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Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment: is Oklahoma a good place?
The answer is unequivocally yes... if you know where to locate the best places to live in Oklahoma.
Lucky for you, we're here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Sooner State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn't our first rodeo -- we've been helping people find the best places to live in America for years.
So, the question becomes, if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Oklahoma, where would you go? To answer that we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 77 counties in the state.
After the analytic dust settled, we identified the 10 best counties to live in Sooner State for 2021.
The 10 Best Counties To Live In Oklahoma For 2021
Canadian County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Oklahoma. And you might want to avoid Okfuskee County if you can -- at least according to the data.
So if you're thinking of making the move Oklahoma, we've got you covered. Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.
Or, check out the best places to live in Oklahoma and the cheapest places to live in Oklahoma.
The Best Counties To Live In Oklahoma For 2021
1. Canadian County
Biggest Place: Oklahoma City
Population: 140,455
Median Income: $72,056 (best)
Median Home Price: $165,500.0 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 372.5% (15th best)
More on Canadian County: Photos | Data
2. Mcclain County
Biggest Place: Newcastle
Population: 39,247
Median Income: $67,662 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $177,500.0 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 370.4% (14th best)
More on Mcclain County: Photos | Data
3. Grant County
Biggest Place: Pond Creek
Population: 4,397
Median Income: $57,727 (11th best)
Median Home Price: $81,000.0 (65th best)
Unemployment Rate: 370.2% (13th best)
More on Grant County: Data
4. Logan County
Biggest Place: Guthrie
Population: 46,683
Median Income: $65,357 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $169,500.0 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 398.8% (19th best)
More on Logan County: Photos | Data
5. Woods County
Biggest Place: Alva
Population: 9,043
Median Income: $54,282 (17th best)
Median Home Price: $107,000.0 (34th best)
Unemployment Rate: 465.3% (30th best)
More on Woods County: Photos | Data
6. Wagoner County
Biggest Place: Tulsa
Population: 78,958
Median Income: $62,795 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $159,000.0 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 592.7% (50th best)
More on Wagoner County: Photos | Data
7. Cleveland County
Biggest Place: Oklahoma City
Population: 279,274
Median Income: $64,016 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $165,600.0 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 429.4% (25th best)
More on Cleveland County: Photos | Data
8. Major County
Biggest Place: Fairview
Population: 7,692
Median Income: $54,332 (16th best)
Median Home Price: $101,800.0 (40th best)
Unemployment Rate: 290.5% (6th best)
More on Major County: Data
9. Noble County
Biggest Place: Perry
Population: 11,335
Median Income: $56,117 (12th best)
Median Home Price: $103,500.0 (38th best)
Unemployment Rate: 418.2% (23rd best)
More on Noble County: Photos | Data
10. Woodward County
Biggest Place: Woodward
Population: 20,727
Median Income: $60,147 (9th best)
Median Home Price: $124,800.0 (16th best)
Unemployment Rate: 481.4% (33rd best)
More on Woodward County: Photos | Data
How do you determine which Oklahoma county is the best?
To give you the best county in Oklahoma, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we need to make some assumptions about what's a "best county" and what isn't. And, for reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you'd make at a bar using facts, don't take this analysis to court.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best sources of data on the internet; the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent time period.
We paid particular attention to:
- Violent Crime Rates
- Property Crime Rates
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Unemployment Rates
- Adult Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We then ranked each county in Oklahoma across each of the criteria from one to 77, with one being the best.
Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the "Best County To Live In Oklahoma".
The result is some of the safest, quiet, and best counties to raise a family in the Sooner State.
Read on to see why Canadian County is the best county, while Okfuskee County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Oklahoma.
There You Have It - The Best Counties In Oklahoma To Call Home For 2018
It turns out living in Oklahoma can vary from one part of the state to the next -- who woulda thought?
But now you the know the really good parts and the parts to avoid and that's why you came here to learn at the end of the day. And for that, you are welcome.
Here's a look at the worst counties in Oklahoma according to the data:
- Okfuskee County
- Mccurtain County
- Choctaw County
For more Oklahoma reading, check out:
- Best Places To Buy A House In Oklahoma
- Richest Cities In Oklahoma
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Oklahoma
- Best Places To Retire In Oklahoma
Which 5 counties did you leave out? Oklahoma has 77 counties, not 72