Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Atoka gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $186K, 3.4 years of the county’s $55K median household income. It grades C− overall, ranked 92nd of 131 in Oklahoma. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its police reported 24 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 98% of U.S. towns, and CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 93% of the country. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 89% of U.S. towns. Atoka’s violent crime rate is 8.2 per 1,000 residents, above both the Oklahoma town median (2.7) and the median of U.S. towns (1.6). Only 3 of Oklahoma’s 229 towns score higher on history. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 82% of U.S. communities, with hail at the top.
Where Atoka beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Joe Ralls House
Its founding year, 1830, comes before those of 98% of the Oklahoma towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 1,968 in 1910, 3,195 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1905 and 3 maps from 1899 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oklahoma), ordered by how far Atoka is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 89% of comparable towns) to D− for safety (better than 2%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Atoka, 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 Atoka.
Atoka trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has seen reported crime rise by about half.
Reported crimes rose from 154 to 228 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Property crime runs at 69.4 per 1,000 residents, 4 times the Oklahoma rate, most of it theft.
The property crime rate in Atoka is 69.4 per 1,000 residents. Atoka reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 98% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Atoka school district. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atoka EsLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 558 | B− |
| Atoka HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 265 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation
Against the 3,702 U.S. towns with household incomes like Atoka’s, it is less healthy than 72%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. Within Oklahoma it is less healthy than 72% of the 131 graded towns: much of Oklahoma scores lower on these measures.
22% of Atoka adults smoke cigarettes. Atoka beats the Oklahoma average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 36% of Atoka adults get no exercise outside work.
| Atoka | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 34% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 23% | 19% |
| What stands out | Atoka | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 24.6% | 16.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.8% | 8% |
| More smokers | 21.8% | 16.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Among 131 Oklahoma towns, just 9 have a higher FEMA risk score than Atoka.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Atoka City Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
July afternoons average 94.5°, hotter than in 95% of U.S. towns; January nights average 29.6°.
Atoka has mild winters and hot summers. Atoka’s July high is 95°F. About 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Atoka | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 95°F | 93°F | 85°F |
| January low | 30°F | 28°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 4 of Atoka’s working residents works in town. 17% of residents live below the poverty line in Atoka. Jobs based in Atoka fell to 1,850 in 2023, 185 fewer than in 2013.
| Atoka | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 22% | 8% |
| Median household income | $44,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 18% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Homes are within reach (about $186K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 31 miles. The median property tax bill is $719, against $1,599 across Oklahoma, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Atoka home is worth about $186,000, up 3.9% in a year, 16% below the Oklahoma typical home.
| Atoka | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 51% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $680 a month | $875 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
People 65 and older are 22% of residents (16% statewide). Atoka has grown 3.7% since 2020, to 2,975 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 21% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 28% across Oklahoma.
| Atoka | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 38 years | 36.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 22% | 25% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 21% | 20% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.6 points. Across Oklahoma, 50.2% of residents are women.
| Atoka | OK | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.4% | 12.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.4% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.5% | 13.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.2% | 11.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.9% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.6% | 9.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.9% | 6.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 21% | 10.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.6% | 30.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.7% | 22.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.3% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14.1% | 18.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.4% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,000, single groups can be off by several points
None within 15 miles of Atoka; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Atoka residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Oklahoma.
11 places in Atoka on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Atoka.
City in Oklahoma, US
Atoka is a city in and the county seat of Atoka County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,195 as of the 2020 Census, a 2.4% increase over the 3,107 reported at the 2010 census, which was itself an increase of 4.0 percent from the figure of 2,988 in 2000. The city was settled by the Choctaw and named in 1867 by a Baptist missionary for Chief Atoka, whose name means "ball ground" in English.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Atoka grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #92 of 131 in Oklahoma. It grades D for health, D− for safety and B for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
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 A−.
3 notable people were born here, including Lowell Fulson and Lloyd Russell.
