We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Oklahoma’s most recent Census data to determine the divorce rate for each city in Oklahoma based on the percentage of currently divorced residents.
The city with the highest divorce rate in Oklahoma is Pauls Valley, with 14.0% of people over 15 years of age being divorced, per the most recent census data. The city with the lowest divorce rate in Oklahoma is Stillwater.
Oklahoma is 7.0% divorced overall. There are some 225,603 people living in Oklahoma over fifteen years of age who are divorced. You can compare that to the 28,339,199 Americans who are currently divorced.
Isn’t the divorce rate in America close to 50%? Yes indeed. But we’re measuring something else; we are looking at counts and percentages of people over 15 years old who are currently divorced. That 50% statistic is for the percentage of people who have ever been divorced.
So now that we have you biting your nails, rethinking your worldview, and pulling out your hair, let’s look at the places in Oklahoma with the highest rates of divorcees.
14.0% divorced · #2 highest divorce rate in Oklahoma
Located in
Garvin County, Oklahoma
Pauls Valley is a city in and the county seat of Garvin County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 6,187 at the 2010 census, a decline of 1.1 percent from 6,256 at the 2000 census. It was settled by and named for Smith Paul, a North Carolina native who married a Chickasaw woman and became a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation before the Civil War. The town economy is largely based on agriculture and oil production.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
14.0% divorced · #2 highest divorce rate in Oklahoma
Located in
Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma
Tecumseh is a city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 6,457 at the 2010 census, a 5.9 percent increase from 6,098 at the 2000 census. It was named for the noted Shawnee chief, Tecumseh, and was designated as the county seat at Oklahoma’s statehood. A county-wide election moved the seat to Shawnee in 1930.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
13.0% divorced · #3 highest divorce rate in Oklahoma
Located in
Hughes County, Oklahoma
Holdenville is a city in and county seat of Hughes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 5,771 at the 2010 census, an increase of 22 percent from 4,732 at the 2000 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12.0% divorced · #4 highest divorce rate in Oklahoma
Located in
Caddo County, Oklahoma
Anadarko is a city in Caddo County, Oklahoma, United States. This city is fifty miles southwest of Oklahoma City. The population was 6,762 at the 2010 census, a 1.8 percent gain from 6,645 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Caddo County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12.0% divorced · #4 highest divorce rate in Oklahoma
Located in
Cleveland County, Oklahoma
Noble is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area. The population was 6,481 at the 2010 census. Noble is Cleveland County’s third-largest city behind Norman and Moore.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11.0% divorced · #8 highest divorce rate in Oklahoma
Located in
Wagoner County, Oklahoma
Wagoner is a city in Wagoner County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 8,323 at the 2010 census, compared to 7,669 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Wagoner County. It became the first city incorporated in Indian Territory on January 4, 1896.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11.0% divorced · #8 highest divorce rate in Oklahoma
Located in
McClain County, Oklahoma
Purcell is a city in McClain County, Oklahoma, United States, and the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 5,884.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11.0% divorced · #8 highest divorce rate in Oklahoma
Located in
Okmulgee County, Oklahoma
Henryetta is a city in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 5,510 at the 2010 census, down 9.6 percent from 6,096 at the 2000 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11.0% divorced · #8 highest divorce rate in Oklahoma
Located in
Craig County, Oklahoma
Vinita is a city in south-central Craig County, in northeastern Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Craig County. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,743, a decrease of 11.22 percent from 6,469 at the 2000 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11.0% divorced · #8 highest divorce rate in Oklahoma
Located in
Okmulgee County, Oklahoma
Okmulgee is a city in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population at the 2010 census was 12,321, a loss of 5.4 percent since the 2000 census figure of 13,022. It has been the capital of the Muscogee Nation since the United States Civil War. The name is from the Creek word oki mulgee which means “boiling waters” in English. Other translations put it as “babbling brook” or ‘Effluvium’. The site was chosen because of the nearby rivers and springs. Okmulgee is 38 miles south of Tulsa and 13 miles north of Henryetta via US-75.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
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
On the map
Where Oklahoma’s highest divorce rates are
Saturday Night Science
How We Determined The Places In Oklahoma That Get Un-Hitched The Most
We used Saturday Night Science to look at the U.S. Census Bureau on divorce rates. Because who likes tracking misery more than the U.S. government?
Specifically, we looked at the 2020-2024 American Community Survey table S1201 — Marital Status. Pretty straightforward on that front — we just had to extract the following column of data:
Today, the analysis focuses on the 74 places in Oklahoma with a population of over 5,000.
- Population 15 Years and Over -> Divorced
We ranked each place by the percentage of divorcees over 15 years of age from highest to lowest. We crowned the divorce capital of Oklahoma the place with the highest incidence of divorcees, Pauls Valley.
And if you’re trying to avoid divorce, check out Stillwater, the city with the lowest divorce rate in Oklahoma. We updated this article for 2026 and this list is our eleventh time ranking the cities in Oklahoma with the highest divorce rates.
The full plate
Cities With The Highest Divorce Rates In Oklahoma
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Divorcees | Divorce Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pauls Valley | 6,062 | 679 | 14.0% |
| 1 | Tecumseh | 6,332 | 709 | 14.0% |
| 3 | Holdenville | 5,902 | 614 | 13.0% |
| 4 | Anadarko | 5,572 | 535 | 12.0% |
| 4 | Noble | 7,493 | 719 | 12.0% |
| 8 | Wagoner | 8,082 | 711 | 11.0% |
| 8 | Purcell | 6,803 | 599 | 11.0% |
| 8 | Henryetta | 5,608 | 494 | 11.0% |
| 8 | Vinita | 5,300 | 466 | 11.0% |
| 8 | Okmulgee | 11,348 | 999 | 11.0% |
| 13 | Cushing | 8,367 | 669 | 10.0% |
| 13 | Durant | 19,746 | 1,580 | 10.0% |
| 13 | Guthrie | 11,243 | 899 | 10.0% |
| 13 | Sapulpa | 22,570 | 1,806 | 10.0% |
| 13 | Ponca City | 24,326 | 1,946 | 10.0% |
| 23 | Muskogee | 36,758 | 2,647 | 9.0% |
| 23 | Pryor Creek | 9,569 | 689 | 9.0% |
| 23 | Sallisaw | 8,605 | 620 | 9.0% |
| 23 | Hugo | 5,182 | 373 | 9.0% |
| 23 | Coweta | 10,433 | 751 | 9.0% |
| 23 | Poteau | 8,959 | 645 | 9.0% |
| 23 | McAlester | 18,111 | 1,304 | 9.0% |
| 23 | Shawnee | 31,671 | 2,280 | 9.0% |
| 23 | Midwest City | 58,297 | 4,197 | 9.0% |
| 23 | Ada | 16,575 | 1,193 | 9.0% |
| 23 | Claremore | 20,166 | 1,452 | 9.0% |
| 23 | El Reno | 18,557 | 1,336 | 9.0% |
| 23 | Seminole | 7,194 | 518 | 9.0% |
| 23 | Yukon | 25,529 | 1,838 | 9.0% |
| 23 | Woodward | 11,882 | 856 | 9.0% |
| 35 | Catoosa | 7,496 | 480 | 8.0% |
| 35 | Chickasha | 16,539 | 1,058 | 8.0% |
| 35 | Sand Springs | 20,117 | 1,287 | 8.0% |
| 35 | Bethany | 20,560 | 1,316 | 8.0% |
| 35 | The Village | 9,447 | 605 | 8.0% |
| 35 | Ardmore | 24,877 | 1,592 | 8.0% |
| 35 | Lone Grove | 5,125 | 328 | 8.0% |
| 35 | Del City | 21,494 | 1,376 | 8.0% |
| 35 | Glenpool | 14,151 | 906 | 8.0% |
| 46 | Owasso | 40,151 | 2,248 | 7.0% |
| 46 | Miami | 12,926 | 724 | 7.0% |
| 46 | Harrah | 6,684 | 374 | 7.0% |
| 46 | Warr Acres | 10,466 | 586 | 7.0% |
| 46 | Duncan | 22,958 | 1,286 | 7.0% |
| 46 | Enid | 50,653 | 2,837 | 7.0% |
| 46 | Bartlesville | 37,878 | 2,121 | 7.0% |
| 46 | Idabel | 6,987 | 391 | 7.0% |
| 46 | Elk City | 11,361 | 636 | 7.0% |
| 46 | Guymon | 12,539 | 702 | 7.0% |
| 46 | Moore | 63,420 | 3,552 | 7.0% |
| 46 | Mustang | 22,192 | 1,243 | 7.0% |
| 46 | Tulsa | 413,794 | 23,172 | 7.0% |
| 55 | Tahlequah | 16,935 | 813 | 6.0% |
| 55 | Newcastle | 13,001 | 624 | 6.0% |
| 55 | Collinsville | 8,878 | 426 | 6.0% |
| 55 | Kingfisher | 5,026 | 241 | 6.0% |
| 55 | Choctaw | 12,303 | 591 | 6.0% |
| 55 | Oklahoma City | 697,125 | 33,462 | 6.0% |
| 62 | Piedmont | 8,342 | 334 | 5.0% |
| 62 | Lawton | 90,595 | 3,624 | 5.0% |
| 62 | Verdigris | 5,637 | 225 | 5.0% |
| 62 | Bixby | 30,155 | 1,206 | 5.0% |
| 62 | Altus | 18,646 | 746 | 5.0% |
| 62 | Grove | 7,176 | 287 | 5.0% |
| 62 | Blackwell | 6,042 | 242 | 5.0% |
| 62 | Norman | 129,672 | 5,187 | 5.0% |
| 70 | Clinton | 8,388 | 268 | 4.0% |
| 70 | Tuttle | 8,040 | 257 | 4.0% |
| 70 | Edmond | 96,825 | 3,098 | 4.0% |
| 70 | Broken Arrow | 118,180 | 3,782 | 4.0% |
| 70 | Blanchard | 9,215 | 295 | 4.0% |
| 70 | Weatherford | 12,004 | 384 | 4.0% |
| 70 | Jenks | 27,102 | 867 | 4.0% |
| 74 | Stillwater | 49,269 | 1,182 | 3.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 74 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Getting Some Closure In Oklahoma After Untying The Knot
We now have a sense of what places in the Sooner State don’t pay much attention to the whole “’til death do we part” phrase.
The cities with the highest divorce rate in Oklahoma are Pauls Valley, Tecumseh, Holdenville, Anadarko, Noble, Wagoner, Purcell, Henryetta, Vinita, and Okmulgee.
Try to keep in mind that the reason cities rank where they do in Oklahoma could be because of the age, education, and income distribution, as all of those things impact the rate of divorce.
