Polk County
$311.6M in FY2025 federal spending, $16,122 per capita.
North Carolina · FIPS 37149
In FY2025, Polk County in North Carolina received $311.6M in federal spending - $16,122 per capita for a population of 19,328. This is 3.0% above the national average and 30.0% above the North Carolina average. By per-capita federal spending, it ranks #4 of 100 North Carolina counties.
- Total spending
- $311.6M
- Per capita
- $16,122
- vs. national avg
- +3.0%
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
The verdict
Polk County posts top-10% federal per-capita spending nationally.
- National per-capita rank
- Top 7%
- of 3,232 US counties
- Per-capita spending
- $16,122
- North Carolina rank
- #4 of 100
How Polk County Compares
Per-capita federal spending: Polk County vs. North Carolina and the nation
Population: 19,328 (U.S. Census Bureau estimate) - the denominator behind the per-capita figures above.
How Polk County Ranks Nationally
Per-capita federal spending vs. all US counties
All 3,232 US counties, FY2025
$16,122 Top 7% higher than 93% of 3,224 US counties
Each bar is a $1K-wide band; taller bars hold more US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source USASpending.gov FY2025 + U.S. Census Bureau population estimates
Polk County Among North Carolina's Largest Counties
Population vs. per-capita spending: North Carolina's biggest counties
Read the chart as a table
| County | Population | Per capita | Total spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake County | 1,129,410 | $11,428 | $12.9B |
| Mecklenburg County | 1,115,482 | $5,240 | $5.8B |
| Guilford County | 541,299 | $7,579 | $4.1B |
| Forsyth County | 382,590 | $7,451 | $2.9B |
| Cumberland County | 334,728 | $12,871 | $4.3B |
| Durham County | 324,833 | $18,868 | $6.1B |
| Buncombe County | 269,452 | $13,420 | $3.6B |
| Union County | 238,267 | $5,561 | $1.3B |
| Gaston County | 227,943 | $6,974 | $1.6B |
| Cabarrus County | 225,804 | $5,453 | $1.2B |
| New Hanover County | 225,702 | $8,720 | $2.0B |
| Johnston County | 215,999 | $6,735 | $1.5B |
| Onslow County | 204,576 | $11,691 | $2.4B |
| Iredell County | 186,693 | $7,826 | $1.5B |
| Alamance County | 171,415 | $6,612 | $1.1B |
| Polk County (this county) | 19,328 | $16,122 | $311.6M |
Federal Spending Guides
Nearby Counties With Similar Federal Spending
Counties with per-capita federal spending closest to Polk County's $16,122 - prioritizing North Carolina peers first.
Brunswick County
North Carolina
$15,745 per capita
$2.2B total
Mcdowell County
North Carolina
$16,638 per capita
$741.7M total
Ashe County
North Carolina
$15,398 per capita
$409.2M total
Mitchell County
North Carolina
$17,227 per capita
$256.7M total
Rutherford County
North Carolina
$14,861 per capita
$957.7M total
Frequently Asked Questions
How much federal spending did Polk County, North Carolina receive?
How does Polk County's per capita spending compare to the national average?
What is the population of Polk County, North Carolina?
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and presented.
Verify with USASpending.gov → Verify population with U.S. Census Bureau →
Every figure on PlainSpending is computed directly from USASpending.gov award-transaction data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates every federal award with a place-of-performance in this county, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.