Polk County is a county in Missouri, United States, part of the Springfield metropolitan area. It had a population of 31,519 at the 2020 census and covers 642 square miles (1,660 km2) centred near 37°37′N 93°24′W.
Bolivar is the county seat, and its postal code is 65613. The county has 5 incorporated cities, 3 villages, and about 20 unincorporated communities. Polk County is in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Polk County
Polk County has 5 incorporated cities, 3 incorporated villages, and roughly two dozen unincorporated communities and crossroads. In the table below, City means an incorporated city, Village an incorporated village under Missouri’s fourth-class village statute, and Unincorp. an unincorporated community with no municipal government.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bolivar | City · seat | 11,588 | 65613 |
| Humansville | City | — | 65674 |
| Fair Play | City | — | 65649 |
| Pleasant Hope | City | — | — |
| Morrisville | City | — | 65710 |
| Aldrich | Village | — | 65601 |
| Flemington | Village | — | 65650 |
| Halfway | Village | — | 65663 |
| Adonis | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Brighton | Unincorp. | — | 65617 |
| Burns | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cedar Vista | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cliquot | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dunnegan | Unincorp. | — | 65640 |
| Eudora | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Goodson | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Graydon Springs | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Huckaby | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Huron | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Karlin | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Knox | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mohawk Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Polk | Unincorp. | — | 65727 |
| Rex | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rimby | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rock Prairie | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rondo | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Schofield | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sentinel | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Slagle | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sunset | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tin Town | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Van | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Violet | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Bend | Unincorp. | — | 65649 |
| Wishart | Unincorp. | — | — |
Two names on the county’s list can be confused with places elsewhere: Polk, an unincorporated community, is not the county seat — that is Bolivar — it simply shares the county’s name. West Bend shares its ZIP code (65649) with the incorporated city of Fair Play, since it has no post office of its own.
ZIP Codes
- 65613 — Bolivar
- 65674 — Humansville
- 65663 — Halfway
- 65649 — Fair Play (also serves West Bend)
- 65617 — Brighton
- 65710 — Morrisville
- 65640 — Dunnegan
- 65650 — Flemington
- 65601 — Aldrich
- 65727 — Polk
Pleasant Hope and several of the county’s smaller communities have no ZIP code of their own and share a neighboring town’s postal code.
Geography
Polk County sits on the Springfield Plateau of the Ozarks, rolling upland broken by the Sac River and Pomme de Terre River drainages. Stockton Lake’s headwaters and Pomme de Terre Lake both draw on streams that rise in the county. Land use is a mix of pasture, cropland, and remnant oak-hickory woodland.
Polk County borders Hickory County to the north, Dallas County to the east, Greene County to the south, Dade County to the southwest, Cedar County to the west, and St. Clair County to the northwest.
Demographics
Polk County had 31,519 residents at the 2020 census. Bolivar, the county seat, is by far the largest community; Humansville is the second-largest incorporated city. Median household income in Polk County runs below the Missouri median of $68,545, reflecting the county’s rural, agricultural economy. Population density is roughly 50 people per square mile.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture, particularly cattle and poultry farming, remains central to the county’s economy, alongside light manufacturing and retail centered on Bolivar. Southwest Baptist University, a private university founded in 1878, is based in Bolivar and is one of the county’s largest employers alongside Citizens Memorial Hospital and the Polk County R-I school district.
History
Polk County was organized on January 5, 1835, from part of Greene County, with its boundaries later reduced as Dade, Dallas, and Hickory counties were carved out around it. It is named for Col. Ezekiel Polk of Tennessee, a Revolutionary War soldier and the grandfather of President James K. Polk — not, as sometimes assumed locally, for the president himself.
Getting There
U.S. Route 65 and Missouri Routes 13, 32, 83, 123, and 215 cross the county, with Route 13 running north–south through Bolivar as the main commercial corridor.
- Springfield — 25 miles south
- Clinton — 45 miles north
- Lebanon — 35 miles east
- Nevada — 40 miles west
The nearest commercial airport is Springfield-Branson National Airport, about 30 miles south of Bolivar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Polk County, Missouri?
It is in southwestern Missouri, part of the Springfield metropolitan area, roughly 25 miles north of Springfield.
What is the population of Polk County?
31,519 people, according to the 2020 census.
How big is Polk County?
642 square miles (1,660 km2), of which about 7 square miles is water.
What is the county seat of Polk County?
Bolivar is the county seat.
How many towns are in Polk County?
Five incorporated cities (Bolivar, Humansville, Fair Play, Pleasant Hope, and Morrisville), three incorporated villages, and about twenty unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Polk County?
Bolivar uses 65613; other towns include Humansville (65674), Halfway (65663), Fair Play (65649), Brighton (65617), Morrisville (65710), Dunnegan (65640), Flemington (65650), Aldrich (65601), and Polk (65727).
Who is Polk County named after?
Col. Ezekiel Polk, a Revolutionary War veteran and grandfather of President James K. Polk — not the president himself, despite a common local misconception.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Missouri.