Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,082, settled in 1901. 2.2 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Oklahoma town.
Hugo earns a D, 115th of 131 graded towns in Oklahoma, mostly because of health and incomes. On CDC health estimates it is near the bottom nationally. The median household income is $34K, and 30% of residents live below the poverty line. One bright spot: it is more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns. 30% of residents live below the poverty line in Hugo, where Oklahoma’s towns sit at 18% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. On hazard risk, just 8 of Oklahoma’s 229 towns do better. Hugo's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 92% of U.S. towns.
Where Hugo beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Hugo | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 35.2% | 16.4% |
Where Hugo’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 Hugo is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,582 in 1910, a peak of 7,172 in 1980, 5,166 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1969 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hugo, 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 Hugo.
Hugo trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, has a longer frost-free season than almost anywhere else in Oklahoma and draws workers from Durant and beyond.
20% of adults have diabetes in Hugo. Only 2 of the 131 Oklahoma towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have obesity than Hugo. 49% of adults have high blood pressure in Hugo.
| Hugo | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 23% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 18% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Hugo | OK |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.2% | 14% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.1% | 76.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 35.2% | 16.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Hugo school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hugo EsLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 415 | B |
| Hugo HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 299 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation
2,711 jobs are based in Hugo, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
31% of Hugo working residents work locally. The top destinations are Durant (8%), Paris (6%) and Oklahoma City (3%). Hugo’s average trip to work is 18 minutes.
| Hugo | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 31% | 22% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $34,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 6.9% | 6.6% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The property crime rate in Hugo is 24.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Hugo | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 24.1 per 1,000 residents | 14 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Homes are within reach (about $124K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 24 miles. The median property tax bill is $406, against $1,599 across Oklahoma, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Hugo home is worth about $124,000, up 1.6% in a year, 44% below the Oklahoma typical home. Among 131 Oklahoma towns, just 3 have a lower share of households owning their home than Hugo.
| Hugo | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 41% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $638 a month | $875 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Hugo | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 19% | 6.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cora Lee Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Antlers weather station, 16 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 213 days, the #2 highest of 835 Oklahoma places with climate records.
Hugo has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 93°, January nights drop to 31° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hugo.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Hugo; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Hugo residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oklahoma.
4 places in Hugo on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Hugo.
City in Oklahoma, US
Hugo is a city in and the county seat of Choctaw County, Oklahoma, United States. It is located in southeastern Oklahoma, approximately 9 miles (14 km) north of the Texas state line. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 5,166. The city was founded in 1901 and named for the French novelist Victor Hugo. In the postwar 20th century, the city served as winter quarters for some circus companies and performers. A cemetery has a section for circus personnel. Nearby is one of the oldest boarding schools west of the Mississippi: Goodland Academy, begun in 1848 as a Presbyterian mission, school and orphanage for Native American children. The town is located in a cultural area of the state k…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Hugo.
Sawyer isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Hugo with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hugo grades D overall, better than 8% of U.S. towns and #115 of 131 in Oklahoma. It grades D− for health, C− for safety and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. That is 2.8 years of the area's median household income ($44,081 across the county).
9 notable people were born here, including B. J. Thomas and Bill Moyers.
