Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
El Reno gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $183K, 2.5 years of the Oklahoma City metro’s $72K median household income. It grades C− overall, ranked 75th of 131 in Oklahoma. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 87% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and the median household income is $56K, and 19% of residents live below the poverty line. 15% of the land in El Reno is conserved, where Oklahoma’s towns sit at 6.9% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Its National Register listings include Fort Reno and Darlington Agency Site.
Where El Reno beats most towns.
Fort Reno| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Redlands Community College | 748 |
Sam Rivers
Census counts: 285 in 1890, 16,989 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 4 maps from 1892 on.
15 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oklahoma), ordered by how far El Reno is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in El Reno, 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 El Reno.
El Reno trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns and trades workers with Oklahoma City and other neighbors.
Within Oklahoma it is less healthy than 59% of the 131 graded towns: much of Oklahoma scores lower on these measures.
44% of adults have obesity in El Reno, above both Oklahoma’s towns (41%) and U.S. towns (35%). 34% of adults get no exercise outside work in El Reno. El Reno beats the Oklahoma average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4.
| El Reno | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 41% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 34% | 25% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 21% | 14% |
| What stands out | El Reno | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 21.8% | 18.5% |
| More uninsured adults | 13.2% | 11.3% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 12% | 10.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the El Reno school district. Two of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Etta Dale JHSLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 438 | D |
| El Reno HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,040 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation
18 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Adams Park, at 129 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Legion Park | 0.6 mi | 34 |
| 2. Rinehart Park | 0.4 mi | 7 |
| 3. Adams Park | — | 129 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
July afternoons average 94.2°, hotter than in 95% of U.S. towns; January nights average 26.8°.
El Reno has chilly winters and hot summers. El Reno’s July high is 94°F. About 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| El Reno | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 94°F | 93°F | 85°F |
| January low | 27°F | 28°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Homes are within reach (about $183K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles.
The typical El Reno home is worth about $183,000, up 4.4% in a year, 17% below the Oklahoma typical home. 60% of El Reno households own their home.
| El Reno | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $968 a month | $870 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
El Reno has about as many jobs (7,443) as working residents, but only 1,923 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of El Reno’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, El Reno has added 919 jobs, to 7,443 in 2023. The top destinations are Oklahoma City (33%), Yukon (3%) and Tulsa (3%).
| El Reno | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 28% | 22% | 8% |
| Work from home | 6.4% | 6.6% | 11% |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 332 to 265 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within Oklahoma, it does better than 67% of towns.
| El Reno | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 2.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.7 per 1,000 residents | 14.1 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 59 flood insurance claims have been paid out in El Reno.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of El Reno
About 6 of every 100 El Reno residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Oklahoma.
15 places in El Reno on the National Register of Historic Places.
18 notable people were born in El Reno.
City in Oklahoma, US
El Reno () is a city in and the county seat of Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 16,989 residents, representing an increase of 1.55% from the 16,729 recorded in the 2010 census. The city was established shortly after the 1889 land rush and named for the nearby Fort Reno. It is located in Central Oklahoma, about 25 miles (40 km) west of downtown Oklahoma City.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
El Reno grades C− overall, better than 23% of U.S. towns and #75 of 131 in Oklahoma. It grades D for health, C+ for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Within Oklahoma, it does better than 67% 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+.
18 notable people were born here, including Sam Rivers and Erik Rhodes.
