Health care · County · Iowa
Medical and dental practices in Polk County, IA
The medical and dental practices in Polk County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,558 of 2,394 scored counties
#57 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 2,661
- 187 chain locations (7%)
- Official establishments
- 715
- +2.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $309.1M
- On medical and dental services · $1,505 a household
- Spending per listing
- $116K
- 24% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 129.6
- 53% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 516,546
- +4.8% since 2020
See the medical and dental practices around any address in Polk County
The site report maps the medical and dental practices on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Polk County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Household spending on medical and dental services in Polk County comes to about $309.1M a year: $1,505 per household, 17% above the U.S. average. That works out to $116K per practice, 24% below the U.S. figure of $152K.
There are 2,661 medical and dental practices on map listings in Polk County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 7% of them, against 11% across the U.S. That comes to 129.6 for every 10,000 households, 53% above the U.S. rate of 84.5.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in Polk County was 715 in 2023, up 2.9% from 2019. That is one for every 287 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. Another 229 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $6M have gone to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in Polk County.
Population estimates show Polk County grew 4.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Polk County scores 43 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for medical and dental practices, ranking #1,558 of 2,394 scored counties and #57 of 72 scored counties in Iowa.
How Polk County compares
The same measures for Iowa and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all medical and dental services by the medical and dental practices counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Polk County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 129.6 | 83.7 | 84.5 |
| Spending per listing | $116K | $169K | $152K |
| Households per official establishment | 287 | 342 | 270 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.9% | +0.7% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $1,505 | $1,412 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $83,576 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 695 → 715+2.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 10,464
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $908.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 229Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,661187 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,027The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in Polk County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Polk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 516,546+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 205,358
- Median age
- 37.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 573 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 879
- Median household income
- $83,576+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,398
- Median home value
- $262,100
- Jobs located here
- 309,340
- Daytime population
- 566,731Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Polk County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the medical and dental practices on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Polk County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardDoctors, dentists and clinics across Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for medical and dental practices, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Polk County marked.
Top counties in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Mills County, IA | 87 | 20 | 37.1 | $407K | +2.6% | #19 of 2,394 |
| 2Madison County, IA | 84 | 20 | 29.9 | $501K | +3.8% | #47 of 2,394 |
| 3Lyon County, IA | 80 | 17 | 38.0 | $371K | +3.6% | #105 of 2,394 |
| 4Mitchell County, IA | 78 | 18 | 39.2 | $350K | +0.6% | #125 of 2,394 |
| 5Guthrie County, IA | 78 | 23 | 50.0 | $287K | +1.6% | #129 of 2,394 |
| 6Buchanan County, IA | 77 | 35 | 42.4 | $324K | +1.3% | #155 of 2,394 |
| 7Warren County, IA | 77 | 112 | 54.2 | $286K | +9.0% | #161 of 2,394 |
| 8Allamakee County, IA | 76 | 21 | 35.3 | $377K | +1.2% | #172 of 2,394 |
| 9Clayton County, IA | 71 | 25 | 33.3 | $395K | −1.1% | #306 of 2,394 |
| 10Jasper County, IA | 71 | 63 | 42.0 | $325K | +0.9% | #317 of 2,394 |
| 57Polk County, IA | 43 | 2,661 | 129.6 | $116K | +4.8% | #1,558 of 2,394 |
Other business types in Polk County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
- Doctors, dentists and clinics43
- Dentists and orthodontists62
- Primary care and pediatrics58
- Urgent care and walk-in clinics84
- Chiropractors38
- Physical therapy44
- Optometrists and eye care59
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many medical and dental practices are in Polk County, IA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 2,661 medical and dental practices in Polk County. 187 of them (7%) are chain locations. The listings count every outpatient clinic and practice, and urgent care. Official counts show 715 businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in 2023, up 2.9% from 2019. Official counts list 229 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Polk County, IA spend on medical and dental services?
About $309.1M a year, or $1,505 per household. That is 17% above the U.S. average (an index of 117, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,661 medical and dental practices on map listings, it comes to $116K per practice. It is estimated from the incomes of the 205,358 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Polk County, IA compare with the U.S. for medical and dental practices?
Polk County has 129.6 medical and dental practices per 10,000 households, 53% above the U.S. rate of 84.5. Spending per practice is $116K, 24% below the U.S. figure of $152K. At the U.S. ratio of medical and dental practices to household spending, Polk County would have about 2,027, against 2,661 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 287 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Polk County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Polk County at 516,546 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 205,358 households. The median household income in Polk County is $83,576 a year, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Polk County scores 43 for medical and dental practices (lower middle), #1,558 of 2,394 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Polk County. It maps the medical and dental practices on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for medical and dental practices · All 56 business types in Polk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Polk County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Polk County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.