Polk County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the U.S. state of

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 5,214. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Osceola Osceola (1804 – January 30, 1838, Vsse Yvholv in Muscogee language, Creek, also spelled Asi-yahola), named Billy Powell at birth, was an influential leader of the Seminole people in Florida. His mother was Muscogee, and his great-grandfa ...

. The county was formed in 1856, and was organized in 1870. It was named for President James K. Polk. 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

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. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 81 * N-39

Nebraska Highway 39 * N-66

Nebraska Highway 66 * N-69

Nebraska Highway 69 * N-92

Nebraska Highway 92

Adjacent counties

* Butler County – east * Seward County – southeast * York County – south * Hamilton County – southwest * Merrick County – west * Platte County – north

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 5,639 people, 2,259 households, and 1,570 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 2,717 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.92%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.02%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 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 The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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 Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $17,934. About 4.40% of families and 5.80% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 7.20% of those under age 18 and 4.70% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

(county seat) * Stromsburg

Villages

* Polk * Shelby

Unincorporated communities

* Durant * Swedehome or Swede Home

Townships

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

* Clear Creek * Hackberry *

Island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

* Platte * Pleasant Home * Stromsburg *

Valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

Politics

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).

References

{{authority control 1870 establishments in Nebraska Populated places established in 1870 Nebraska counties