Polk County is a county in Wisconsin, United States, on the St. Croix River along the Minnesota border. It had a population of 44,977 at the 2020 census and covers 914 square miles (2,370 km2) of land, centred near 45°28′N 92°26′W.
Balsam Lake is the county seat, and its postal code is 54810. The county has 2 incorporated cities, 10 villages and 23 towns, plus roughly two dozen unincorporated communities. Polk County is in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Polk County
Polk County has 12 incorporated municipalities — Amery and St. Croix Falls are cities, the rest are villages — alongside its 23 civil towns and a long list of unincorporated crossroads communities. Amery, on the western edge of the county, is the largest city. In the table below, “City” and “Village” are incorporated; “Unincorp.” means the place has no municipal government of its own and sits inside one of the towns listed in the Townships section.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amery | City | 2,894 | 54001 |
| Balsam Lake | Village · seat | 1,003 | 54810 |
| St. Croix Falls | City | 2,232 | 54024 |
| Centuria | Village | 942 | 54824 |
| Clayton | Village | 551 | 54004 |
| Clear Lake | Village | 1,059 | 54005 |
| Dresser | Village | 1,001 | 54009 |
| Frederic | Village | 1,050 | 54837 |
| Luck | Village | 1,140 | 54853 |
| Milltown | Village | 903 | 54858 |
| Osceola | Village | 2,687 | 54020 |
| Turtle Lake | Village | — | 54889 |
| Clam Falls | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Atlas | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bunyan | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cushing | Unincorp. | — | 54829 |
| Deronda | Unincorp. | — | — |
| East Farmington | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Eureka Center | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fox Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Horse Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Indian Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Joel | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lamar | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lewis | Unincorp. | — | 54851 |
| Little Falls | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lykens | Unincorp. | — | — |
| McKinley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Nye | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Range | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Richardson | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sand Lake | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ubet | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wanderoos | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Denmark | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Sweden | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wolf Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
The old list also carried “Wanderoos”, “Ubet” and “Nye” — all genuine crossroads hamlets in the county’s eastern towns, kept above. No duplicates were found.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Osceola | — | Osceola village area, Fox Creek |
| Farmington | — | East Farmington |
| Clayton | — | Clayton village area |
| Clam Falls | — | Clam Falls, Range |
| Alden | — | Alden |
| Apple River | — | Apple River |
| Balsam Lake | — | Balsam Lake village area |
| Beaver | — | Beaver |
| Black Brook | — | Black Brook |
| Bone Lake | — | Bone Lake |
| Eureka | — | Eureka Center |
| Garfield | — | Garfield |
| Georgetown | — | Georgetown |
| Johnstown | — | Johnstown |
| Laketown | — | Laketown |
| Lincoln | — | Lincoln |
| Lorain | — | Lorain |
| Luck | — | Luck village area |
| McKinley | — | McKinley, Richardson |
| Milltown | — | Milltown village area |
| St. Croix Falls | — | St. Croix Falls city area |
| Sterling | — | Lewis |
| West Sweden | — | West Sweden, West Denmark |
2020 census figures for individual towns were not verified for this rewrite and are omitted rather than guessed; the county total above is confirmed by the U.S. Census Bureau.
ZIP Codes
- 54001 — Amery
- 54810 — Balsam Lake (also serves Bunyan, Sand Lake)
- 54024 — St. Croix Falls
- 54824 — Centuria
- 54004 — Clayton
- 54005 — Clear Lake
- 54009 — Dresser
- 54837 — Frederic (also serves Clam Falls)
- 54853 — Luck
- 54858 — Milltown
- 54020 — Osceola
- 54889 — Turtle Lake
- 54829 — Cushing
- 54851 — Lewis
Smaller unincorporated communities such as Atlas, Deronda, Eureka Center, Horse Creek, Indian Creek, Joel, Lamar, Little Falls, Lykens, McKinley, Nye, Range, Richardson, Ubet, Wanderoos, West Denmark, West Sweden and Wolf Creek share a ZIP with the nearest post-office town rather than having their own.
Geography
Polk County sits in northwestern Wisconsin on the St. Croix River, which forms the county’s western and southwestern border with Minnesota. The terrain is a mix of rolling farmland, pine and hardwood woodlots, and hundreds of small glacial lakes; Bone Lake, Balsam Lake and Wapogasset Lake are among the larger. Roughly 4.4% of the county’s area is water.
Polk County borders Burnett County to the north, Barron County to the east, Dunn County to the southeast, St. Croix County to the south, and across the St. Croix River, Chisago County and Washington County, Minnesota, to the west and southwest.
Demographics
The 2020 census counted 44,977 residents of Polk County, a density of about 49 people per square mile. Amery (2,894) and St. Croix Falls (2,232) are the two largest communities. Median household income in the county runs below the Wisconsin median of $74,631, reflecting the county’s rural, agricultural and tourism-based economy.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture, forestry and tourism drive Polk County’s economy. Dairy and cash-crop farms cover much of the countryside, while the county’s many lakes and its stretch of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway draw seasonal cabin owners and visitors from the Minneapolis–St. Paul metro area, about an hour’s drive southwest. Amery Regional Medical Center and the Amery School District are among the county’s larger employers. Interstate State Park, split by the river at St. Croix Falls, is a regional draw for its basalt dalles and glacial pothole formations.
History
Polk County was organized in 1853 and named for James K. Polk, the eleventh U.S. president. Like much of northwestern Wisconsin, its early economy centred on white pine logging along the St. Croix and Apple rivers before the cutover-era shift to dairy farming in the early 1900s. St. Croix Falls, one of the oldest European-American settlements on the upper St. Croix, grew around a 19th-century sawmill and dam site.
Getting There
U.S. Highways 8 and 63 and Wisconsin Highways 35, 46, 48, 65, 87 and 243 cross the county. Selected distances from Balsam Lake:
- Amery — 12 miles west
- St. Croix Falls — 14 miles south
- Osceola — 20 miles southwest
- Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota — about 55 miles southwest
Amery Municipal Airport (KAHH) serves general aviation; the nearest commercial airport is Minneapolis–St. Paul International.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Polk County, Wisconsin?
It is in northwestern Wisconsin on the St. Croix River, bordering Minnesota.
What is the population of Polk County?
44,977 at the 2020 census.
How big is Polk County?
914 square miles (2,370 km2) of land, plus 42 square miles (110 km2) of water.
What is the county seat of Polk County?
Balsam Lake is the county seat.
How many towns and villages are in Polk County?
2 cities, 10 villages, 23 towns and about two dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Polk County?
Codes include 54001 (Amery), 54810 (Balsam Lake), 54024 (St. Croix Falls), 54824 (Centuria) and 54837 (Frederic), among others listed above.
What is Polk County known for?
Its hundreds of lakes, the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and Interstate State Park at St. Croix Falls.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Wisconsin.