County · Minnesota

Polk County, Minnesota

Polk County, Minnesota. Polk County had 30,545 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 2.1% since 2020, while Minnesota grew 2.2%. It holds 73 places (15 cities, villages and boroughs and 58 towns and townships) and 10 census tracts. GEOID 27119.

Polk County is one of the 2 counties of the Grand Forks, ND-MN metropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

30,545

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 31,192 · ACS 2020-2024: 30,705

Median household income

$73,107

±$4,402 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $89,062

Median home value

$222,800

±$6,841 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $329,300

Median gross rent

$855

±$58 (90% margin)
Minnesota: $1,280

How many people live in Polk County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 31,192 residents in Polk County. The Census Bureau estimates 30,545 for July 1, 2025, down 2.1% since 2020, while Minnesota grew 2.2%. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 30,705 over 1,971 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −238 (30,861)
2021→2022 −46 (30,815)
2022→2023 −252 (30,563)
2023→2024 +120 (30,683)
2024→2025 −138 (30,545)

Polk County in Minnesota. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Polk County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	30,705	5,739,445	−816
Households	12,360±237	2,307,955	no clear change
Average household size	2.38±0.05	2.43	no clear change
Housing units	14,697±70	2,545,030	−255

Polk County's population since 2000

From 31,369 in 2000 to 30,545 in 2025: down 2.6%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 31,369
2005 (estimate) 31,148
2010 Census 31,600
2015 (estimate) 31,519
2020 Census 31,192
2025 (estimate) 30,545

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Polk County?

Polk County holds 73 places: 15 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 58 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government). The largest is East Grand Forks with 8,906 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Polk County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

East Grand Forks	city	9,176	9,028±20	$77,549	$255,600	12.4%	100%
Crookston	city	7,482	7,344±58	$57,315	$185,600	15.6%	100%
Fosston	city	1,434	1,374±145	$52,500	$151,700	25.6%	100%
Fertile	city	804	803±108	$67,125	$129,500	8.7%	100%
McIntosh	city	606	847±220	$56,944	$103,600	21.7%	100%
Knute Township	township	563	535±110	$75,833	$291,700	9.9%	100%
Garfield Township, Polk County	township	519	590±119	$101,111	$247,300	14.2%	100%
Woodside Township, Polk County	township	512	396±69	$106,786	$530,400	4.0%	100%
Huntsville Township	township	442	550±101	$120,568	$332,700	0.9%	100%
Crookston Township	township	441	511±125	$107,500	$324,000	5.3%	100%
Columbia Township	township	438	482±141	$96,103	$262,500	2.5%	100%
Fisher	city	422	396±91	$93,542	$179,000	5.8%	100%
Erskine	city	403	427±83	$44,844	$117,100	9.4%	100%
Rosebud Township	township	310	321±102	$95,625	$252,800	5.4%	100%
Godfrey TownshipGEOID 2711924254	township	294	216±76	$114,583	$445,000	3.7%	100%
Lowell TownshipGEOID 2711938330	township	287	284±67	$101,827	$240,600	0.6%	100%
Gentilly Township	township	260	205±52	$89,375	$162,500	6.3%	100%
Bygland Township	township	258	272±58	$100,625	$256,900	4.8%	100%
Grove Park-Tilden Township	township	257	153±28	$97,917	$340,900	5.2%	100%
Brandsvold Township	township	253	270±91	$96,250	$246,900	15.2%	100%
Climax	city	243	209±56	$50,500	$113,600	16.3%	100%
King TownshipGEOID 2711933254	township	225	162±52	$79,583	$209,600	11.1%	100%
Garden TownshipGEOID 2711923066	township	220	206±49	$98,125	$241,700	3.9%	100%
Queen TownshipGEOID 2711952774	township	219	117±40	$99,063	$287,500	4.3%	100%
Sletten TownshipGEOID 2711960880	township	200	156±55	$110,313	$192,900	20.1%	100%
Hill River TownshipGEOID 2711929186	township	197	140±41	$61,875	$195,500	11.4%	100%
Winger TownshipGEOID 2711970888	township	195	275±143	$79,688	$187,500	2.5%	100%
Grand Forks TownshipGEOID 2711924938	township	195	178±68	$98,125	$228,800	0.0%	100%
Eden Township, Polk CountyGEOID 2711918080	township	191	177±50	$70,417	$187,500	6.2%	100%
Fisher Township	township	189	132±28	$138,750	$346,700	0.8%	100%
WingerGEOID 2770870	city	174	157±52	$48,229	$91,300	6.4%	100%
Roome TownshipGEOID 2711955384	township	167	143±30	$59,063	$158,900	3.5%	100%
Sullivan TownshipGEOID 2711963310	township	164	154±40	$90,625	$252,100	1.4%	100%
Fairfax TownshipGEOID 2711920204	township	160	172±50	$70,000	$243,800	7.2%	100%
Northland Township, Polk County	township	151	172±54	$84,375	$202,500	12.8%	100%
Esther TownshipGEOID 2711919790	township	148	150±37	$96,750	$257,500	2.0%	100%
Lessor TownshipGEOID 2711936692	township	139	180±74	$70,000	$328,900	15.8%	100%
Rhinehart TownshipGEOID 2711953980	township	139	139±53	$115,227	$240,900	1.4%	100%
Gully TownshipGEOID 2711926288	township	136	66±27	not published	$307,700	7.6%	100%
Euclid TownshipGEOID 2711919862	township	134	138±42	$94,250	$203,600	2.9%	100%
Badger TownshipGEOID 2711903142	township	118	185±149	$106,875	$213,600	4.3%	100%
Tabor TownshipGEOID 2711964030	township	115	111±36	not published	$175,000	11.7%	100%
Liberty Township, Polk CountyGEOID 2711936962	township	113	126±50	$98,125	$215,000	4.0%	100%
Nesbit TownshipGEOID 2711945214	township	111	182±95	$114,224	$340,900	3.8%	100%
Andover TownshipGEOID 2711901504	township	109	119±45	$123,750	$319,200	3.4%	100%
MentorGEOID 2741714	city	104	131±47	$41,667	$80,700	10.7%	100%
Chester Township, Polk CountyGEOID 2711911224	township	96	107±41	$131,250	$178,100	2.8%	100%
LengbyGEOID 2736404	city	92	43±24	$50,833	$60,000	44.2%	100%
Kertsonville TownshipGEOID 2711932948	township	90	81±51	$91,875	$172,500	1.2%	100%
Fanny TownshipGEOID 2711920510	township	89	87±33	$113,750	$326,700	0.0%	100%
Vineland TownshipGEOID 2711967198	township	89	68±28	$71,563	$267,900	4.4%	100%
BeltramiGEOID 2705014	city	88	72±21	$78,125	$85,000	20.8%	100%
Higdem TownshipGEOID 2711928844	township	83	84±31	$90,000	$187,500	0.0%	100%
Reis TownshipGEOID 2711953764	township	82	121±52	not published	$170,800	3.3%	100%
Angus TownshipGEOID 2711901648	township	82	56±24	$94,750	$156,300	0.0%	100%
NielsvilleGEOID 2746258	city	78	102±54	$32,500	$37,000	53.9%	100%
Tynsid TownshipGEOID 2711966064	township	77	40±19	$101,250	$383,300	0.0%	100%
Keystone TownshipGEOID 2711933002	township	70	61±21	$90,000	$218,800	0.0%	100%
Scandia TownshipGEOID 2711958882	township	64	41±18	$150,625	$291,700	12.2%	100%
Belgium TownshipGEOID 2711904726	township	63	73±34	$171,250	$307,100	13.7%	100%
Parnell Township, Polk CountyGEOID 2711949840	township	61	71±52	not published	$243,800	12.7%	100%
Onstad TownshipGEOID 2711948418	township	61	64±28	$82,500	$342,900	7.9%	100%
GullyGEOID 2726270	city	59	53±28	$40,735	not published	25.5%	100%
Farley TownshipGEOID 2711920564	township	59	61±22	$63,125	$225,000	0.0%	100%
Hubbard Township, Polk CountyGEOID 2711930356	township	58	54±25	not published	$253,600	7.4%	100%
Sandsville TownshipGEOID 2711958432	township	47	82±45	not published	not published	17.1%	100%
Brislet TownshipGEOID 2711907768	township	46	28±28	not published	$112,500	0.0%	100%
Brandt TownshipGEOID 2711907408	township	45	44±23	$51,750	$253,600	4.5%	100%
Hammond TownshipGEOID 2711926810	township	45	23±11	$105,625	$266,700	0.0%	100%
Helgeland TownshipGEOID 2711928358	township	41	22±9	$77,917	$233,300	0.0%	100%
Johnson TownshipGEOID 2711932030	township	41	18±13	$72,083	not published	5.6%	100%
TrailGEOID 2765344	city	40	16±10	$60,000	$32,500	0.0%	100%
Russia TownshipGEOID 2711956446	township	29	52±31	$118,000	$216,700	7.7%	100%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Polk County?

The median resident of Polk County is 39.8 years old; 24.5% are under 18 and 19.1% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 84.0%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 6.9%. 2.1% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Polk County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	39.8±0.6	38.8	+1.1
Under 18 years	24.5%	22.9%	–
65 years and over	19.1%±0.2 pts	17.3%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	6.9%	6.4%	+0.4 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	84.0%±0.6 pts	75.9%	−2.9 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	2.0%±0.8 pts	6.9%	no clear change
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.8%±0.2 pts	5.1%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.6%±0.2 pts	0.7%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.0%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	4.7%±0.9 pts	4.5%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.9%±0.4 pts	0.5%	–
Born outside the United States	2.1%±0.5 pts	8.7%	−1.9 pts
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	6.0%±1.1 pts	12.4%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	6.2%±0.7 pts	5.9%	–
With a disability	11.7%±0.9 pts	11.6%	–
No health insurance coverage	5.8%±1.2 pts	4.7%	+2.5 pts
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	93.8%±0.9 pts	93.9%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	28.0%±1.9 pts	39.4%	+2.7 pts
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	9.0%±1.2 pts	13.8%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	3.5%±1.2 pts	1.8%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Polk County earn?

Half of Polk County's 12,360 households earn less than $73,107 a year (±$4,402), against $89,062 in Minnesota. In 2015-2019 it was $73,033 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 11.9% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Polk County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$73,107±$4,402	$89,062	no clear change
Mean household income	$90,262±$3,291	$118,304	–
Per capita income	$37,371±$1,239	$48,237	no clear change
People below the poverty line	11.9%±1.7 pts	9.3%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	12.9%±3.7 pts	10.3%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	10.0%±1.4 pts	7.9%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	90.4%±1.2 pts	91.6%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Polk County?

Owners occupy 71.3% of Polk County's occupied homes and renters 28.7%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $222,800 by its owner (±$6,841). The median renter pays $855 a month including utilities, and 47.4% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Polk County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$222,800±$6,841	$329,300	+$19,736
Median gross rent	$855±$58	$1,280	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	47.4%±5.8 pts	38.4%	+12.1 pts
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,617±$57	$1,947	–
Owner-occupied homes	71.3%±2.1 pts	72.2%	no clear change
Housing units	14,697±70	2,545,030	−255
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.3%±0.2 pts	0.6%	–
Rental vacancy rate	9.3%±5.2 pts	5.3%	–
Single-family detached homes	72.1%±1.9 pts	66.0%	–
Mobile homes	5.4%±0.9 pts	2.9%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.4%±0.4 pts	1.9%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	22.1%±1.8 pts	15.6%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How many new homes is Polk County building?

Builders took permits for 42 new housing units across Polk County in 2025 (42 single-family), 1.4 per 1,000 residents.

2019 39 units
2020 68 units
2021 59 units
2022 45 units
2023 55 units
2024 44 units
2025 42 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Polk County get to work?

78.3% of Polk County's workers drive alone and 5.8% work from home. The average trip to work takes 18.6 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 3.6%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Polk County	Minnesota	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	66.3%±1.4 pts	68.1%	–
Unemployment rate	3.6%±1.0 pts	4.1%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	78.3%±1.8 pts	68.9%	–
Carpooled	6.7%±1.2 pts	7.5%	–
Public transportation	1.6%±0.8 pts	1.8%	–
Walked	6.2%±1.0 pts	2.5%	–
Worked from home	5.8%±0.8 pts	17.6%	no clear change
Mean travel time to work	18.6 min±0.8	22.7 min	no clear change

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What are Polk County's census tracts?

Polk County is divided into 10 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $50,924 (Tract 202) to $115,978 (Tract 203).

Census tracts of Polk County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 20127119020100	East Grand Forks (94%)	4,732	4,452±351	$69,321	$253,500	$920	12.0%
Tract 20227119020200	East Grand Forks (94%)	1,489	1,690±232	$50,924	$170,300	$722	28.0%
Tract 20327119020300	East Grand Forks (85%)	3,199	3,125±300	$115,978	$310,200	$1,221	3.7%
Tract 20427119020400	–	2,041	2,204±147	$98,309	$253,000	$1,117	4.1%
Tract 20527119020500	Beltrami (3%)	2,591	2,521±171	$93,906	$234,300	$943	8.1%
Tract 20627119020600	Crookston (91%)	5,657	5,294±323	$58,338	$218,400	$836	16.3%
Tract 20727119020700	Crookston (86%)	2,120	2,340±324	$56,905	$162,300	$930	13.0%
Tract 20827119020800	Fertile (21%)	2,166	2,112±152	$89,792	$197,900	$808	8.8%
Tract 20927119020900	McIntosh (9%)	3,691	3,783±257	$68,194	$207,900	$699	11.0%
Tract 21027119021000	Fosston (18%)	3,506	3,184±187	$63,517	$182,200	$857	15.2%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Polk County compare with Minnesota's other counties?

Polk County's rank among Minnesota's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	35th of 87
Growth 2020-2025	75th of 87
Residents per square mile	63rd of 87
Median household income	47th of 87
Median home value	48th of 87
Median gross rent	56th of 87
Poverty rate	26th of 87
Bachelor's degree or higher	29th of 87
Median age	62nd of 87

Every county in Minnesota

Source: PlainCities ranks from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Polk County are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.