Is Polk, PA a Good Place to Live?
Polk is a small town of 795 in Pennsylvania, with a median household income of $58,611 and a 7.0% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 89 (US average = 100), which is 11% below the national average.
Strengths: Polk stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, short average commutes.
Trade-offs: Potential downsides include an elevated unemployment rate. Whether Polk is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Polk city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 88.7Polk's overall cost of living index is 88.7, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Polk costs roughly 11% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Polk, PA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $84,800 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $636 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 75.4% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $58,611 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Very SafePolk's violent crime rate is 49.3 per 100,000 residents — 87% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
| Metric | Polk, PA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | N/A | — |
| Elementary Schools | N/A | — |
| Middle Schools | N/A | — |
| High Schools | N/A | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | N/A | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 10.3% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 67.4% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Polk sees average highs of 33.7°F in January and 82.7°F in July, with 46.3 inches of annual precipitation and 53.7 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Polk, PA |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 33.7°F |
| Average High — July | 82.7°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 46.3" |
| Annual Snowfall | 53.7" |
Demographics
| Metric | Polk, PA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 795 | — |
| Median Age | 53.4 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 7.0% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 24.0 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 91.8% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 2.0% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2.4% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 13.3% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 28.4% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in Polk
Polk, PA is covered by 1 ZIP code: