You’ve seen these lists before. Best places to live in Oklahoma. Best suburbs in Oklahoma. Best counties in Oklahoma.
Etc., etc., etc.
But they all focus on major cities and towns in the Sooner State, and no one pays attention to the little guy.
Well, that’s all about to change as we put together a list of the superb small towns in Oklahoma based on numbers–not opinions or hearsay.
We’ll dive right into our methodology in the next section, but first, we thought you might want to know which places in Oklahoma ranked the best based on Saturday Night Science.
$207,567 median income · 0.3% unemployment
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$94,063 median income · 0.8% unemployment
$97,861 median income · 2.7% unemployment
$83,125 median income · 2.6% unemployment
$68,378 median income · 4.0% unemployment
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$72,065 median income · 1.5% unemployment
$96,970 median income · 1.2% unemployment
$81,250 median income · 1.2% unemployment
$53,587 median income · 1.4% unemployment
Perry is a city in, and county seat of, Noble County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 5,126, a 2.0 percent decrease from 5,230 at the 2000 census The city is arguably best known as the birthplace of Ditch Witch construction equipment.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$71,458 median income · 4.6% unemployment
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Oklahoma’s statewide median.
Oklahoma statewide median: $65,039
Oklahoma statewide median: $220,468
Oklahoma statewide median: 5.0%
On the map
Where Oklahoma’s best small towns are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In Oklahoma
We threw a lot of criteria at this report to get the best, most complete results of the best small towns in Oklahoma possible.
Using the most recent data from the Census’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Saturday Night Science, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (Higher is better)
- Lowest Unemployment Rates
- Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
- Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
- Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
- Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
- Commute Times (Lower is better)
We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which there were many – 156 to be exact.
We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 156, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in Oklahoma. Top of that list — Nichols Hills.
This is our eleventh time ranking the best small places to live in Oklahoma.
The full plate
Best Small Towns In Oklahoma
Click any column to sort. Search by town name.
| Rank | Town | Population | Median Income | Median Home Value | Unemployment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nichols Hills | 3,843 | $207,567 | $959,117 | 0.3% |
| 2 | Okarche | 1,293 | $94,063 | $252,543 | 0.8% |
| 3 | Justice | 1,530 | $97,861 | $265,599 | 2.7% |
| 4 | McCord | 1,553 | $83,125 | $223,337 | 2.6% |
| 5 | Fort Gibson | 3,808 | $68,378 | $234,883 | 4.0% |
| 6 | Buffalo | 1,092 | $72,065 | $58,229 | 1.5% |
| 7 | Cashion | 1,148 | $96,970 | $328,714 | 1.2% |
| 8 | Dickson | 1,231 | $81,250 | $244,865 | 1.2% |
| 9 | Perry | 4,452 | $53,587 | $132,584 | 1.4% |
| 10 | Fletcher | 1,309 | $71,458 | $211,245 | 4.6% |
| 11 | Goodwell | 1,122 | $88,424 | $175,777 | 6.1% |
| 12 | Goldsby | 3,085 | $103,333 | $421,058 | 2.4% |
| 13 | Central High | 1,489 | $75,435 | $273,185 | 2.4% |
| 14 | Jones | 3,053 | $77,371 | $350,101 | 2.5% |
| 15 | Sulphur | 4,874 | $66,957 | $170,581 | 1.5% |
| 16 | Elgin | 3,608 | $96,250 | $297,759 | 7.2% |
| 17 | Calera | 3,007 | $64,449 | $233,193 | 1.0% |
| 18 | Byng | 1,316 | $75,625 | $207,010 | 5.5% |
| 19 | Kiefer | 2,639 | $83,317 | $242,704 | 3.0% |
| 20 | Bethel Acres | 3,165 | $75,909 | $255,859 | 2.3% |
| 21 | Beaver | 1,586 | $56,078 | $107,153 | 0.9% |
| 22 | Luther | 1,627 | $51,827 | $282,377 | 1.7% |
| 23 | Cache | 3,074 | $65,536 | $207,928 | 9.5% |
| 24 | New Cordell | 2,740 | $73,107 | $88,389 | 4.4% |
| 25 | Caddo | 1,109 | $51,923 | $208,301 | 1.9% |
| 26 | Waukomis | 1,076 | $61,339 | $138,863 | 1.2% |
| 27 | Oologah | 1,774 | $79,886 | $289,244 | 7.6% |
| 28 | Thomas | 1,170 | $62,500 | $155,512 | 3.5% |
| 29 | Union City | 1,722 | $105,833 | $243,401 | 2.9% |
| 30 | Cleora | 1,477 | $82,321 | $409,971 | 6.0% |
| 31 | Chouteau | 2,129 | $60,208 | $210,057 | 8.3% |
| 32 | Grandview | 1,251 | $73,688 | $181,847 | 0.0% |
| 33 | Geronimo | 1,155 | $73,611 | $116,968 | 7.5% |
| 34 | North Enid | 1,136 | $79,554 | $181,466 | 6.1% |
| 35 | Mooreland | 1,330 | $54,728 | $136,610 | 0.0% |
| 36 | Alva | 4,982 | $40,709 | $103,089 | 4.9% |
| 37 | Hennessey | 2,567 | $70,181 | $186,509 | 3.0% |
| 38 | Morris | 1,555 | $58,716 | $196,274 | 4.3% |
| 39 | Newkirk | 2,043 | $52,639 | $132,334 | 3.5% |
| 40 | McLoud | 4,425 | $63,469 | $232,723 | 1.5% |
| 41 | Hinton | 4,909 | $65,278 | $141,462 | 2.0% |
| 42 | Tonkawa | 3,014 | $58,767 | $101,322 | 4.9% |
| 43 | Cleveland | 3,225 | $55,357 | $137,273 | 4.6% |
| 44 | Hydro | 1,157 | $40,341 | $160,278 | 6.6% |
| 45 | Minco | 1,607 | $61,000 | $182,829 | 4.8% |
| 46 | Marlow | 4,451 | $56,655 | $123,295 | 3.0% |
| 47 | Spencer | 3,928 | $59,861 | $145,398 | 8.7% |
| 48 | Mannford | 3,269 | $60,521 | $212,856 | 5.8% |
| 49 | Cherokee | 1,509 | $58,860 | $62,544 | 6.1% |
| 50 | Apache | 1,034 | $59,375 | $110,830 | 2.0% |
| 51 | Nicoma Park | 2,566 | $62,447 | $190,804 | 3.5% |
| 52 | Pocola | 4,423 | $50,545 | $183,404 | 2.9% |
| 53 | Hooker | 1,786 | $48,571 | $152,525 | 6.3% |
| 54 | Pawhuska | 2,930 | $46,298 | $107,902 | 3.0% |
| 55 | Mangum | 2,755 | $49,470 | $60,044 | 11.9% |
| 56 | Gore | 1,114 | $63,036 | $190,478 | 8.0% |
| 57 | Boise City | 1,125 | $43,393 | $76,861 | 0.0% |
| 58 | Kellyville | 1,047 | $53,393 | $172,143 | 2.0% |
| 59 | Inola | 2,011 | $58,558 | $263,323 | 8.0% |
| 60 | Medford | 1,016 | $48,942 | $91,496 | 2.7% |
| 61 | Granite | 1,650 | $60,000 | $90,488 | 5.0% |
| 62 | Fairview | 2,687 | $54,688 | $126,871 | 3.6% |
| 63 | Slaughterville | 4,251 | $72,944 | $233,330 | 6.3% |
| 64 | Pawnee | 1,886 | $41,471 | $85,112 | 2.8% |
| 65 | Kingston | 1,742 | $45,536 | $241,521 | 2.2% |
| 66 | Atoka | 2,894 | $44,087 | $186,700 | 2.3% |
| 67 | Tyrone | 1,082 | $2,499 | $144,274 | 10.8% |
| 68 | Broken Bow | 4,226 | $39,895 | $342,018 | 1.6% |
| 69 | Shattuck | 1,212 | $54,868 | $84,945 | 8.3% |
| 70 | Walters | 2,091 | $54,425 | $106,807 | 3.6% |
| 71 | Crescent | 1,527 | $62,813 | $162,464 | 4.8% |
| 72 | Wynnewood | 1,756 | $40,156 | $154,445 | 1.6% |
| 73 | Roland | 3,687 | $51,754 | $186,821 | 3.0% |
| 74 | Fairland | 1,207 | $42,625 | $210,461 | 5.0% |
| 75 | Helena | 1,557 | $61,500 | $92,109 | 8.7% |
| 76 | Lindsay | 2,884 | $52,000 | $108,574 | 6.1% |
| 77 | Prague | 2,155 | $50,893 | $184,281 | 3.6% |
| 78 | Krebs | 2,119 | $45,893 | $125,874 | 3.4% |
| 79 | Rush Springs | 1,299 | $45,125 | $165,878 | 3.7% |
| 80 | Locust Grove | 1,453 | $49,398 | $183,704 | 3.5% |
| 81 | Okeene | 1,212 | $57,917 | $122,634 | 10.5% |
| 82 | Maysville | 1,399 | $60,931 | $120,392 | 2.0% |
| 83 | Pink | 2,206 | $72,396 | $206,381 | 5.1% |
| 84 | Longtown | 2,716 | $56,333 | $203,254 | 5.1% |
| 85 | Marietta | 2,865 | $51,838 | $180,032 | 4.9% |
| 86 | Dewey | 3,412 | $42,695 | $140,910 | 4.7% |
| 87 | Snyder | 1,297 | $41,099 | $66,877 | 2.6% |
| 88 | Oakhurst | 2,175 | $57,222 | $162,868 | 5.8% |
| 89 | Okemah | 3,063 | $32,386 | $138,787 | 1.5% |
| 90 | Texanna | 2,401 | $50,789 | $209,875 | 5.2% |
| 91 | Copeland | 1,401 | $57,558 | $136,275 | 4.5% |
| 92 | Carnegie | 1,521 | $43,839 | $75,256 | 5.0% |
| 93 | Perkins | 3,262 | $35,456 | $219,088 | 4.2% |
| 94 | Frederick | 3,445 | $44,595 | $54,374 | 5.0% |
| 95 | Meeker | 1,172 | $41,190 | $208,824 | 4.1% |
| 96 | Davis | 2,814 | $51,875 | $172,163 | 5.6% |
| 97 | Muldrow | 3,309 | $45,067 | $188,134 | 6.2% |
| 98 | Sperry | 1,066 | $49,583 | $120,827 | 5.1% |
| 99 | Madill | 4,004 | $47,522 | $170,873 | 6.4% |
| 100 | Wilson | 1,725 | $60,625 | $153,849 | 2.9% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024 via Saturday Night Science. 156 Oklahoma towns between 1,000 and 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones
We said it once, and we’ll say it again — this list: it’s just science. We did the research, crunched the numbers, and it turns out these small towns in Oklahoma are the best in which to live.
And who can argue with that?
The best small towns in Oklahoma are Nichols Hills, Okarche, Justice, McCord, Fort Gibson, Buffalo, Cashion, Dickson, Perry, and Fletcher.
