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Polk County had 47 children in state custody for NCACC study

POLK COUNTY—While not one of the highest in the state, Polk County had 47 children in department of social service custody when the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners conducted its 2019 Map Book. 

Polk County ranked as the 64th highest in the state for children in state custody. 

Cumberland County ranked the highest with 787 children in state custody while Buncombe County was 6th highest with 389 children in state custody. 

All nearby counties ranked higher than Polk, including Henderson, Rutherford and Transylvania counties. 

Henderson County ranked 26th highest in the state with 134 children in state custody and Rutherford County ranked  27th highest in the state with 130 children in state custody. Transylvania ranked 60th highest in the state with 50 children in state custody. 

The lowest in the state were Gates County with zero children, followed by Chowan  County with 2 children in state custody. 

The figures reflect the number of children, including foster children, under placement responsibility for the county department of social services as of June 30, 2019. 

The NCACC recently released data for 2019, ranking North Carolina’s 100 counties in a variety of categories. 

The NCACC releases an annual map with data highlighting demographic, economic, health and educational information from North Carolina’s 100 counties.