guaranteed/insured loans: $1,856,000
Federal Government insurance: $44,455,000

Population change from April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005:
Births: 361

Here:	67 per 1000 residents
State:	75 per 1000 residents

Deaths: 358

Here:	66 per 1000 residents
State:	46 per 1000 residents

Net international migration: +13

Here:	+2 per 1000 residents
State:	+13 per 1000 residents

Net internal migration: -221

Here:	-41 per 1000 residents
State:	-15 per 1000 residents

Population growth in Polk County

Total withdrawal of fresh water for public supply: 1.06 millions of gallons per day (all from ground)

Median number of rooms in houses and condos:

Here:	6.7
State:	6.5

Median number of rooms in apartments:

Here:	6.1
State:	4.2

Year house built:

1999 to March 2000: 8
1995 to 1998: 61
1990 to 1994: 79
1980 to 1989: 247
1970 to 1979: 448
1960 to 1969: 347
1950 to 1959: 210
1940 to 1949: 166
1939 or earlier: 1,151

Rooms in owner-occupied houses in Polk County, Nebraska:
	1 room: 3 2 rooms: 9 3 rooms: 35 4 rooms: 146 5 rooms: 317 6 rooms: 306 7 rooms: 278 8 rooms: 291 9+ rooms: 352

Rooms in renter-occupied apartments in Polk County, Nebraska:
	1 room: 2 2 rooms: 18 3 rooms: 57 4 rooms: 88 5 rooms: 46 6 rooms: 87 7 rooms: 116 8 rooms: 63 9+ rooms: 45

Bedrooms in owner-occupied houses and condos in Polk County:
	no bedroom: 3 1 bedroom: 57 2 bedrooms: 412 3 bedrooms: 743 4 bedrooms: 373 5+ bedrooms: 149

Bedrooms in renter-occupied apartments in Polk County:
	no bedroom: 3 1 bedroom: 90 2 bedrooms: 150 3 bedrooms: 169 4 bedrooms: 81 5+ bedrooms: 29

Cars and other vehicles available in Polk County in owner-occupied houses/condos:
	no vehicle: 32 1 vehicle: 438 2 vehicles: 696 3 vehicles: 357 4 vehicles: 133 5+ vehicles: 81

Cars and other vehicles available in Polk County in renter-occupied apartments
	no vehicle: 44 1 vehicle: 177 2 vehicles: 184 3 vehicles: 95 4 vehicles: 16 5+ vehicles: 6

67% 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, 78% lived in Nebraska.

Polk County:	67.1%
State average:	55.7%

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

This state: 4754
Northeast: 60
Midwest: 451
South: 119
West: 202

Median price asked for vacant for-sale houses in 2000: $26,300

Housing units lacking complete plumbing facilities: 2%

Housing units lacking complete kitchen facilities: 2%

Year Householders Moved Into Unit:

Most commonly used house heating fuel in houses and condos:
	Utility gas (54%) Bottled, tank, or LP gas (23%) Electricity (17%) Wood (3%) Other fuel (2%) Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (1%)

Most commonly used house heating fuel in apartments:
	Utility gas (45%) Bottled, tank, or LP gas (34%) Electricity (15%) Other fuel (3%) Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (2%) No fuel used (1%)

Private vs. public school enrollment:
Students in private schools in grades 1 to 8 (elementary and middle school): 22

Here:	3.4%
Nebraska:	14.6%

Students in private schools in grades 9 to 12 (high school): 6

Here:	1.4%
Nebraska:	10.8%

Students in private undergraduate colleges: 17

Here:	13.4%
Nebraska:	20.0%

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 - Hospital Public: $2,952,000
All Other: $208,000
Current Operations - Own Hospitals: $3,031,000
Regular Highways: $990,000

General - Other: $428,000

Police Protection: $282,000

Financial Administration: $226,000

Judicial and Legal Services: $137,000

Natural Resources - Other: $101,000

Central Staff Services: $86,000

Corrections - Other: $63,000

General Public Buildings: $54,000

Health Services - Other: $21,000

Libraries: $4,000

Elementary & Secondary Education: $1,000
Intergovernmental to Local NEC - General: $25,000
Intergovernmental to State - Hospitals: $2,000
General: $1,000
Local Intergovernmental - General Support: $1,000
Miscellaneous - Interest Earnings: $99,000
General Revenue, NEC: $46,000
Other Capital Outlay - General - Other: $237,000
Regular Highways: $200,000

Police Protection: $4,000

Judicial: $2,000

Financial Administration: $1,000

Natural Resource - Other: $1,000
Other Funds - Cash & Deposits: $1,600,000
State Intergovernmental - General Support: $796,000
All Other: $21,000

Health & Hospitals: $5,000
Tax - Property: $1,578,000
NEC: $48,000

Motor Vehicle License: $29,000

Public Utilities: $6,000

Total General Sales: $3,000
Total Salaries & Wages: $1,142,000

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

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Amount of payments (thousands of dollars)

Polk County Fatal accident statistics for 1975 - 2006:

Fatal accident count (per 100,000 population)

Vehicles involved in fatal accidents (per 100,000 population)