Iowa · PUMA · 2024 ACS PUMS
Polk County (West)
A Census profile of the Polk County (West) Public Use Microdata Area in Iowa, from the 2024 American Community Survey. It is home to 179,546 people, with a median household income of $98,479 and a median age of 38.8.
Cities & areas covered: Polk County.
How Polk County (West) compares to Iowa
- Median household income here is $98,479, $22,335 above the Iowa figure of $76,144.
- The bachelor's-degree rate here is 52.7%, 20.9% above the Iowa figure of 31.8%.
- Homeownership here is 71.0%, 0.4% below the Iowa figure of 71.4%.
- The poverty rate here is 5.0%, 6.3% below the Iowa figure of 11.3%.
Polk County (West) vs. Iowa vs. the U.S.
Every figure is a weighted estimate from the 2024 ACS PUMS. The IA and U.S. columns are the state and population-weighted national averages, for comparison.
| Statistic | This PUMA | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $98,479 | $76,144 |
| Median family income | $121,830 | $96,449 |
| Mean wage (workers) | $70,382 | $53,493 |
| Median personal income (15+) | $49,240 | $37,564 |
| Poverty rate | 5.0% | 11.3% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.1% | 3.2% |
| Labor force participation (16+) | 70.6% | 66.5% |
| Mean hours worked / week | 39.3 | 38 |
| Mean Interest, dividends, and net rental income | $2,726 | $2,592 |
| Mean Selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income | 19.0% | 20.0% |
| Mean All other income | $760 | $693 |
| Mean Public assistance income | $7 | $25 |
| Mean Total person's earnings | $52,572 | $38,189 |
| Mean Income-to-poverty ratio | 367.1 | 312.1 |
| Mean Retirement income | $4,194 | $3,278 |
| Mean Self-employment income | $2,609 | $2,512 |
| Mean Supplementary Security Income | $185 | $256 |
| Mean Social Security income | $3,931 | $4,295 |
| Statistic | This PUMA | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 52.7% | 31.8% |
| High school diploma or higher | 95.8% | 93.3% |
| Statistic | This PUMA | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Management | 14.7% | 10.5% |
| Business operations | 4.5% | 3.0% |
| Financial specialists | 2.8% | 2.1% |
| Computer & math | 5.2% | 2.5% |
| Architecture & engineering | 2.5% | 1.9% |
| Science | 1.9% | 1.0% |
| Community & social service | 2.7% | 1.7% |
| Legal | 0.9% | 0.5% |
| Education instruction | 8.7% | 6.9% |
| Arts, design & media | 3.2% | 1.8% |
| Healthcare practitioners | 5.9% | 5.9% |
| Healthcare support | 3.6% | 3.3% |
| Protective service | 1.7% | 1.7% |
| Food prep & serving | 3.2% | 5.5% |
| Building & grounds cleaning | 0.9% | 3.2% |
| Personal care | 2.0% | 2.7% |
| Sales | 9.8% | 8.3% |
| Office & admin support | 6.5% | 10.2% |
| Farming, fishing & forestry | 0.2% | 1.3% |
| Construction | 4.5% | 4.7% |
| Extraction | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Installation & repair | 2.7% | 3.2% |
| Production | 4.0% | 7.6% |
| Transportation & moving | 7.9% | 10.2% |
| Military | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Agriculture & forestry (industry) | 1.1% | 4.0% |
| Mining & oil/gas (industry) | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Utilities (industry) | 0.3% | 0.7% |
| Construction (industry) | 6.3% | 6.5% |
| Manufacturing (industry) | 9.2% | 13.9% |
| Wholesale trade (industry) | 1.7% | 2.2% |
| Retail trade (industry) | 12.7% | 11.8% |
| Transportation & warehousing (industry) | 5.0% | 4.6% |
| Information (industry) | 1.4% | 1.2% |
| Finance & insurance (industry) | 13.6% | 6.8% |
| Professional & technical (industry) | 11.0% | 7.6% |
| Educational services (industry) | 11.1% | 10.5% |
| Health care (industry) | 11.5% | 11.1% |
| Social assistance (industry) | 3.5% | 2.5% |
| Arts & entertainment (industry) | 4.6% | 7.9% |
| Other services (industry) | 2.4% | 4.4% |
| Public administration (industry) | 4.3% | 3.7% |
| Armed forces (industry) | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Statistic | This PUMA | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Uninsured | 6.0% | 5.9% |
| Private insurance | 76.1% | 70.5% |
| Public insurance | 29.0% | 37.3% |
| With a disability | 9.9% | 13.8% |
| Statistic | This PUMA | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Mean commute time | 19 min | 20 min |
| Drove to work | 84.7% | 84.5% |
| Public transit to work | 0.2% | 0.7% |
| Worked from home | 13.4% | 10.3% |
| Mean Weeks worked | 35.2 | 32.8 |
| Statistic | This PUMA | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $300,000 | $210,000 |
| Median gross rent | $1,230 | $990 |
| Rent as % of income | 30.0% | 27.0% |
| Homeownership rate | 71.0% | 71.4% |
| Average household size | 2.4 | 2.3 |
| Median bedrooms | 3 | 3 |
| Median rooms | 6 | 6 |
| Median year built | 1980 | 1970 |
| Vehicles per household | 1.9 | 2 |
| No vehicle | 3.0% | 5.8% |
| Single-family detached | 67.2% | 73.2% |
| Broadband internet | 95.5% | 94.4% |
| Median Condominium and/or homeowners association fee | $0 | $0 |
| Median Electricity cost | $120 | $140 |
| Median Fuel cost | $600 | $650 |
| Median Gas cost | $70 | $70 |
| Mean Age of the householder | 50.3 | 51.8 |
| Median Mobile home costs | $7,200 | $1,300 |
| Median First mortgage payment | $1,500 | $1,100 |
| Mean Number of own children in household | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| Mean Number of related children in household | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| Median Monthly rent | $1,100 | $830 |
| Median Selected monthly owner costs | $1,499 | $1,079 |
| Median Total payment on all second and junior mortgages and home equity loans | $300 | $350 |
| Median Property taxes | $4,450 | $2,750 |
| Median Water cost | $600 | $600 |
| Statistic | This PUMA | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 179,546 | 3,241,488 |
| Average age | 38.8 | 39.6 |
| Married (15+) | 53.7% | 50.5% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 7.6% | 7.8% |
| Black | 3.7% | 4.1% |
| Asian | 4.8% | 2.5% |
| Mean Fire/hazard/flood insurance | $1,501 | $1,497 |
| Mean Number of persons in family | 1.9 | 1.8 |
Polk County (West) — FAQ
What is the population of the Polk County (West) PUMA?+
The Polk County (West) PUMA in Iowa has a population of 179,546, per the 2024 American Community Survey (ACS) PUMS.
What is the median household income in Polk County (West), IA?+
Median household income in the Polk County (West) PUMA is $98,479, compared with $76,144 across Iowa and $83,310 nationally.
What cities and counties are in the Polk County (West) PUMA?+
The Polk County (West) PUMA covers Polk County. PUMAs are built from whole counties or, in denser areas, groups of census tracts, so one PUMA can span several places.
What is a PUMA?+
A PUMA (Public Use Microdata Area) is a U.S. Census geography of roughly 100,000 or more people — the most detailed level at which ACS PUMS microdata is released. Iowa contains 24 PUMAs.
Where does this Polk County (West) data come from?+
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 ACS Public Use Microdata Sample — a de-identified, weighted sample of individual records. PUMSdata is an independent product and is not affiliated with the Census Bureau.