Electric companies in Polk County, Oregon
Polk County, OR ranks 4 of 36 Oregon counties for the lowest home energy burden (1.6% of income). Polk County in Oregon has 88,553 residents and 4 utilities listed by EIA, with home prices of 11.02 to 18.19 cents per kWh.
Polk County on the map
Polk County darker: more storm events
Cost of living with electricity in Polk County
Polk County, OR: electricity $1,145 a year per home (DOE LEAD), all home energy $1,647, 1.6% of $104,611 income. 28,944 households in Polk County, OR spend about $33.1 million a year on electricity and $47.7 million on all home energy. Lower-income homes in Polk County, OR ($25,673 a year) spend 5.1% of income, 3.2 times the all-home figure.
Energy burden in Polk County, OR
| Polk County, OR | Homes | Income | Power | Gas | Other | Burden |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County, OR, all households | 28,944 | $104,611 | $1,145 | $381 | $121 | 1.6% |
| Polk County, OR, lower income | 6,794 | $25,673 | $1,018 | $185 | $95 | 5.1% |
| Polk County, OR, owners | 20,961 | $120,152 | $1,217 | $483 | $151 | 1.5% |
| Polk County, OR, renters | 7,983 | $63,805 | $956 | $115 | $41 | 1.7% |
Electric utilities in Polk County
| Utility listed for Polk County, OR | Type | Home price ¢/kWh | Yearly bill at 882 kWh | Share of Polk County, OR median income of $81,318 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salem Electric in Polk County, OR | Cooperative | 11.02 | $1,166 | 1.43% |
| Consumers Power, Inc in Polk County, OR | Cooperative | 13.01 | $1,377 | 1.69% |
| PacifiCorp in Polk County, OR | Investor Owned | 14.02 | $1,484 | 1.82% |
| Portland General Electric Co in Polk County, OR | Investor Owned | 18.19 | $1,925 | 2.37% |
Prices are statewide utility averages, not a county price.
Facts about Polk County
- Residents of Polk County, OR, ACS 2023
- 88,55312 of 36 Oregon counties
- Households in Polk County, OR
- 32,5742.72 people each
- Owner-occupied homes in Polk County, OR
- 64.6%21,040 owner and 11,534 renter households
- Median household income in Polk County, OR
- $81,3189 of 36 Oregon counties
- Housing units in Polk County, OR
- 34,4461,872 vacant or seasonal, 5.4% of the units
- Homes heated by electricity in Polk County, OR
- 54.5%17,740 homes, 17 of 36 Oregon counties
- Utilities listed for Polk County, OR
- 44 with a home price: Salem Electric, Consumers Power, Inc, PacifiCorp
- Lowest home price in Polk County, OR
- 11.02 ¢/kWhSalem Electric, 39.4% below the highest
- Highest home price in Polk County, OR
- 18.19 ¢/kWhPortland General Electric Co
- Monthly bill gap in Polk County, OR
- $63between the two at 882 kWh, $759 a year, 0.93% of the Polk County, OR median income
- ZIP areas touching Polk County, OR
- 1097101 to 97396
- Outage-linked storm events in Polk County, OR
- 9NWS storm events, 2015 to 2025
- Homes built before 1980 in Polk County, OR
- 41.8%median year built 1989
- Flood claims in Polk County, OR
- 12NFIP 2015 to 2025, $123K paid
- Home energy burden in Polk County, OR
- 1.6%$1,145 a year on electricity (DOE LEAD)
Housing and heating in Polk County
Polk County, OR: 14,397 of 34,446 homes were built before 1980 and 11,146 in 2000 or later. Polk County, OR has 23,196 detached houses, 4,985 homes in 5+ unit buildings, 2,271 mobile homes, and 11,534 of 32,574 households rent.
Age of homes in Polk County, OR
% of homes by decade built, Polk County, OR
- 7pre-40
- 440s
- 550s
- 1060s
- 1670s
- 980s
- 1790s
- 1900s
- 1110s
- 220+
Heating fuel in Polk County, OR
| Polk County, OR | Value | State median | Gap | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County, OR, median year built | 1989 | 1978 | +11 years | 5 of 36 |
| Polk County, OR, built before 1980 | 41.8% | 53.7% | -11.9 points | 31 of 36 |
| Polk County, OR, built 2000 or later | 32.4% | 20.6% | +11.8 points | 3 of 36 |
| Polk County, OR, detached houses | 67.3% | 68.2% | -0.9 points | 21 of 36 |
| Polk County, OR, apartments in 5+ unit buildings | 14.5% | 8.0% | +6.5 points | 7 of 36 |
| Polk County, OR, mobile homes | 6.6% | 14.4% | -7.8 points | 30 of 36 |
| Polk County, OR, renter households | 35.4% | 31.0% | +4.4 points | 10 of 36 |
| Polk County, OR, median home value | $419,500 | $369,300 | +$50,200 | 10 of 36 |
| Polk County, OR, median gross rent a month | $1,270 | $1,140 | +$130 | 12 of 36 |
| Polk County, OR, people per household | 2.66 | 2.38 | +0.28 | 6 of 36 |
Outage risk in Polk County
Polk County, OR, NWS storm events 2015 to 2025: 9 in all, 10.2 per 100,000 residents of 88,553, rank 33 of 36 Oregon counties.
Events by year in Polk County, OR
events a year, Polk County, OR
- 0'15
- 0'16
- 0'17
- 0'18
- 0'19
- 0'20
- 1'21
- 0'22
- 0'23
- 2'24
- 6'25
Events by type
| Polk County, OR | FEMA | Score | Rank | Events | Peak | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County, OR, thunderstorm and high wind | Very Low | 11.6 | 23 of 36 | 6 | 2025 (3) | $0 |
| Polk County, OR, tornado | Very Low | 12.7 | 10 of 36 | 0 | none | $0 |
| Polk County, OR, ice storm | Relatively Moderate | 64.5 | 13 of 36 | 3 | 2025 (3) | $0 |
| Polk County, OR, winter storm and heavy snow | Relatively Low | 34.4 | 26 of 36 | 0 | none | $0 |
| Polk County, OR, heat wave | Relatively Moderate | 87.4 | 11 of 36 | 0 | none | $0 |
Polk County, OR, no score or events: hurricane and tropical storm.
Flood claims and flood insurance in Polk County
Polk County, OR: 12 NFIP flood claims in 2015 to 2025, $123K paid, median paid claim $6,479.
359 of 30,081 residential structures in Polk County, OR carry an NFIP contract. 433 NFIP policies of any type were in force in Polk County, OR on 8 Sep 2026.
Polk County, OR: claims history, not an outage count.
| Polk County, OR | Value | Median county | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County, OR, claims 2015-2025 | 12 | — | 17 of 21 |
| Polk County, OR, paid 2015-2025 | $123K | — | 17 of 21 |
| Polk County, OR, median paid claim | $6,479 | — | — |
| Polk County, OR, claims per 1,000 homes | 0.4 | 0.6 | 12 of 21 |
| Polk County, OR, homes with flood insurance | 1.2% | 1.0% | 10 of 34 |
| Polk County, OR, policies in force | 433 | — | — |
| Polk County, OR, repetitive-loss properties | <5 | — | — |
Polk County, OR: OpenFEMA NFIP, claims as of 8 Sep 2026, insured share as of 3 Aug 2026; counts under 5 are hidden.
Polk County: flood claims by state, flood hub.
Analyst note on Polk County
Polk County, OR counts 88,553 residents in 32,574 households. Household income in Polk County, OR is $81,318; 21,040 of its 32,574 households own. Polk County, OR touches 10 ZIP areas, 97101 to 97396, about 8,855 residents each.
17,740 of the 32,574 homes in Polk County, OR heat with electricity. Polk County, OR has 34,446 housing units, 1,872 (5.4%) vacant or seasonal, and 11,534 rented homes. Polk County, OR logged 9 storm events for its 88,553 residents.
The median home in Polk County, OR dates from 1989. Homes in Polk County, OR pay $1,145 a year for electricity. Polk County, OR home prices run Salem Electric to Portland General Electric Co, $63 a month apart at 882 kWh.
Bill and heat pump calculator, Polk County
Compare Polk County with its neighbours
- Yamhill County sits 24 miles north of Polk County, OR with 108,122 residents, 6 storm events, median home built 1989, energy burden 1.8%, income $87,084.
- Benton County sits 29 miles south of Polk County, OR with 96,359 residents, 9 storm events, median home built 1979, energy burden 1.5%, income $76,011.
- Marion County sits 30 miles east of Polk County, OR with 346,532 residents, 17 storm events, median home built 1979, energy burden 2.0%, income $74,624.
- Washington County sits 43 miles north of Polk County, OR with 600,266 residents, 11 storm events, median home built 1990, energy burden 1.5%, income $104,434.
- Linn County sits 39 miles southeast of Polk County, OR with 129,794 residents, 18 storm events, median home built 1978, energy burden 1.8%, income $73,396.
ZIP codes in Polk County
- 97101
- 97304
- 97338
- 97344
- 97347
- 97351
- 97361
- 97371
- 97378
- 97396
Oregon: home prices since 2001, planned plants.
Questions on Polk County
Polk County, OR: what do homes pay for electricity?
Polk County, OR homes paid 11.02 to 18.19 cents per kWh in 2024 across 4 listed utilities: $97 to $160 a month at 882 kWh, 1.43% to 2.37% of Polk County, OR income.
Polk County, OR: how many homes heat with electricity?
Polk County, OR: 17,740 of 32,574 occupied homes, 54.5%, rank 17 of 36.
Polk County, OR: median household income?
$81,318 in Polk County, OR, rank 9 of 36; 88,553 residents, 32,574 households.
Polk County, OR: outage-linked storms since 2015?
Polk County, OR: 9 NWS events, peak year 2025.
Polk County, OR: flood insurance claims since 2015?
Polk County, OR: 12 NFIP flood claims, $123K paid, 0.4 per 1,000 homes, 1.2% of homes insured.
How old are the homes in Polk County, OR?
Polk County, OR: median home built 1989; 41.8% predate 1980, 67.3% detached, 14.5% in 5+ unit buildings.
Polk County, OR: share of income for energy?
Polk County, OR homes spend $1,145 a year on electricity, $1,647 on all energy: 1.6% of $104,611; 5.1% for lower incomes.