Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
McAlester gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $156K for a typical one, or 2.8 years of the McAlester area’s $55K median household income. It grades C− overall, 88th among Oklahoma's 131 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $52K, and 20% of residents live below the poverty line, and residents are less healthy than 90% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, its public schools beat 77% of Oklahoma towns on state tests and graduation. 45% of working residents work locally in McAlester, where Oklahoma’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 8%. Only 12 of Oklahoma’s 229 towns score higher on hazard risk. Its National Register listings include Warden's House and First Presbyterian Church.
Where McAlester beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Busby Office Building
Census counts: 646 in 1900, 18,171 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1967 on.
18 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oklahoma), ordered by how far McAlester is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in McAlester, 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 McAlester.
McAlester pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices, keeps more of its land conserved than most of Oklahoma and looks healthier within Oklahoma than nationally.
Its 3,684 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in any other Oklahoma town.
12 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The trail density in McAlester is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Chadick Park | — | 12 |
| 2. Lee Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A− for schools comes with a B for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $156K.
Its public schools are run by the McAlester school district. Three of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is McAlester HS, with 982 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will Rogers EsLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–2 | Grades K–2 | 535 | A+ |
| McAlester HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 982 | B+ |
| Parker Intermediate CTRTop results in townGrades 5–6 | Grades 5–6 | 437 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation
Within Oklahoma it is less healthy than 67% of the 131 graded towns: much of Oklahoma scores lower on these measures.
21% of McAlester adults smoke cigarettes. McAlester beats the Oklahoma average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 35% of McAlester adults get no exercise outside work.
| McAlester | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 34% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 21% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 40% | 35% |
| What stands out | McAlester | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 24.7% | 16.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 13.4% | 10.3% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 12.4% | 9.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
McAlester’s property crime rate is 20 per 1,000 residents.
| McAlester | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 20 per 1,000 residents | 14 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3 per 1,000 residents | 2.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical McAlester home is worth about $156,000, up 3.9% in a year, 29% below the Oklahoma typical home. 59% of households own their home in McAlester.
| McAlester | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $915 a month | $870 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
McAlester has mild winters and hot summers. July afternoons reach 93° and January nights drop to 29°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 5,706 working residents takes 16.3 minutes, against 22.4 across Oklahoma.
Jobs based in McAlester fell to 8,510 in 2023, 834 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Oklahoma City (4%), Krebs (3%) and Muskogee (3%).
| McAlester | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 6.4% | 6.6% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Oklahoma average. 21% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 28% across Oklahoma.
| McAlester | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 35.6 years | 36.3 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 24% | 25% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 21% | 20% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 16% | 18% |
47% women, 53% men
About 114 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.1 points). Across Oklahoma, 50.2% of residents are women. Median age: women 37.3, men 34.1.
| McAlester | OK | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.7% | 12.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.6% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.7% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.5% | 13.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.3% | 11.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.5% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.2% | 9.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.6% | 6.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 15.1% | 10.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.6% | 30.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.3% | 22.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.5% | 18.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.5% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in McAlester.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of McAlester; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 McAlester residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oklahoma.
18 places in McAlester on the National Register of Historic Places.
23 notable people were born in McAlester.
City in Oklahoma, United States
McAlester is a city in and the county seat of Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, McAlester had a population of 18,171. The town gets its name from James Jackson "J. J." McAlester, an early settler and businessman who later became lieutenant governor of Oklahoma. McAlester married Rebecca Burney, the daughter of a full-blood Chickasaw family, which made him a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation. McAlester is the home of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary, the former site of an "inside the walls" prison rodeo that ESPN's SportsCenter once broadcast. The prison's nickname, Big Mac, was derived from its location in the town. McAlester is home to many of the employees of the McAlester A…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with McAlester.
Krebs has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Compare McAlester with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
McAlester grades C− overall, better than 18% of U.S. towns and #88 of 131 in Oklahoma. It grades D for health, C− for safety and A− for schools. Jobs & income 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.
23 notable people were born here, including Reba McEntire and Mary Blair.
