Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Bristow gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $124K for a typical one, or 1.8 years of the Tulsa metro’s $69K median household income. It grades C overall, 49th among Oklahoma's 131 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 92% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and its crime rate is higher than 81% of U.S. towns, with 22 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. On the plus side, 10% of its land is conserved. 29% of residents live below the poverty line in Bristow, where Oklahoma’s towns sit at 18% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Among 130 Oklahoma towns, just 2 have a lower median rent than Bristow. Bristow is more walkable than 76% of U.S. towns.
Where Bristow beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 626 in 1900, a peak of 6,630 in 1930, 4,248 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1916 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oklahoma), ordered by how far Bristow is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bristow, 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 Bristow.
Bristow trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and trades workers with Tulsa and other neighbors.
Against the 2,078 U.S. towns with household incomes like Bristow’s, it is less healthy than 54%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. Within Oklahoma it is less healthy than 71% of the 131 graded towns: much of Oklahoma scores lower on these measures.
21% of Bristow adults smoke cigarettes. Bristow beats the Oklahoma average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 42% of Bristow adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Bristow | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 34% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | Bristow | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 20.9% | 16.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.2% | 8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.4% | 16.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Bristow school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Bristow HS, with 495 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edison EsLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 468 | – |
| Bristow HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 495 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $124K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 32 miles. At 1.8 years of the Tulsa metro’s $69K median household income, the typical home (about $124K) costs less against local pay than in 85% of Oklahoma towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
44% of households own their home in Bristow. The typical Bristow home is worth about $124,000, about the same as a year ago, 44% below the Oklahoma typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The violent crime rate in Bristow is 5.1 per 1,000 residents. Bristow reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 81% report less. The property crime rate in Bristow is 18.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Bristow | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 18.4 per 1,000 residents | 14 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Bristow weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 196 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 90% of Oklahoma places with climate records. July afternoons average 92.4°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 75% of Oklahoma places with climate records; January nights average 26.3°.
Bristow has chilly winters and hot summers. Bristow’s July high is 92°F. About 7 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Bristow | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 92°F | 93°F | 85°F |
| January low | 26°F | 28°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Bristow has about as many jobs (1,830) as working residents, but only 375 people both live and work here.
About one in 5 of Bristow’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Tulsa (21%), Oklahoma City (9%) and Sapulpa (3%).
| Bristow | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $39,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 22% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
0.7 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Bristow City Park, at 22 acres.
| Bristow | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.9% | 6.9% | 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. Bristow City Park | — | 22 |
| 2. Klinger Smith Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Lincoln Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 56% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Bristow since 1995.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Bristow; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Bristow residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oklahoma.
9.9% of the town is conserved land, across 3 parks and preserves.
10 places in Bristow on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Bristow.
City in Oklahoma, US
Bristow is a city in Creek County, Oklahoma, United States. The population as of the 2020 census was 4,248, up slightly from the population of 4,222 reported at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bristow grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #49 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.
10 notable people were born here, including Joe Lee Wilson and Josiah Henson.
