Race, Diversity, and Ethnicity in Polk County, MO

The map below shows majority race by area in Polk County, as self-identified on the US census. Darker shades indicate a larger racial majority in that neighborhood. This page also contains data and maps on Polk County racial diversity and diversity scores. Click here to scroll to diversity data.

Polk County, MO map of race and ethnicity
Click the map to explore
White
Hispanic
Black
Asian
Multiple/Other
WhiteHispanicBlackAsianMultiple/Other
Majority race by area

The majority race in Polk County overall is white, making up 91.1% of residents. The next most-common racial group is other at 4.3%. There are more white people in the south areas of the county. People who identify as other are most likely to be living in the north places. The data below shows how many people identify themselves as each of the following races, which most Americans base on their family's national origin:

Race in Polk County

 
Self-Identified Race
Polk County, MO Population
White
91.1%
Hispanic
2.9%
Black
0.6%
Asian
0.8%
Native American
0.2%
Other
4.3%
   

Diversity and Diversity Scores for Polk County, MO

The map below shows diversity in Polk County. Areas in green are more diverse, while areas in red are much less diverse. Diversity, in this case, means a mixture of people with different race and ethnicity living close to one another. For example, all-black and all-white areas in the county would both be considered lacking diversity.

Polk County, MO map of race and ethnicity
Click the map to explore
Less diverse More diverse
Colorblind friendly off

Polk County Diversity Score

16.8

More diverse than 23% of US counties

Polk County has a diversity score of 16.8: the chance, in percent, that two residents picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups, from ACS race counts. A place where everyone shares one group scores 0, and an even mix of the six groups in the chart above scores the maximum, 83.3. Polk County is less diverse than other US counties, more diverse than 23% of them. Within Polk County's proper boundaries, the most diverse area is northwest Polk County, and the least diverse areas are in south Polk County.

Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-year estimates (race and Hispanic origin); proprietary data mapping and analysis. Special thanks to the University of Virginia.

Nearby Counties

Counties with Similar Populations