Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,450, settled in 1899. 2.7 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Oklahoma town.
Trash & recyclingDewey grades D overall, 114th of 131 graded towns in Oklahoma, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 97% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $43K, and 23% of residents live below the poverty line. In its favor, homes are within reach, about $148K for a typical one, or 2.5 years of the Bartlesville area’s $60K median household income. Among 131 Oklahoma towns, just 2 have a higher median age than Dewey. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 73% of U.S. towns. Only 8 of the 131 Oklahoma towns we compare have a lower January low than Dewey.
Where Dewey beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Dewey’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oklahoma), ordered by how far Dewey is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,344 in 1910, 3,372 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers and 4 maps from 1901 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dewey, 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 Dewey.
Dewey has hotter summers than most of the country, though not than most of Oklahoma; it also has seen reported crime rise beyond ordinary swings and has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.
29% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Dewey, above both Oklahoma’s towns (26%) and U.S. towns (23%). 47% of Dewey adults have obesity. Dewey beats the Oklahoma average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 18.
| Dewey | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 41% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 12% |
| What stands out | Dewey | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 12.7% | 8% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 5.5% | 3.7% |
| More adults with heart disease | 10.4% | 7.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Dewey school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Dewey HS, with 363 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dewey EsLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 550 | B |
| Dewey HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 363 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation
Jobs based here fell from 1,000 in 2013 to 697.
Most working residents leave Dewey for work: only 8% work in town. Dewey’s median household income is $43,000, where Oklahoma’s towns sit at $55,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. Jobs based in Dewey fell to 697 in 2023, 303 fewer than in 2013.
| Dewey | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $43,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.6% | 22% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Typical home values rose 9.2% in the year to September 2026. 61% of households own their home in Dewey.
| Dewey | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $922 a month | $870 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Reported crimes rose from 71 to 86 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. At 30.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 60% of Oklahoma’s graded towns.
The violent crime rate in Dewey is 5.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Dewey | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 19.1 per 1,000 residents | 14 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 76% of U.S. communities. Since 1986, 30 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dewey.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons average 92.1°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 80% of Oklahoma places with climate records; January nights average 24.5°.
Dewey has chilly winters and hot summers. Dewey’s July high is 92°F. About 8 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Only 7 of the 113 Oklahoma towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Dewey.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Don Tyler Park | — | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Dewey
About 2 of every 100 Dewey residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oklahoma.
2 places in Dewey on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Dewey.
City in Oklahoma, United States
Dewey is a city in Washington County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, Dewey had a population of 3,372. It is located near the north side of Bartlesville.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Dewey.
| Town | OK rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dewey | #114 | D | B | C | B− | D− |
| Bartlesville | #90 | C− | B− | C− | B+ | C |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Dewey grades D overall, better than 8% of U.S. towns and #114 of 131 in Oklahoma. It grades D− for health, C for safety and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
3 notable people were born here, including Ruth Mix and Jack Hartman.
