Polk Township District No. 2 School · National Register of Historic Places
Polk Township’s story
Polk Township in pictures
The archive holds 3 maps from 1958 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Polk TownshipMarshall County, IN
A town of 2,743.
5 bordering townsMap →
Polk Township District No. 2 School · Photo: V locity · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
2,743
2025 Census estimate · −1.1% since 2020
Median home value
$231K
Census ACS
Household income
$76K
median
Median age
50.1
years
Jobs based here
158
A commuter town
TownGrade
B+
#249 of 585 in IN
Is Polk Township a good place to live?
Polk Township gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $231K for a typical one, or 3.2 years of the Plymouth area’s $72K median household income. It grades B+ overall, ranked 249th of 585 in Indiana. On the plus side, its schools rank ahead of 84% of Indiana towns. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 99% of U.S. towns.
What makes Polk Township stand out
Where Polk Township beats most towns.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Polk Township for work
Where Polk Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
158jobs based in Polk Township
3%of working residents work in town
19 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Polk Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Polk Township is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 3.2 of 20; 4.8% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitD−Open →SchoolsA−Open →Cost of livingA−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 26% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA−Open →HealthSaint Joseph Regional Medical Center - Plymouth 7.7 miles awayCOpen →Jobs & income$76K median household income; 158 jobs based hereB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2 miles of trails; 0% conserved landDOpen →History1 place on the National RegisterB+Open →Civic life3.9 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsBOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Polk Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Polk Township, and how to reach them.
PowerMarshall County Rural E M CEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterQueen Road Mobile Home ParkNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet10 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Polk Township’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Indiana you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereMarshall County Circuit Court ClerkMarshall County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2023
ZIP codes46574, 46563, 4657246574 62% · 46563 34% · 46572 4%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Polk Township.
Polk Township sends most of its workers to Plymouth and beyond, but it has little public open land.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Most working residents commute out of Polk Township
Polk Township has 158 jobs for its 1,182 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Polk Township for work: only 3% work in town. 15% of Polk Township residents live below the poverty line, above both the Indiana town median (10%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). The top destinations are Plymouth (15%), South Bend (10%) and Walkerton (8%).
3%work in town
| Polk Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.1% | 11% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Polk Township3%
Plymouth15%
South Bend10%
Walkerton8%
Mishawaka7%
19 mi
median commute distance
158
jobs based in Polk Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 1% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Low risk in Polk Township, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 74% of U.S. communities.
26risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthC
Polk Township is less healthy than 66% of U.S. towns
Polk Township beats the Indiana average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 39% of Polk Township adults have high blood pressure, against 39% in Indiana’s towns and 35% across U.S. towns. 40% of Polk Township adults have obesity.
34%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Polk Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 39% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 39% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 17% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 26% | 23% |
32 measures vs. Indiana
3 better27 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Polk Township | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 7.1% | 8.4% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.9% | 14.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.4% | 8.3% |
Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center - Plymouth
7.7 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
51st
percentile among IN towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Polk Township has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Polk Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 55 inches of snow falls in a winter.
55″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–35°
Spring38–60°
Summer60–82°
Fall42–62°
Oct 21
typical first frost
Apr 25
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsD
Polk Township has set aside 0.4% of its land for conservation
Just 119 of its 26,885 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Polk Township itself; its outdoors grade is D.
1.6 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves.
#374for trails in IN
0.4%
conserved · 119 of 26,885 acres
1.6 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 27 attractions →Notre Dame Stadium and 18 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Polk Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw21 mi Stadium & arenaNotre Dame Stadium
25 mi National ParkIndiana Dunes National Park2.6M visitors a year
21 mi CaveGrotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, Notre Dame
35 mi State parkWarren Dunes State Park
28 mi Ancient siteFort St. Joseph
19 mi MuseumStudebaker National MuseumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Notre Dame Stadium: Tysto, Public domain · Indiana Dunes National Park: J. Crocker, Attribution · Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, Notre Dame: Know1one1, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Warren Dunes State Park: hakkun, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort St. Joseph: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Studebaker National Museum: Unknown, Public domain
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Polk Township
18pages on Polk Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Polk Township
About 2 of every 100 Polk Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
About Polk Township
Township in Indiana, United States
Polk Township is one of ten townships in Marshall County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,781 (down from 2,824 at 2010) and it contained 1,170 housing units.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 42 sq mi
- Elevation
- 738 ft
Polk Township’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Polk Township.
North TownshipWest TownshipLincoln TownshipLiberty TownshipOregon TownshipPolk Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk Township | #249 | B+ | A− | — | A− | C |
| North Township | #251 | B+ | A+ | — | B− | C− |
| West Township | #464 | C+ | B | — | C+ | C− |
| Lincoln Township | #33 | A | A− | — | A− | B− |
| Liberty Township | #132 | A− | B+ | — | A− | B |
| Oregon Township | #423 | C+ | A | — | C− | C |
Polk Township, North Township, West Township, Lincoln Township, Liberty Township and Oregon Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Polk Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Polk Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Polk Township, IN a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Polk Township grades B+ overall, better than 67% of U.S. towns and #249 of 585 in Indiana. It grades C for health and A− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Polk Township, IN expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.