Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 6,934, settled in 1902. 48% more nonprofits per person than the typical Oklahoma town.
Trash day: look up yoursIdabel grades D overall, 107th of 131 graded towns in Oklahoma, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $43K, and 25% of residents live below the poverty line. One bright spot: a typical home costs about $134K, 2.6 years of the county’s $52K median household income. Only 11 of Oklahoma’s 229 towns score higher on hazard risk. Idabel has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Frisco Station and Idabel Armory. Among 131 Oklahoma towns, just 3 have a higher January low than Idabel.
Where Idabel beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oklahoma), ordered by how far Idabel is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,493 in 1910, 6,961 in 2020. The archive holds 15 old photos and papers going back to 1910 and a map from 1950 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Idabel, 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 Idabel.
Idabel fares better on crime within Oklahoma than nationally and has home values still below their peak, but it has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.
39% of adults get no exercise outside work in Idabel, against 34% in Oklahoma’s towns and 25% across U.S. towns. 29% of Idabel adults worry about having enough food. Idabel beats the Oklahoma average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17.
| Idabel | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 34% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 21% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 23% | 19% |
| What stands out | Idabel | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 27.7% | 16.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 16.3% | 10.3% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 28.5% | 18.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Idabel school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Idabel HS, with 428 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central EsLargest public elementary schoolGrades 2–5 | Grades 2–5 | 347 | B− |
| Idabel HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 428 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation
The typical value, about $134K, is 15% below its June 2023 peak. At about $134K, home values are up 5% in five years, against a rise of 26% across Oklahoma.
Idabel’s median rent is $702 a month, below both Oklahoma’s towns ($875 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). 55% of households own their home in Idabel. The typical Idabel home is worth about $134,000, up 1.7% in a year, 39% below the Oklahoma typical home.
| Idabel | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $702 a month | $875 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
4.0 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves.
| Idabel | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.5% | 6.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 30.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 56% of Oklahoma’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 248 to 149 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Idabel’s property crime rate is 20.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Idabel | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 20.5 per 1,000 residents | 14 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Idabel has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Idabel is 93°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here fell from 3,989 in 2013 to 3,041.
About one in 3 of Idabel’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Idabel fell to 3,041 in 2023, 948 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Hochatown (11%), Broken Bow (8%) and Oklahoma City (3%).
| Idabel | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 31% | 22% | 8% |
| Median household income | $43,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 5.5% | 6.6% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1993, 48 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Idabel.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Idabel; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Idabel residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oklahoma.
5 places in Idabel on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Idabel.
City in Oklahoma, United States
Idabel is a city in and the county seat of McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 6,961 at the 2020 census. It is in Oklahoma's southeast corner, a tourist region known as Choctaw Country.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Idabel grades D overall, better than 10% of U.S. towns and #107 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. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
11 notable people were born here, including Sunny Murray and Countess Vaughn.
