Polk County

Polk County is part of the Tampa Bay region of Florida along with Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, and Sarasota counties. It is located inland, to the east of Hillsborough County and Tampa. The county is the geographic center of Florida?s population. Polk County is between the two large metropolitan areas of Tampa and Orlando, which accounts for its rapid population growth rate. Despite the positive growth, unemployment rates are historically lower in Polk County than anywhere else in the state. It has a population in excess of 600,000 and 17 incorporated municipalities.

Polk County's economy revolves around the industries of phosphate mining, agriculture, and tourism. Major private sector employers are Publix Supermarkets, Wal-Mart, Lakeland Regional Medical Center, Winter Haven Hospital, and GEICO. The largest public sector employers are Polk County School Board, Polk County Government, Florida State Government, and City of Lakeland. Though the economy depends less on tourism than in other parts of the state, the building of LEGOLAND Florida in Winter Haven has increased tourism and boosted the economy.

Of all Florida counties, Polk has the 2nd most farmland in the state. Like other areas in the central part of the state, Polk has numerous citrus groves.

A mining and railroad town, Lakeland has steadily grown since its 1885 incorporation. Home to around 100,000 people, Lakeland is the headquarters for Saddle Creek Logistics and Fortune 500 supermarket chain Publix. Lakeland also hosts Florida Polytechnic University, Southeastern University, Florida Southern College, and campuses of Polk State College and Webster University.

Polk County Florida Cities

There are 30 cities in Polk County Florida. These are listed below. Click on a link for details.

Alturas, Auburndale, Babson Park, Bartow, Bradley, Davenport, Dundee, Eagle Lake, Eaton Park, Fort Meade, Frostproof, Haines City, Highland City, Homeland, Indian Lake Estates, Kathleen, Kissimmee, Lake Alfred, Lake Hamilton, Lake Wales, Lakeland, Lakeshore, Loughman, Mulberry, Nalcrest, Nichols, Polk City, River Ranch, Waverly, Winter Haven,

Polk County has a population of approximately 616,158 people. The population increased 2.3% from 2010 to 2012. This compared to a 2.7% increase for the State of Florida and a 1.7% increase for the country as a whole. Polk County is 1797.84 square miles and had a population density of 334.9 Persons per square mile in 2010. This compared to 350.6 for Florida and 87.4 for the country.

There are 281,004 housing units in Polk County (a housing unit is defined by the US Census Bureau as a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room that is occupied as separate living quarters.) Polk County has a 71.7% homeownership rate compared to Florida's rate of 69.0%. Polk County's medium household income in 2011 was $44,398, which is lower than the medium income for Florida as a whole: $47,827.

16.4% of the population in Polk County lives below the poverty line, compared to 14.7% in Florida and 14.3% nationwide. Additional Information:

• Polk County Census Data
• University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research - Polk County

Polk County Economic Activity

The U.S. Bureau of the Census, Economic , 2007 calculated the total value manufacturing, merchant wholesaler, retail sales and food service sales in Polk County. The Census measured activity of large and medium-sized firms during calendar year 2007. It does not include every aspect of the economy but can be used as a measure of economic activity.

At $27,540 million, Polk County's economic activity represents 4.37% of the Florida economy.

Polk County Regional Comparisons

Polk County is located in the Tampa Bay Region. This region is responsible for 22.6% of Florida's economic activity. Polk County represents 19.3% of the region's economy.

Polk Real Estate

There are 233,904 properties in Polk County. The following table shows a summary of them based on 2013 sales data.

Commercial Real Estate in Polk County, Florida

0( .00%) of the properties in Polk County are classified as Commercial. 283 of them sold between January 1st, 2013 and September 1st, 2013. The total value of these sales was $321,099,785. The median sales price was $250,000. In 2013 the median sales price for A Class Commercial Property in Polk County was $407 per sq ft, B Class properties sold for $64/ft and C Class $16/ft.

Government Real Estate in Polk County, Florida

713( .30%) of the properties in Polk County are classified as Government. 33 of them sold between January 1st, 2013 and September 1st, 2013. The total value of these sales was $31,568,000. The median sales price was $134,900. In 2013 the median sales price for A Class Government Property in Polk County was $2,149 per sq ft, B Class properties sold for $53/ft and C Class $33/ft.

Miscellaneous Real Estate in Polk County, Florida

357( .15%) of the properties in Polk County are classified as Miscellaneous. 3 of them sold between March 1st, 2013 and August 1st, 2013. The total value of these sales was $5,385,000. The median sales price was $2,602,500. In 2013 the median sales price for Miscellaneous Property in Polk County was ####### per sq ft.

Residential Real Estate in Polk County, Florida

0( .00%) of the properties in Polk County are classified as Residential. 10,025 of them sold between January 1st, 2013 and September 1st, 2013. The total value of these sales was $2,263,936,492. The median sales price was $86,100. In 2013 the median sales price for A Class Residential Property in Polk County was $72 per sq ft, B Class properties sold for $44/ft and C Class $19/ft.

Additional Details:

• Polk Property Sales History
• Polk Commercial Sales History
• Polk Land Sales History