Polk County, Nebraska
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Polk County | |
|---|---|
| County of Polk | |
| Polk County Courthouse in Osceola Polk County Courthouse in Osceola | |
| Template:Maplink Interactive map of Polk County | |
| Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska | |
| Country | Template:US |
| State | Template:Country data Nebraska |
| Established | January 26, 1856 |
| Organized | August 6, 1870 |
| Named for | James K. Polk |
| County seat | Osceola |
| Largest city | Stromsburg |
| Area | |
| • Total | Template:Infobox settlement/areadisp |
| • Land | Template:Infobox settlement/areadisp |
| • Water | Template:Infobox settlement/areadisp 0.5% |
| Highest elevation | Template:Infobox settlement/lengthdisp |
| Lowest elevation | Template:Infobox settlement/lengthdisp |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 5,214 |
| • Estimate (2025) | 5,270 Template:Gain |
| • Density | Template:Infobox settlement/densdisp |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 402/531 |
| FIPS code | 31143 |
| GNIS feature ID | Template:GNIS 4 |
| Website | www.polkcounty.ne.gov |
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Polk County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 5,214.[1] Its county seat is Osceola.[2] The county was formed in 1856, and was organized in 1870.[3][4][5] It was named for President James K. Polk.[6] In the Nebraska license plate system, Polk County is represented by the prefix 41 (it had the 41st-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).
Geography
[edit | edit source]The Platte River flows northeastward along the northwest boundary of Polk County. The lower portion of the county is drained by a local drainage, flowing east and east-northeastward into Butler County. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, dropping off to the river valley in the northern portion, and sloped to the east-southeast in the lower portion of the county. The county terrain is largely devoted to agriculture.[7][8]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 441 square miles (1,140 km2), of which 438 square miles (1,130 km2) is land and 2.3 square miles (6.0 km2) (0.5%) is water.[9]
Major highways
[edit | edit source]
Adjacent counties
[edit | edit source]- Butler County – east
- Seward County – southeast
- York County – south
- Hamilton County – southwest
- Merrick County – west
- Platte County – north
Demographics
[edit | edit source]2020 census
[edit | edit source]As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 5,214. The median age was 46.1 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.5 males age 18 and over.[10][11]
The racial makeup of the county was 92.0% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.0% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.2% from some other race, and 5.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.0% of the population.[11]
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[12]
There were 2,146 households in the county, of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 18.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[10]
There were 2,524 housing units, of which 15.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 79.6% were owner-occupied and 20.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.1%.[10]
2000 census
[edit | edit source]As of the 2000 United States census,[13] there were 5,639 people, 2,259 households, and 1,570 families in the county. The population density was 5 people/km2 (13 people/sq mi). There were 2,717 housing units at an average density of 2 units/km2 (5.2 units/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 98.92% White, 0.02% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.28% from other races, and 0.41% from two or more races. 1.08% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 2,259 households, out of which 29.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.90% were married couples living together, 4.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.97.
The county population contained 25.10% under the age of 18, 6.00% from 18 to 24, 24.40% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 21.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 100.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,819, and the median income for a family was $45,081. Males had a median income of $30,286 versus $19,595 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,934. About 4.40% of families and 5.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.20% of those under age 18 and 4.70% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
[edit | edit source]Cities
[edit | edit source]- Osceola (county seat)
- Stromsburg
Villages
[edit | edit source]Unincorporated communities
[edit | edit source]Townships
[edit | edit source]Politics
[edit | edit source]Polk County voters have been reliably Republican for several decades. In only one national election since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1900 | 1,023 | 41.25% | 1,376 | 55.48% | 81 | 3.27% |
| 1904 | 1,235 | 51.91% | 239 | 10.05% | 905 | 38.04% |
| 1908 | 1,171 | 44.31% | 1,264 | 47.82% | 208 | 7.87% |
| 1912 | 485 | 19.43% | 996 | 39.90% | 1,015 | 40.67% |
| 1916 | 1,060 | 38.29% | 1,600 | 57.80% | 108 | 3.90% |
| 1920 | 2,393 | 63.80% | 1,236 | 32.95% | 122 | 3.25% |
| 1924 | 2,354 | 56.49% | 1,229 | 29.49% | 584 | 14.01% |
| 1928 | 3,096 | 67.17% | 1,494 | 32.41% | 19 | 0.41% |
| 1932 | 1,636 | 35.35% | 2,939 | 63.50% | 53 | 1.15% |
| 1936 | 2,256 | 46.78% | 2,519 | 52.23% | 48 | 1.00% |
| 1940 | 2,653 | 61.87% | 1,635 | 38.13% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 2,357 | 60.84% | 1,517 | 39.16% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 2,026 | 59.21% | 1,396 | 40.79% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 3,008 | 76.66% | 916 | 23.34% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 2,482 | 68.62% | 1,135 | 31.38% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 2,397 | 66.94% | 1,184 | 33.06% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 1,607 | 48.16% | 1,730 | 51.84% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,795 | 66.83% | 690 | 25.69% | 201 | 7.48% |
| 1972 | 2,050 | 71.25% | 827 | 28.75% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 1,797 | 58.86% | 1,190 | 38.98% | 66 | 2.16% |
| 1980 | 2,206 | 75.14% | 538 | 18.32% | 192 | 6.54% |
| 1984 | 2,149 | 77.41% | 610 | 21.97% | 17 | 0.61% |
| 1988 | 1,769 | 64.94% | 944 | 34.65% | 11 | 0.40% |
| 1992 | 1,437 | 49.25% | 661 | 22.65% | 820 | 28.10% |
| 1996 | 1,504 | 58.84% | 750 | 29.34% | 302 | 11.82% |
| 2000 | 1,925 | 73.67% | 610 | 23.34% | 78 | 2.99% |
| 2004 | 2,146 | 78.69% | 549 | 20.13% | 32 | 1.17% |
| 2008 | 1,822 | 71.65% | 668 | 26.27% | 53 | 2.08% |
| 2012 | 1,890 | 76.92% | 528 | 21.49% | 39 | 1.59% |
| 2016 | 2,028 | 78.54% | 413 | 16.00% | 141 | 5.46% |
| 2020 | 2,291 | 79.36% | 530 | 18.36% | 66 | 2.29% |
| 2024 | 2,296 | 81.16% | 501 | 17.71% | 32 | 1.13% |
| 2016 | 1 | 33.33% | 1 | 33.33% | 1 | 33.33% |
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ "County Population Totals: 2020-2021". Census.gov. US Census Bureau. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ↑ Fitzpatrick, Lilian Linder (1925). Nebraska Place-Names. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Studies in Language, Literature, and Criticism. p. 116. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Nebraska Historic Buildings Survey Reconnaissance Survey Final Report of Polk County, Nebraska". Nebraska State Historical Society. August 1, 1992. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Polk County". Nebraska Association of County Officials. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Polk County". Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved March 7, 2010. Retrieved on March 15, 2008.
- ↑ Polk County NE Google Maps (accessed 27 January 2019)
- ↑ ""Find Altitude" Google Maps (accessed 27 January 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
- ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ↑ "U.S. Census website". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ↑ Election Results
- ↑ The leading "other" candidate, Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, received 784 votes, while Socialist candidate Eugene Debs received 142 votes and Prohibition Eugene Chafin received 89 votes.