Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Duncan gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $134K, 2.2 years of the Duncan area’s $62K median household income. It grades C− overall, 79th of 131 graded towns in Oklahoma. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 89% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and the median household income is $58K, and 20% of residents live below the poverty line. 46% of working residents work locally in Duncan, above both the Oklahoma town median (22%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). On hazard risk, just 20 of Oklahoma’s 229 towns do better. The biggest park or preserve is Abe Raizen Park, at 35 acres.
Where Duncan beats most towns.
Johnson Hotel and Boarding HouseEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oklahoma), ordered by how far Duncan is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,164 in 1900, 22,692 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1957 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Duncan, 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 Duncan.
Duncan has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns and looks healthier within Oklahoma than nationally, but it has little public open land.
Within Oklahoma it is less healthy than 64% of the 131 graded towns: much of Oklahoma scores lower on these measures.
45% of adults have high blood pressure in Duncan. Duncan beats the Oklahoma average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 36% of adults get no exercise outside work in Duncan.
| Duncan | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 40% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 34% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | Duncan | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.6% | 8% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.7% | 3.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.8% | 16.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Duncan school district. Three of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duncan MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 696 | B |
| Duncan HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 981 | B+ |
| Plato EsTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 283 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 677 to 493 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Duncan is 3.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Duncan | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.6 per 1,000 residents | 14 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Duncan home is worth about $134,000, up 3.4% in a year, 39% below the Oklahoma typical home.
| Duncan | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 68% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $896 a month | $870 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons average 95.1°, hotter than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 28.9°.
Duncan has mild winters and hot summers. Duncan’s July high is 95°F. About 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Duncan | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 95°F | 93°F | 85°F |
| January low | 29°F | 28°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
21% of Duncan residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Oklahoma City (11%), Lawton (7%) and Marlow (4%). 5.3% of Duncan workers work from home.
| Duncan | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 18% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 5.3% | 6.6% | 11% |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Only 9 of the 131 Oklahoma towns we compare have a higher share of residents 65 or older than Duncan. Duncan has grown 2.6% since 2020, to 23,238 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 20% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 28% across Oklahoma.
| Duncan | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 39.9 years | 36.2 years | 40.5 years |
51.1% women, 48.9% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across Oklahoma, 50.2% of residents are women.
| Duncan | OK | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.8% | 12.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.5% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.7% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.5% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.9% | 13.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.5% | 11.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.2% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.8% | 9.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.1% | 6.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.5% | 10.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 39.4% | 30.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 23% | 22.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 4.9% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 12.6% | 18.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.6% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 53 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Duncan.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Just 58 of its 30,492 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Duncan itself; its outdoors grade is C−.
Duncan’s conserved land covers 0.2% of the town. 1.6 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wisenant Park | 0.6 mi | 13 |
| 2. Abe Raizen Park | — | 35 |
| 3. Hines Softball Park | — | 25 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Duncan; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Duncan residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oklahoma.
8 places in Duncan on the National Register of Historic Places.
19 notable people were born in Duncan.
City in Oklahoma, United States
Duncan is a city in and the county seat of Stephens County, Oklahoma, United States. Its population was 22,310 at the 2020 census. Centrally located in Stephens County, Duncan became the county seat after Oklahoma achieved statehood in 1907. Oil wells opened in Stephens County in 1918 and led to rapid development. Cotton was a dominant crop until the Dust Bowl brought its decline, but cattle remain an important part of the economy. The Chisholm Trail passed to the east of Duncan prior to the town's founding, which is home to the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center. Duncan is the birthplace of the Halliburton Corporation. Erle P. Halliburton established the New Method Oil Well Cementing Company i…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Duncan.
| Town | OK rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duncan | #79 | C− | A− | C− | B+ | D |
| Empire City | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Marlow | #26 | B− | A | B− | A− | C− |
| Bray | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Empire City and Bray aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Duncan with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Duncan grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #79 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−.
19 notable people were born here, including Ron Howard and Jeane Kirkpatrick.
