Polk County Demographics

A map of Polk County's Population by Race

Polk County, North Carolina had a population of 19,328 in 2020. It was 86.5% White, 3.6% Black, 0.3% Asian, 5.3% Hispanic, 0.5% Native American/Other, and 3.8% Multiracial. This map presents the population of Polk County, with one dot drawn for each person counted in the 2020 Census, color-coded by race.

Polk County is the 81st most populous county of the 100 counties in North Carolina.

Polk County's White Population

16,716 residents of Polk County identify as White, or 86.5%. This makes the White share of the population of Polk County considerably larger than the White share of the population of North Carolina (60.5% White). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Polk County is ranked #11 in terms of White residents as a share of the population.

Polk County is more White than neighboring Rutherford County (80.7% White), Henderson County (78.9% White), Spartanburg County (65.4% White), McDowell County (84.8% White), and Greenville County (65.4% White).

Polk County's Black Population

689 residents of Polk County identify as Black, or 3.6%. This makes the Black share of the population of Polk County less than the Black share of the population of North Carolina (20.2% Black). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Polk County is ranked #83 in terms of Black residents as a share of the population.

Polk County is more Black than neighboring Henderson County (2.8% Black). Polk County is less Black than neighboring Rutherford County (9.1% Black), Spartanburg County (19.4% Black), McDowell County (3.8% Black), and Greenville County (16.6% Black).

Polk County's Asian Population

60 residents of Polk County identify as Asian, or 0.3%. This makes the Asian share of the population of Polk County roughly similar to the Asian share of the population of North Carolina (3.3% Asian). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Polk County is ranked #87 in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population.

Polk County is less Asian than neighboring Rutherford County (0.5% Asian), Henderson County (1.1% Asian), Spartanburg County (2.5% Asian), McDowell County (0.9% Asian), and Greenville County (2.4% Asian).

Polk County's Hispanic Population

1,026 residents of Polk County identify as Hispanic, or 5.3%. This makes the Hispanic share of the population of Polk County slightly less than the Hispanic share of the population of North Carolina (10.7% Hispanic). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Polk County is ranked #69 in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population.

Polk County is more Hispanic than neighboring Rutherford County (5.1% Hispanic). Polk County is less Hispanic than neighboring Henderson County (12.9% Hispanic), Spartanburg County (8.5% Hispanic), McDowell County (6.6% Hispanic), and Greenville County (11% Hispanic).

Polk County's Native American/Other Population

99 residents of Polk County identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other, or 0.5%. This makes the Native American/Other share of the population of Polk County roughly similar to the Native American/Other share of the population of North Carolina (1.5% Native American/Other). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Polk County is ranked #88 in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population.

Polk County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Rutherford County (0.6% Native American/Other), Henderson County (0.8% Native American/Other), Spartanburg County (0.6% Native American/Other), McDowell County (0.6% Native American/Other), and Greenville County (0.7% Native American/Other).

Polk County's Multiracial Population

738 residents of Polk County identify as Multiracial, or 3.8%. This makes the Multiracial share of the population of Polk County roughly similar to the Multiracial share of the population of North Carolina (3.9% Multiracial). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Polk County is ranked #36 in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population.

Polk County is more Multiracial than neighboring Henderson County (3.5% Multiracial), Spartanburg County (3.7% Multiracial), and McDowell County (3.3% Multiracial). Polk County is less Multiracial than neighboring Rutherford County (4% Multiracial).

Source: 2020 Census State Redistricting Data and Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.