Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Public schools that outperform most of Oklahoma.
Cushing gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $142K, 2.8 years of the Stillwater area’s $50K median household income. It grades C overall, 56th among Oklahoma's 131 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $44K, and 22% of residents live below the poverty line, and residents are less healthy than 89% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, its schools rank ahead of 81% of Oklahoma towns. 16% of the land in Cushing is conserved, against 6.9% in Oklahoma’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Only 17 of Oklahoma’s 229 towns score higher on history.
Where Cushing beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oklahoma), ordered by how far Cushing is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 226 in 1900, 8,327 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1941 and 2 maps from 1908 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cushing, 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 Cushing.
Cushing pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices, trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Against the 3,721 U.S. towns with household incomes like Cushing’s, it is less healthy than 60%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. Within Oklahoma it is less healthy than 65% of the 131 graded towns: much of Oklahoma scores lower on these measures.
25% of Cushing adults worry about having enough food, where Oklahoma’s towns sit at 21% and U.S. towns at 14%. 35% of Cushing adults get no exercise outside work. Cushing beats the Oklahoma average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11.
| Cushing | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 21% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 34% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 36% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Cushing | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 14.3% | 10.3% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 25.2% | 18.5% |
| More smokers | 22.2% | 16.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A− for schools comes with a B+ for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $142K.
Its public schools are run by the Cushing school district. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Cushing HS, with 521 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cushing MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 488 | B |
| Cushing HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 521 | B− |
| Cushing Upper EsTop results in townGrades 2–4 | Grades 2–4 | 360 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $142K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles. The median property tax bill is $752, against $1,599 across Oklahoma, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
55% of households own their home in Cushing. The typical Cushing home is worth about $142,000, down 0.7% in a year, 36% below the Oklahoma typical home. The median rent in Cushing is $798 a month.
| Cushing | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $798 a month | $875 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Reported crimes fell from 181 to 109 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Cushing’s violent crime rate is 1.2 per 1,000 residents. Within Oklahoma, it does better than 54% of towns.
| Cushing | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.2 per 1,000 residents | 2.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.7 per 1,000 residents | 14.1 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1.3 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cushing Aquatic Center | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Cushing has chilly winters and hot summers. July afternoons reach 93°, January nights drop to 27° and about 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Cushing has about as many jobs (2,892) as working residents, but only 782 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Cushing’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Cushing has lost 323 jobs, to 2,892 in 2023. The top destinations are Stillwater (12%), Oklahoma City (10%) and Tulsa (7%).
| Cushing | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 22% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $44,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Cushing.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cushing. Close and well known come first.
20 mi Stadium & arenaBoone Pickens Stadium
20 mi MuseumNational Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
20 mi MuseumChandler Armory
21 mi GardenOklahoma Botanical Garden and Arboretum
38 mi GardenApothecary GardenBoone Pickens Stadium: XStewart2007, CC BY-SA 4.0 · National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum: Jonathunder, GFDL 1.2 · Chandler Armory: Skyring, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Oklahoma Botanical Garden and Arboretum: Jibran1 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Apothecary Garden: MARELBU, CC BY 3.0
None within 15 miles of Cushing; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Cushing residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oklahoma.
7 places in Cushing on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Cushing.
City in Oklahoma, United States
Cushing (Meskwaki: Koshineki, Iowa-Oto: Amína P^óp^oye Chína, meaning: "Soft-seat town") is a city in Payne County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, Cushing had a population of 8,327. Cushing was established after the Land Run of 1891 by William "Billy Rae" Little. It was named for Marshall Cushing, private secretary to U.S. Postmaster General John Wanamaker. The city is primarily known for its oil industry. A 1912 oil boom led to the city's development as a refining center, with over 50 refineries operating in Cushing over its history. Today, Cushing is a major trading hub for crude oil and a price settlement point for West Texas Intermediate on the New York Mercantile Excha…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cushing grades C overall, better than 32% of U.S. towns and #56 of 131 in Oklahoma. It grades D for health, C for safety and A− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Within Oklahoma, it does better than 54% of towns.
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+.
5 notable people were born here, including Paul Blair and Bob Shirley.
