Population
2,759 residents
Census ACS 2023 — North Carolina
City profile · North Carolina · Census ACS 2023
Polkton, NC
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Polkton — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 2,759
- Residents
- $45,625
- Median income
- $134,100
- Median home
- $1,161
- Median rent
Data Snapshot: Polkton, NC
Polkton is a city in North Carolina with a population of 2,759 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $45,625 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 23.9%. Typical homes in Polkton are valued around $134,100, and the median resident age is 39.0 years. About 2.3% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 16.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 0 residential units were authorized in 2024 (No Permits).
On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, North Carolina registers 94.3 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,161 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $215 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 66.7 out of 100 (Moderate).
According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).
Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.
Median Household Income
$45,625 /yr
Poverty 23.9%
Cost of Living Index
94.3 (US=100)
Near Average — BEA RPP 2024
How does Polkton compare to other US cities?
Where Polkton sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income 13% higher than other cities
Home value 22% pricier than other cities
Median rent 48% pricier than other cities
Percentiles compare Polkton against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Income distribution context
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 2.3%
Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 23.9%
Census ACS S1701 — poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 16.9%
Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
2,759
Median Income
$45,625
Median Home Value
$134,100
Median Age
39.0
Poverty Rate
23.9%
Labor force participation
16.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
2.3%
Schools
Total Schools
1
Public schools in this city
Housing Supply
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) — annual residential permits authorized
Total Permits (2024)
0
housing units authorized
Single-Family
0
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
| Year | Total |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
76.4%
Carpool
18.2%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
5.4%
Based on 424 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for North Carolina — EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$115
avg/month
Natural Gas
$55
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$45
avg/month
Total Utilities
$215
estimated/month
Estimates reflect North Carolina state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
North Carolina state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard
Cost of Living Index
94.3
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,161/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
66.7 / 100
Moderate
FEMA NRI composite score
Explore More Data for Polkton
Crime statistics in Polkton
FBI UCR crime rates and safety scores
Schools in Polkton
NCES public school data and enrollment
Rent prices in North Carolina
HUD Fair Market Rents by metro area
Cost of living in North Carolina
BEA regional price parity data
Climate normals
NOAA 30-year climate data
Air quality data
EPA air quality index data
Water quality data
EPA drinking water data
Natural disaster risk
FEMA & NOAA hazard data
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Race & Ethnicity Composition
National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.
How Polkton compares to nearby North Carolina cities
Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks
Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Polkton) plus the nearest peer cities in North Carolina, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
NC
Polkton
45.63% top marginal rate
NC
Emma
65.00% top marginal rate
NC
Mars Hill
65.00% top marginal rate
NC
Jonesville
65.00% top marginal rate
Census ACS 5-year FIPS NC NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Polkton, NC?
What is the population of Polkton, NC? +
Polkton, NC has a population of 2,759 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in Polkton, NC? +
The median household income in Polkton is $45,625 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in Polkton? +
Polkton has a cost of living index of 94.3 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.
What is the median home value in Polkton, NC? +
The median home value in Polkton is $134,100, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial