Like all states, Oklahoma has certain places that are going on hard times. These Oklahoma places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.
Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in Oklahoma.
To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 76 cities in Oklahoma with more than 5,000 people.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Poorest Places In Oklahoma For 2024:
What’s the poorest city in Oklahoma? According to the facts, Hugo is the poorest place in Oklahoma for 2024.
This isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.
For more Oklahoma reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Oklahoma
- Cheapest Places To Live In Oklahoma
- Most Dangerous Cities In Oklahoma
- The poorest states in the US
- The poorest cities in the US
The 10 Poorest Cities In Oklahoma For 2024
1. Hugo
/10
Population: 5,178
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $30,089 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 34.4% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 1,780
More on Hugo: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Hugo, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Oklahoma thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.
The city of 5,178 people averages the lowest median household income in Oklahoma and the 2nd highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.
2. Seminole
/10
Population: 7,144
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 2)
Median Income: $34,599 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 30.8% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,201
More on Seminole: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
The second poorest city in Oklahoma is Seminole.
The city ranks as having the 4th highest incidence of poverty and 2nd lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 14th highest in the Sooner State.
3. Idabel
/10
Population: 6,994
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 1)
Median Income: $34,683 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 29.5% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,061
More on Idabel: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Placing as the third poorest city, Idabel’s median income ranks as the 3rd lowest.
And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 29.47% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.
But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Sooner State.
4. Stillwater
/10
Population: 48,644
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 1)
Median Income: $39,998 (7th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 31.5% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 15,337
More on Stillwater: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Stillwater ranks as the fourth poorest place in Oklahoma.
The town ranks as having the 7th lowest median household income and the 3rd highest incidence of poverty in the state.
That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.
5. Sallisaw
/10
Population: 8,524
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 1)
Median Income: $44,310 (11th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 35.2% (highest)
People In Poverty: 3,003
More on Sallisaw: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
The fifth poorest city in Oklahoma is Sallisaw.
The city ranks as having the 11th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the highest in Oklahoma.
Still not the best news for Sallisaw.
6. Vinita
/10
Population: 5,207
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 1)
Median Income: $38,621 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 25.4% (10th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,322
More on Vinita: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Vinita ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Sooner State.
It ranks as having the 10th highest incidence of poverty and the 17th highest unemployment rate.
7. Henryetta
/10
Population: 5,639
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 5)
Median Income: $42,513 (9th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 26.5% (7th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,492
More on Henryetta: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Henryetta places as the seventh poorest city in Oklahoma.
The city of over 5,639 ranks as having the 7th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.
8. Okmulgee
/10
Population: 11,366
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 1)
Median Income: $38,311 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 23.3% (13th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,644
More on Okmulgee: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Okmulgee ranks as the eighth poorest city in Oklahoma.
The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as one of the highest in the state.
9. Holdenville
/10
Population: 5,900
Rank Last Year: 16 (Up 7)
Median Income: $38,232 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 22.6% (16th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,334
More on Holdenville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Holdenville couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Oklahoma; it ranks number 9.
While the median income is the 4th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Holdenville ranks as having the 16th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Oklahoma.
10. Sayre
/10
And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Oklahoma is Sayre.
The city of 5,459 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Sooner State.
Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In Oklahoma for 2024
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.
However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2018-2022 American Community Survey:
- Poverty Level
- Median Household Income
After we collected the data for all 76 places with more than 5,000 people in Oklahoma, we ranked each place from 1 to 76 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Hugo, crowned the “Poorest Place In Oklahoma For 2024”.
This report has been updated for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in Oklahoma.
Summary: The Poorest Cities In Oklahoma For 2024
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Oklahoma, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Oklahoma.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in Oklahoma, according to data:
-
Richest: Tuttle
2nd Richest: Newcastle
3rd Richest: Piedmont
For more Oklahoma reading, check out:
- Richest Cities In Oklahoma
- Safest Places In Oklahoma
- Worst Places To Live In Oklahoma
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Oklahoma
Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In Oklahoma
| Rank | City | Population | Poverty Rate | Median Income | People In Poverty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hugo | 5,178 | 34.4% | $30,089 | 1,780 |
| 2 | Seminole | 7,144 | 30.8% | $34,599 | 2,201 |
| 3 | Idabel | 6,994 | 29.5% | $34,683 | 2,061 |
| 4 | Stillwater | 48,644 | 31.5% | $39,998 | 15,337 |
| 5 | Sallisaw | 8,524 | 35.2% | $44,310 | 3,003 |
| 6 | Vinita | 5,207 | 25.4% | $38,621 | 1,322 |
| 7 | Henryetta | 5,639 | 26.5% | $42,513 | 1,492 |
| 8 | Okmulgee | 11,366 | 23.3% | $38,311 | 2,644 |
| 9 | Holdenville | 5,900 | 22.6% | $38,232 | 1,334 |
| 10 | Sayre | 5,459 | 29.3% | $45,859 | 1,601 |
| 11 | Miami | 12,995 | 22.8% | $44,010 | 2,964 |
| 12 | Alva | 5,020 | 21.9% | $41,809 | 1,099 |
| 13 | McAlester | 18,110 | 24.1% | $46,875 | 4,360 |
| 14 | Elk City | 11,494 | 25.9% | $47,903 | 2,981 |
| 15 | Muskogee | 36,933 | 22.5% | $46,825 | 8,317 |
| 16 | Weatherford | 11,999 | 24.0% | $47,851 | 2,879 |
| 17 | Anadarko | 5,723 | 25.7% | $49,770 | 1,473 |
| 18 | Pryor Creek | 9,480 | 20.6% | $46,635 | 1,950 |
| 19 | Durant | 18,759 | 19.4% | $44,593 | 3,646 |
| 20 | Pauls Valley | 6,031 | 20.1% | $45,400 | 1,211 |
| 21 | Poteau | 8,852 | 20.7% | $47,782 | 1,831 |
| 22 | Tahlequah | 16,389 | 20.7% | $49,444 | 3,399 |
| 23 | Del City | 21,682 | 20.6% | $48,200 | 4,470 |
| 24 | Cushing | 8,336 | 18.4% | $46,602 | 1,532 |
| 25 | Ada | 16,537 | 18.4% | $47,264 | 3,046 |
| 26 | Guymon | 12,743 | 23.1% | $55,526 | 2,941 |
| 27 | Shawnee | 31,391 | 20.2% | $50,695 | 6,353 |
| 28 | Blackwell | 6,132 | 18.3% | $47,333 | 1,123 |
| 29 | Tecumseh | 6,326 | 20.3% | $53,729 | 1,282 |
| 30 | El Reno | 17,474 | 19.4% | $49,988 | 3,382 |
| 31 | Sulphur | 5,025 | 21.0% | $55,951 | 1,056 |
| 32 | Lawton | 91,023 | 19.4% | $51,561 | 17,658 |
| 33 | Guthrie | 10,872 | 20.4% | $55,405 | 2,213 |
| 34 | Warr Acres | 10,424 | 18.4% | $54,221 | 1,923 |
| 35 | Ardmore | 24,784 | 17.7% | $49,408 | 4,386 |
| 36 | Duncan | 22,759 | 19.2% | $55,162 | 4,367 |
| 37 | Ponca City | 24,441 | 17.7% | $51,367 | 4,328 |
| 38 | Woodward | 12,067 | 17.6% | $54,864 | 2,127 |
| 39 | Bethany | 20,620 | 16.5% | $54,606 | 3,398 |
| 40 | Chickasha | 16,231 | 17.5% | $55,136 | 2,843 |
| 41 | Grove | 7,012 | 18.4% | $56,469 | 1,288 |
| 42 | Tulsa | 411,938 | 18.2% | $56,648 | 74,849 |
| 43 | Wagoner | 7,813 | 14.2% | $55,169 | 1,105 |
| 44 | Altus | 18,711 | 15.6% | $56,620 | 2,920 |
| 45 | Norman | 127,701 | 17.7% | $62,849 | 22,628 |
| 46 | Enid | 50,961 | 15.7% | $60,790 | 7,990 |
| 47 | Midwest City | 58,124 | 15.2% | $56,811 | 8,840 |
| 48 | Claremore | 19,724 | 12.7% | $56,257 | 2,499 |
| 49 | Bartlesville | 37,314 | 14.3% | $58,230 | 5,354 |
| 50 | Catoosa | 7,680 | 15.4% | $67,143 | 1,182 |
| 51 | Oklahoma City | 681,088 | 15.0% | $64,251 | 102,231 |
| 52 | Lone Grove | 5,026 | 15.4% | $68,433 | 773 |
| 53 | Coweta | 9,903 | 11.5% | $57,166 | 1,141 |
| 54 | Sapulpa | 22,030 | 12.2% | $62,168 | 2,698 |
| 55 | The Village | 9,479 | 12.7% | $67,524 | 1,206 |
| 56 | Harrah | 6,259 | 13.6% | $68,661 | 853 |
| 57 | Clinton | 8,499 | 9.5% | $62,368 | 805 |
| 58 | Sand Springs | 19,925 | 10.8% | $70,431 | 2,155 |
| 59 | Purcell | 6,632 | 9.9% | $68,295 | 656 |
| 60 | Collinsville | 8,073 | 12.1% | $76,866 | 973 |
| 61 | Moore | 62,685 | 10.5% | $73,285 | 6,556 |
| 62 | Glenpool | 13,683 | 9.2% | $75,876 | 1,260 |
| 63 | Noble | 7,168 | 10.7% | $84,029 | 767 |
| 64 | Yukon | 24,198 | 8.3% | $75,865 | 2,018 |
| 65 | Broken Arrow | 114,237 | 8.5% | $82,547 | 9,710 |
| 66 | Owasso | 38,134 | 7.1% | $79,183 | 2,692 |
| 67 | Mustang | 20,518 | 8.0% | $84,162 | 1,633 |
| 68 | Edmond | 94,503 | 9.5% | $96,389 | 8,939 |
| 69 | Verdigris | 5,308 | 6.1% | $83,281 | 321 |
| 70 | Choctaw | 12,154 | 6.5% | $90,241 | 791 |
| 71 | Blanchard | 8,708 | 5.4% | $86,964 | 470 |
| 72 | Bixby | 28,731 | 6.1% | $93,765 | 1,758 |
| 73 | Jenks | 25,872 | 7.7% | $101,767 | 1,999 |
| 74 | Piedmont | 7,629 | 1.1% | $86,453 | 86 |
| 75 | Newcastle | 11,508 | 3.6% | $90,469 | 415 |
| 76 | Tuttle | 7,533 | 4.4% | $98,393 | 330 |