Polk County, Florida
A county in Florida, ranked 9 of 67 by population.
CountyFIPS 12105
- Population
- 874,790
- +144,642 (+19.8%) since 2020
- Land area
- 1,798
- square miles. A further 10.5% of the total area is water
- Population density
- 486
- people per square mile, computed rather than published
- County seat
- Bartow
- Seat of county government.
- Established
- 1861
- 164 years ago
- Largest city
- Lakeland city
- Population 125,520.
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; Wikidata (CC0), Wikidata. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
Satellite view
Aerial imagery of Polk County with its boundary drawn on top. A map shows you the shape; this shows you what is inside it, and which side of the line a place falls on.
Where Polk County ranks
Position among the 67 counties of Florida, and among all 3,144 US counties and county-equivalents. Computed from the figures on this page.
| Measure | Value | In Florida | Nationally |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 874,790 | 9th of 67 | 73rd of 3,144 |
| Land area | 1,798 sq mi | 4th of 67 | 328th of 3,144 |
| Population density | 486 per sq mi | 18th of 67 | 287th of 3,144 |
| Median household income | $65,978 | 37th of 67 | 1,543rd of 3,143 |
Full data for Polk County
| Measure | Value | Source and vintage |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 874,790 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| Population in 2020 | 730,148 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| 2020 estimates base? | 725,042 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| Land area | 1,798 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Water area | 211.9 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Total area | 2,010 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Population density? | 486 per sq mi | Computed: Vintage 2025 estimates divided by 2025 Gazetteer land area |
| Median household income | $65,978 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Median home value | $266,500 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Median age | 39.5 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Households | 289,425 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Housing units | 340,748 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates, released 29 January 2026. Population density is computed here, not published: it divides the Vintage 2025 population estimate by the 2025 Gazetteer land area, which are two different Census products. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
How the population changed
The Census Bureau publishes the components behind an estimate, not just the total. For the year to July 2025:
- Births minus deaths
- +1,087
- 9,437 births, 8,350 deaths
- Net migration
- +22,474
- More people moved in than moved out.
Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
The 10 areas bordering Polk County
Ordered by the length of the border actually shared, which the Census Bureau publishes in its county adjacency file and which no other county reference presents.
| Bordering area | State | Shared border | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osceola County | Florida | 106 mi | 481,718 |
| Hillsborough County | Florida | 39 mi | 1,574,115 |
| Hardee County | Florida | 30 mi | 25,932 |
| Highlands County | Florida | 26 mi | 111,122 |
| Lake County | Florida | 20 mi | 456,068 |
| Pasco County | Florida | 13 mi | 674,516 |
| Sumter County | Florida | 10 mi | 157,772 |
| Manatee County | Florida | a single point | 468,200 |
| Okeechobee County | Florida | a single point | 42,608 |
| Orange County | Florida | a single point | 1,528,002 |
Source: US Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2025 County Adjacency File, released 15 September 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
Side by side
All 67 counties of Florida
Open the interactive Florida county map, or jump straight to any of them.
- Alachua County
- Baker County
- Bay County
- Bradford County
- Brevard County
- Broward County
- Calhoun County
- Charlotte County
- Citrus County
- Clay County
- Collier County
- Columbia County
- DeSoto County
- Dixie County
- Duval County
- Escambia County
- Flagler County
- Franklin County
- Gadsden County
- Gilchrist County
- Glades County
- Gulf County
- Hamilton County
- Hardee County
- Hendry County
- Hernando County
- Highlands County
- Hillsborough County
- Holmes County
- Indian River County
- Jackson County
- Jefferson County
- Lafayette County
- Lake County
- Lee County
- Leon County
- Levy County
- Liberty County
- Madison County
- Manatee County
- Marion County
- Martin County
- Miami-Dade County
- Monroe County
- Nassau County
- Okaloosa County
- Okeechobee County
- Orange County
- Osceola County
- Palm Beach County
- Pasco County
- Pinellas County
- Polk County
- Putnam County
- Santa Rosa County
- Sarasota County
- Seminole County
- St. Johns County
- St. Lucie County
- Sumter County
- Suwannee County
- Taylor County
- Union County
- Volusia County
- Wakulla County
- Walton County
- Washington County
Data on this page last rebuilt 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.