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Welcome to Polk County ...

Time Zone: Polk County lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time.

The community of Des Moines is the Seat for Polk County. Des Moines is also the capital of Iowa.

Polk County was founded January 13, 1846.

From the Census Estimates for 2019, <1> Polk had a population of 490,161 people. This is an increase of 13.37% since the last Census (which gave a population of 432,352 people in 2010).

At the time of the 2010 Census, Polk represented 14.19% of the total population of Iowa.

Below are some of the communities located in Polk County:

  • Alleman
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alleman
    • Alleman is located in Polk County (IA)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 447 people
  • Altoona
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altoona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altoona
    • Altoona is located in Polk County (IA)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,503 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Altoona <3>
  • Ankeny
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ankeny
    • Ankeny is located in Polk County (IA)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 70,068 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ankeny <3>
  • Bondurant
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bondurant have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bondurant
    • Bondurant is located in Polk County (IA)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,293 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bondurant <3>
  • Carlisle
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Clive
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clive have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clive
    • Clive is located in Polk County (IA)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,444 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clive <3>
  • Des Moines
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Elkhart
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (11 more) ...
    • Grimes
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grimes
      • Grimes is located in Polk County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,831 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grimes <3>
    • Johnston
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Johnston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnston
      • Johnston is located in Polk County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23,092 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Johnston <3>
    • Mitchellville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mitchellville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchellville
      • Mitchellville is located in Polk County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,273 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mitchellville <3>
    • Norwalk
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norwalk have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwalk
      • Norwalk is located in Polk County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,449 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Norwalk <3>
    • Pleasant Hill
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Polk City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Runnells
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Sheldahl
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheldahl
      • Sheldahl is located in Polk County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 325 people
    • Urbandale
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Urbandale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Urbandale
      • Urbandale is located in Polk County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 44,650 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Urbandale <3>
    • West Des Moines
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Des Moines have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Des Moines
      • West Des Moines is located in Polk County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 69,057 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Des Moines <3>
    • Windsor Heights
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Windsor Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsor Heights
      • Windsor Heights is located in Polk County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,735 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Windsor Heights <3>

Websites of Interest ...

Footnotes ...

<1>On a yearly basis, the US Census Bureau creates an estimate of the county's population. Keep in mind that this is an estimate and not an actual count. The last physical count was the 2010 Census and the next count will be for the 2020 Census.
<2>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.