Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Blackwell gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $63K for a typical one, or 1.1 years of the Ponca City area’s $58K median household income. It grades C− overall, 76th among Oklahoma's 131 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 94% of the country, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 70% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On history, just 14 of Oklahoma’s 229 towns do better.
Where Blackwell beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Electric Park Pavilion| Widest gap | Blackwell | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.9% | 16.4% |
7,092 counted in 2010 and 6,085 in 2020; an estimated 6,029 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oklahoma), ordered by how far Blackwell is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,283 in 1900, a peak of 9,588 in 1960, 6,085 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1968 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Blackwell, 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 Blackwell.
Blackwell has homes that are cheap against local pay and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Oklahoma; it also has a long record of flood insurance claims.
At 1.1 years of the Ponca City area’s $58K median household income, the typical home (about $63K) costs less against local pay than in 98% of Oklahoma towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living. Values fell 6.7% in the past year while the Oklahoma typical home rose 2.6%.
Typical home values fell 6.7% in the year to September 2026. Blackwell’s median rent is $809 a month, near the Oklahoma town median ($875 a month) and below the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
| Blackwell | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $809 a month | $875 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 62% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Blackwell school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Blackwell HS, with 353 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackwell EsLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 507 | A |
| Blackwell HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 353 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation
21% of Blackwell adults smoke cigarettes, against 18% in Oklahoma’s towns and 14% across U.S. towns. 44% of adults have high blood pressure in Blackwell. Blackwell beats the Oklahoma average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14.
| Blackwell | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 40% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 41% | 35% |
| What stands out | Blackwell | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.9% | 16.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.4% | 8% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.9% | 3.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Blackwell’s property crime rate is 22.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Blackwell | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 22.3 per 1,000 residents | 14 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Jobs based here fell from 2,070 in 2013 to 1,366.
About one in 5 of Blackwell’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Blackwell fell to 1,366 in 2023, 704 fewer than in 2013. 15% of Blackwell residents live below the poverty line.
| Blackwell | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 22% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 18% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Blackwell | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 4.2% | 7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Riverside Park | 0.5 mi | 9 |
| 2. Legion Park | 0.5 mi | 8 |
| 3. Blackwell Fairgrounds | — | 18 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
118 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 15 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1984, 118 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Blackwell.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Blackwell 1ssw weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 199 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 87% of Oklahoma places with climate records. January nights average 24.4°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 89% of Oklahoma places with climate records; July afternoons average 93.8°.
Blackwell has chilly winters and hot summers. The July high in Blackwell is 94°F. Only 5 of the 131 Oklahoma towns we compare have a lower January low than Blackwell.
| Blackwell | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 94°F | 93°F | 85°F |
| January low | 24°F | 28°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1 within 15 miles of the center of Blackwell
About 4 of every 100 Blackwell residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oklahoma.
8 places in Blackwell on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Blackwell.
City in Oklahoma, United States
Blackwell is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States, located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 177 and State Highway 11 along Interstate 35. The population was 6,085 as of the 2020 census. Blackwell was established following the September 16, 1893 Cherokee Outlet land run by A. J. Blackwell. Blackwell has an agricultural and fossil fuel based economy.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Blackwell grades C− overall, better than 23% of U.S. towns and #76 of 131 in Oklahoma. It grades D for health, C− for safety and B for schools. Health 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.
6 notable people were born here, including Brad Penny and Cody Gibson.
