Polk, TN Demographics

Population 145 · Census ACS 2020–24

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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
Polk, TN map of median age by neighborhood
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Population and households in Polk

Household size in Polk

Household size, people per household
PeriodPolkTennesseeU.S.
2006–102.562.532.68
2010–142.542.572.73
2015–192.372.572.71
2020–242.082.532.65
Change−0.48+0.00−0.03
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Polk is a place of small households, averaging 2.08 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children. Since 2006–10, household size has dropped from 2.56, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.

Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).

Median age in Polk

Median age, years
PeriodPolkTennesseeU.S.
2006–1050.238.337.7
2010–1442.639.238.6
2015–1945.139.939.6
2020–2454.339.940.1
Change+4.1+1.6+2.3
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With a median age of 54.3, Polk is noticeably older than the country as a whole (40.1), an age mix that tilts toward empty nesters and retirees.

Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).

Single-parent households in Polk

Single-parent households, % of households
PeriodPolkTennesseeU.S.
2006–108.6%12.2%12.3%
2010–146.7%12.0%12.3%
2015–190.6%11.6%11.6%
2020–243.5%11.8%11.6%
Change−5.2 pts−0.4 pts−0.6 pts
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Single parents head only 3.5% of households in Polk, well below the national share of 11.6%.

Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).

Housing in Polk

Renters in Polk

Renters, % of occupied homes
PeriodPolkTennesseeU.S.
2006–1016.8%30.4%33.3%
2010–1425.2%32.9%35.6%
2015–1922.3%33.7%36.0%
2020–2417.4%33.1%34.8%
Change+0.6 pts+2.6 pts+1.5 pts
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Polk is largely a place of homeowners: only 17.4% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. Among homeowners, 61.8% have no mortgage at all, well above the national share of 39.8%.

Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).

Vacant homes in Polk

Vacant homes, % of all homes
PeriodPolkTennesseeU.S.
2006–1018.2%11.5%11.4%
2010–145.8%11.8%11.4%
2015–192.8%11.8%11.1%
2020–240.7%10.1%9.6%
Change−17.5 pts−1.4 pts−1.8 pts
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Empty homes are scarce in Polk: just 0.7% sit vacant, compared with 9.6% nationally, a sign of a tight housing market.

Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).

Age of homes in Polk

Age of homes, median year built
PeriodPolkTennesseeU.S.
2006–10197419811974
2010–14197819821975
2015–19197819831977
2020–24199019861980
Change+16+6+6
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Much of the housing in Polk is relatively new: half of its homes were built after 1990, compared with 1980 for the U.S. as a whole. Tennessee as a whole looks much the same.

Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).

Rent in Polk

Rent, per month
PeriodPolkTennesseeU.S.
2006–10$711$761$965
2010–14$609$837$1,040
2015–19$619$961$1,213
2020–24$640$1,286$1,571
Change−$71+$526+$606
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A typical rental in Polk costs $640 a month with utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 19.8% of household income on rent, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally.

Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).

Education in Polk

Bachelor's degrees in Polk

Bachelor's degrees, % of adults 25+
PeriodPolkTennesseeU.S.
2006–1014.0%23.9%28.4%
2010–1421.9%25.3%29.6%
2015–1917.2%27.9%32.1%
2020–2413.6%31.4%35.6%
Change−0.4 pts+7.5 pts+7.2 pts
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Fewer adults in Polk have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 13.6%, against 35.6% nationally.

Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).

High school graduates in Polk

High school graduates, % of adults 25+
PeriodPolkTennesseeU.S.
2006–1072.6%83.3%84.9%
2010–1477.1%85.4%86.1%
2015–1984.4%87.6%87.7%
2020–2486.6%89.9%89.3%
Change+14.0 pts+6.6 pts+4.3 pts
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Just over one in eight adults in Polk never finished high school, a bit more than nationally: 86.6% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% across the U.S.

High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).

Jobs in Polk

Unemployment, % of the labor force
PeriodPolkTennesseeU.S.
2006–109.4%8.6%8.1%
2010–1410.0%9.6%9.4%
2015–196.8%5.4%5.6%
2020–240.0%4.8%5.4%
Change−9.4 pts−3.8 pts−2.7 pts
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The survey found almost no one in Polk out of work and looking, against 5.4% of the labor force nationally. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.

Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).

Polk compared with nearby cities

CityHousehold sizeMedian ageSingle parentsRentersVacant homesMedian year builtMedian rentBachelor's degreeHigh school diplomaUnemployment
Polk2.0854.33.5%17.4%0.7%1990$64013.6%86.6%0.0%
Troy2.3047.75.3%19.7%8.7%1985$84315.3%80.9%4.1%
Rives2.3843.811.1%26.0%13.6%1972$77327.8%92.7%5.4%
Glass2.2043.18.2%13.6%7.5%1976$80819.3%84.6%4.2%
Obion2.1540.411.6%35.7%12.7%1976$86314.1%85.8%0.7%
Mason Hall2.5049.010.1%27.6%28.5%1967$7046.5%89.4%0.2%
Union City2.4740.98.7%40.3%11.2%1971$77121.2%85.2%5.1%
Hornbeak2.2148.18.6%21.6%21.8%1982$78913.2%85.7%2.1%
Roneys Store2.7255.18.2%8.8%19.3%1993$1,0515.7%75.3%2.3%
Gibbs2.5136.622.3%55.3%5.0%1977$63218.9%75.3%0.0%
Mount Pelia2.4035.37.8%20.8%8.4%1988$81337.6%94.3%3.8%

All figures 2020–24.

Cities with similar populations: Dwyer, WY · Verlot, WA · Thornton, NY · Eldora, NJ · Elamton, KY · East Lake Francis Shores, MN · East Fultonham, OH · Earlville, PA · Eagleton, AR · Eagan, TN

About these numbers

Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Polk. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.

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