Polk County Demographics

A map of Polk County's Population by Race

Polk County, Tennessee had a population of 17,544 in 2020. It was 93.0% White, 0.3% Black, 0.2% Asian, 1.7% Hispanic, 0.5% Native American/Other, and 4.3% 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 73rd most populous county of the 95 counties in Tennessee.

Polk County's White Population

16,313 residents of Polk County identify as White, or 93.0%. This makes the White share of the population of Polk County considerably larger than the White share of the population of Tennessee (70.9% White). Of the 95 counties in Tennessee, Polk County is ranked #13 in terms of White residents as a share of the population.

Polk County is more White than neighboring McMinn County (86.3% White), Fannin County (92.2% White), Bradley County (80.9% White), Murray County (80.5% White), and Monroe County (89% White).

Polk County's Black Population

61 residents of Polk County identify as Black, or 0.3%. This makes the Black share of the population of Polk County less than the Black share of the population of Tennessee (15.7% Black). Of the 95 counties in Tennessee, Polk County is ranked #86 in terms of Black residents as a share of the population.

Polk County is less Black than neighboring McMinn County (3.5% Black), Bradley County (4.7% Black), Murray County (0.7% Black), and Monroe County (1.6% Black).

Polk County's Asian Population

33 residents of Polk County identify as Asian, or 0.2%. This makes the Asian share of the population of Polk County roughly similar to the Asian share of the population of Tennessee (1.9% Asian). Of the 95 counties in Tennessee, Polk County is ranked #83 in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population.

Polk County is less Asian than neighboring McMinn County (0.8% Asian), Fannin County (0.4% Asian), Bradley County (1.1% Asian), Murray County (0.3% Asian), and Monroe County (0.4% Asian).

Polk County's Hispanic Population

297 residents of Polk County identify as Hispanic, or 1.7%. This makes the Hispanic share of the population of Polk County slightly less than the Hispanic share of the population of Tennessee (6.9% Hispanic). Of the 95 counties in Tennessee, Polk County is ranked #83 in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population.

Polk County is less Hispanic than neighboring McMinn County (4.1% Hispanic), Fannin County (3% Hispanic), Bradley County (7.8% Hispanic), Murray County (14.8% Hispanic), and Monroe County (4.2% Hispanic).

Polk County's Native American/Other Population

92 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 Tennessee (0.6% Native American/Other). Of the 95 counties in Tennessee, Polk County is ranked #51 in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population.

Polk County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Murray County (0.3% Native American/Other). Polk County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Fannin County (0.6% Native American/Other), and Bradley County (0.7% Native American/Other).

Polk County's Multiracial Population

748 residents of Polk County identify as Multiracial, or 4.3%. This makes the Multiracial share of the population of Polk County roughly similar to the Multiracial share of the population of Tennessee (3.9% Multiracial). Of the 95 counties in Tennessee, Polk County is ranked #19 in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population.

Polk County is more Multiracial than neighboring Fannin County (3.5% Multiracial), and Murray County (3.4% Multiracial). Polk County is less Multiracial than neighboring McMinn County (4.9% Multiracial), and Bradley County (4.9% Multiracial).

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