Population, Race and Ethnicity

Polk is a borough in Venango County, Pennsylvania, with a population of 788. According to the most recent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, 92.50% of residents identify as white, 3.20% as Black or African American, 0.00% as American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.00% as Asian, 0.00% as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 1.10% as Hispanic or Latino, and 3.20% as some other race or combination of races.

Nationally, some 61.1% of Americans identify as white, 12.3% as Black or African American, 0.7% as American Indian or Alaska Native, 5.4% as Asian, 0.2% as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 17.8% as Hispanic or Latino, and 2.6% as some other race or combination of races.

Ancestry

Census respondents are also asked to report ancestry. Some of the most commonly reported ancestries in Polk include German, Irish, American, Polish, and Italian. Measured by location quotient — comparing the borough share to the national share — some of the most highly concentrated ancestries in borough are Pennsylvania German, Scotch-Irish, and Czechoslovakian.

Age

The population of Polk is older than the United States as a whole. The median age is 48.6 years, 10.7 years more than the national median age of 37.9 years. An estimated 20.60% of the population is 65 years and over, compared to 15.2% of the U.S. population.

Family and household composition

Family and household composition also varies heavily across the United States. In Polk, 46.20% of households are occupied by married-couple families, compared to the 48.3% national figure. Some 11.40% of households are occupied by single male householders, 14.80% by single female householders, and 27.60% by non-family occupants. Nationwide, 4.9% of households are occupied by single male householders, 12.6% by single female householders, and 34.3% by non-family occupants. An estimated 73.80% of heads of household own their homes, compared to the national homeownership rate of 63.8%.

Language spoken

English is by far the most commonly spoken language in Pennsylvania and across the U.S. as a whole. Similarly, in Polk, 99.7% of local residents aged 5 and up speak English exclusively, or, if they are multilingual, speak English very well. For context, 95.7% of the 5 and older population across Pennsylvania only speaks English, or speak it very well, and 91.5% of the same age group nationwide do.

Marital status

Residents of Polk are less likely than the typical American to be married. Of all local residents aged 15 and older, 31.5% are currently married, compared to 48.1% of Americans nationwide in the same age group. Across Pennsylvania as a whole, 48.2% of residents 15 and older are married.

Divorce is slightly less common in Polk than it is across the U.S. as a whole. According to Census estimates, 10.5% of residents 15 and older are divorced — compared to 10.8% of the U.S. population in the same age group. In Pennsylvania, 9.6% of the 15 and older population is divorced.

An estimated 55.3% of Polk residents 15 and older have never married, compared to one-third of all Americans in the same age group.

Veterans

In Polk, 11.9% of the 18 and older civilian population are veterans — compared to 7.5% of adult civilians nationwide and 7.7% of the civilian population in all of Pennsylvania.

Educational attainment

In Polk, adults are less likely to have a high school education than the typical American adult, and are less likely to have a four-year college education. Among Polk residents 25 and older, 59.30% have a high school diploma or equivalent, and 8.50% have a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 87.7% and 31.5% of adults nationwide, respectively. Across Pennsylvania, 90.2% of adults have graduated high school, and 30.8 have a bachelor’s degree.

Income

The typical household in Polk earns $51,667 a year, about $8,600 less than the national median of $60,293 and $7,800 less than the median household income across the state of $59,445.

Poverty

Serious financial hardship is more common in Polk than it is nationwide. The local poverty rate stands at 28.60%, while the national poverty rate is 14.1%. Across the state as a whole, 12.8% of the population lives below the poverty line.

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