Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 16,660, settled in 1889. 2.4 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Oklahoma town.
Trash day: look up yoursAda gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $186K, 3 years of the Ada area’s $63K median household income. It grades C overall, 57th among Oklahoma's 131 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $54K, and 16% of residents live below the poverty line, and its crime rate is higher than 75% of U.S. towns, with 39 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 86% of U.S. towns. 44% of working residents work locally in Ada, against 22% in Oklahoma’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Only 7 of Oklahoma’s 205 towns score higher on civic life. Ada is home to East Central University.
Where Ada beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oklahoma), ordered by how far Ada is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,349 in 1910, 16,481 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1958 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ada, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Ada.
Ada draws workers from Oklahoma City and beyond, fares better on crime within Oklahoma than nationally and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
13,037 jobs are based in Ada, 1.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 13.7 minutes, against 22.4 across Oklahoma.
Only 4 of the 131 Oklahoma towns we compare have a lower average commute than Ada. This Oklahoma town had 13,037 jobs in 2023, up 1,484 from 2013. The top destinations are Oklahoma City (5%), Ardmore (3%) and Norman (2%). In Ada, 4.4% of workers work from home.
| Ada | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 4.4% | 6.6% | 11% |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Below: Three of its 7 schools, each with why it was picked. The Ada school district runs its public schools. The 6 public schools in Ada teach 2,622 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homer EsLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 502 | A+ |
| Ada JHSLargest public high schoolGrades 7–9 | Grades 7–9 | 581 | C |
| Ada HSTop results in townGrades 10–12 | Grades 10–12 | 576 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation
In 3 parks and preserves, walkers have 5.7 miles of trail. The biggest park or preserve is Wintersmith Park, at 117 acres. Ada’s trail density stands at 0.3 miles per square mile.
| Ada | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wintersmith Park | 0.4 mi | 117 |
| 2. Glenwood Park | — | 6 |
| 3. Harris Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 31.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 62% of Oklahoma’s graded towns.
For Ada, the level of property crime is 19.5 per 1,000 residents. The rate of reported violence here is 2.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Ada | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 19.5 per 1,000 residents | 14 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 6,946 U.S. towns with household incomes like Ada’s, it is healthier than 53%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income. Within Oklahoma it is healthier than 68% of the 131 graded towns: much of Oklahoma scores lower on these measures.
For adults in Ada, the share who have been diagnosed with depression is 26%. In Ada, 31% of adults get no exercise outside work, and 19% report frequent mental distress.
| Ada | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 34% | 33% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 19% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 26% | 23% |
| What stands out | Ada | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More adults without reliable transportation | 11.1% | 9.6% |
| Fewer adults seeing a dentist | 52.4% | 57.1% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 73.4% | 76.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
July afternoons reach 94°, January nights drop to 29° and about 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
A typical home in Ada is worth about $186,000, up 6.3% in a year, 16% below the Oklahoma typical home. Among households here, 45% own their home. Its midpoint rent is $894 a month.
| Ada | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 45% | 62% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 41% | 44% | 48% |
| Median rent | $894 a month | $870 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Only 45.3% of households own their home, against 65.8% across Oklahoma.
Ada: 31% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Adults 18 to 34 are 29% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 32% of residents (37% statewide).
| Ada | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 32.3 years | 36.3 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 16% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 26% | 25% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 20% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.3 points). Across Oklahoma, 50.2% of residents are women. Median age: women 33.7, men 31.1.
| Ada | OK | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.5% | 12.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12.6% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.9% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.4% | 13.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.2% | 11.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.4% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.4% | 9.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.7% | 6.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.2% | 10.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.2% | 30.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.2% | 22.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.8% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.1% | 18.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.5% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Ada after 10 declared disasters, most recently in 2024. On expected storm and flood damage, Ada sits above three fifths of U.S. communities. 30% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from tornadoes, followed by inland flooding at 28%. 6 flood insurance claims have been paid here since 1983.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Ada
About 6 of every 100 Ada residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Oklahoma.
Where Ada’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 places in Ada on the National Register of Historic Places.
28 notable people were born in Ada.
City in Oklahoma, United States
Ada is a city in and the county seat of Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 16,481 at the 2020 United States census. The city was named for Ada Reed, the daughter of an early settler, and was incorporated in 1901. Ada is home to East Central University, and is the capital of the Chickasaw Nation. Ada is an Oklahoma Main Street City, an Oklahoma Certified City, and a Tree City USA member.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Ada.
Byng has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Byng reports no FBI crime data of its own. Fittstown isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Ada with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ada grades C overall, better than 31% of U.S. towns and #57 of 131 in Oklahoma. It grades C for health, C for safety and B for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Ada reports more crime per resident than 75% of U.S. towns, a C Safety Grade: 39 violent and 323 property crimes in 2025.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
28 notable people were born here, including Blake Shelton and Oral Roberts.
