Polk County, Georgia: commercial real estate data.
Polk County, Georgia has a population of 43,785 across 310 square miles, up 4.1 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.74 bn in 2024, 670 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 24 7(a) approvals worth $14.8 m.
122 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Polk County
How many people live in Polk County
- Population43,785
- Households15,901
- Average household size2.75
- Median household income$58,515
- Median age38.0
- Median gross rent$918 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$187,600
- Home value to household income3.2 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher15.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over29,295
- Population under 1810,991
- Share under 1825.1 percent
- Population 65 and over6,736
- Share 65 and over15.4 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6426,058
- Civilian labor force19,877
- Unemployment rate5.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over60.6 percent
- Rank by population among Georgia counties47th of 159
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1124th
Polk County is the 47th largest of 159 Georgia counties by population. A median home costs 3.2 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 25.1 percent against 15.4 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Polk County
Is Polk County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base4.11 percent
- Census 2020 base population42,848
- Births, 2024634
- Deaths, 2024592
- Natural change, 202442
- Net domestic migration, 2024110
- Net international migration, 202493
- Total net migration, 2024203
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,505
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents669th
The county has grown 4.11 percent since the 2020 census base. Migration contributed more to 2024 change than births over deaths, so demand here follows people arriving rather than families forming.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Polk County
Where people moving to Polk County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,137
- People arriving, from those returns2,246
- Adjusted gross income arriving$56.1 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$49,375
- Largest single originPolk County Non-migrants (13,851 households)
- Largest single destination (13,851 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County Non-migrants | 13,851 | 29,974 | $738.3 m |
| Paulding County | 245 | 518 | $13.6 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 170 | 317 | $7.4 m |
| Floyd County | 167 | 322 | $7.1 m |
| Other flows - South | 149 | 274 | $6.4 m |
| Cobb County | 133 | 243 | $7.8 m |
| Bartow County | 122 | 266 | $5.9 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 110 | 200 | $4.9 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Polk County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Polk County
What the Polk County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.74 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.66 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.6 percent
- GDP change over five years34.3 percent
- Rank by GDP among Georgia counties57th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1399th
- GDP per resident$39,747
Output grew 4.6 percent in the latest year and 34.3 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Polk County
Who employs people in Polk County
- Covered employment, annual average11,149
- Establishments reporting817
- Average annual pay$48,735
- Average weekly wage$937
- Sector 31-33, employment2,765
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$60,251
- Sector 44-45, employment1,960
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$34,870
- Sector 72, employment1,234
- Sector 72, average annual pay$20,180
- Sector 62, employment1,026
- Sector 62, average annual pay$54,730
- Sector 23, employment468
- Sector 81, employment333
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 2,765 | 43 | $60,251 |
| Sector 44-45 | 1,960 | 158 | $34,870 |
| Sector 72 | 1,234 | 86 | $20,180 |
| Sector 62 | 1,026 | 54 | $54,730 |
| Sector 23 | 468 | 84 | $73,150 |
| Sector 81 | 333 | 56 | $39,313 |
| Sector 56 | 297 | 70 | $57,444 |
| Sector 52 | 165 | 41 | $59,376 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 2,765 jobs, 24.8 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Polk County
What businesses operate in Polk County
- Establishments, all industries670
- Employment at those establishments10,640
- Annual payroll$479.4 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents15.3
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Polk County
What is being built in Polk County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024147
- Declared construction value permitted$38.7 m
- Single family units authorised130
- Multifamily units authorised17
- Multifamily share of units11.6 percent
- Average declared value per unit$262,997
- Units authorised per 1,000 households9.2
Multifamily is 11.6 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Polk County
How much SBA lending happens in Polk County
- 7(a) approvals recorded24
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$14.8 m
- Average 7(a) approval$617,233
- Median 7(a) approval$575,000
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,630,000
- Largest single approval$2,967,100
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)134
- Jobs per approval5.6
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active17
- Distinct industries receiving approvals17
- Median 7(a) term126 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer45.8 percent
- Loans on real estate terms11
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter12
- Franchise loans7
- Franchise share of approvals29.2 percent
- Leading industry by approval countHotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (3)
- Most active lenderNewtek Bank, National Association (3)
- 504 approvals recorded10
- 504 gross approval dollars$7.6 m
- Average 504 approval$759,500
- Median 504 approval$792,000
- Distinct CDCs active4
- 504 jobs per approval7.9
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved10.4
- Most active CDCCapital Partners Certified Development Company (4)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals70.6 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$22.4 m
The average approval of $617,233 sits close to the median of $575,000, so lending here is fairly evenly sized rather than driven by a few large deals. 45.8 percent of approvals run on real estate terms of 240 months or more, so this is a market where SBA credit is buying buildings, not just funding operations.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Polk County
Do SBA loans in Polk County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded2
- Paid in full2
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full2
- Status: Exempt from disclosure17
- Status: Cancelled4
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed1
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 2 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Polk County
Which parts of Polk County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending2
- ROCKMART, approvals14
- Cedartown, approvals10
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| ROCKMART | 14 | $5,579,300 |
| Cedartown | 10 | $9,234,300 |
ROCKMART accounts for 14 approvals against 10 in Cedartown. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Polk County
How big is Polk County
- Land area310 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Georgia counties96th of 159
- Width, east to west28.6 mi
- Height, north to south13.7 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land141
- Establishments per square mile2.16
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Polk County
What hazards affect Polk County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book4
- Of those, participating in the NFIP4
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
The EPA places the county in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L.
US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001. FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book, Community Status Book, as retrieved.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Polk County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Polk County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population43,785
- Households15,901
- Average household size2.75
- Median household income$58,515
- Median age38.0
Common questions
Polk County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Polk County, Georgia?
43,785, in 15,901 households, ranking 47th of 159 Georgia counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Polk County growing?
The population has grown 4.11 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 634 births against 592 deaths, with net migration of 203. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Polk County?
$58,515. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $187,600, which is 3.2 times income, and median gross rent is $918 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Polk County?
670 establishments, employing 10,640 people with an annual payroll of $479.4 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Polk County?
Average annual pay is $48,735, or $937 a week, across 11,149 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Polk County?
24 7(a) approvals totalling $14.8 m since FY2020, across 17 lenders, with a median approval of $575,000, plus 10 504 approvals worth $7.6 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Polk County?
147 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $38.7 m. Multifamily was 11.6 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Polk County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Polk County come from?
The largest single origin is Polk County Non-migrants, with 13,851 households. Arriving households report an average income of $49,375 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Polk County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Polk County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.