# Polk, Iowa — #2,232 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 5.84 of 10. FIPS 19153. Population 505,255. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 505,300 people live in Polk, Iowa. It ranks #2,232 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #97 of 99 in Iowa. The combined sales tax is 7%, higher than in 56% of counties. Property tax takes about 1.57% of a home's value each year, more than in 94% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 90% of counties. The homicide rate is higher than in 58% of counties. Life expectancy is about 77.7 years, longer than in 72% of counties. Air quality is worse than in 81% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 47), and flood and hurricane risk is higher than in 88% of counties. On this site's state scores, Iowa gets 6.91 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 10 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 6.91 |  |
| 2A | state | 10.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 5.30 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 4.42 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 8.12 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 3.64 |  |
| Property tax | county | 2.15 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 0.79 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 7.70 |  |
| Government employees | county | 9.02 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 4.41 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #976 Jasper, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19099.md
- #1225 Story, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19169.md
- #779 Boone, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19015.md
- #777 Marion, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19125.md
- #1007 Warren, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19181.md
- #1025 Dallas, Iowa — https://libertymoving.org/counties/19049.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/19153
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=19153
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
- Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy