Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,091, settled in 1902. 2.6 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Oklahoma town.
Okemah grades D overall, ranked 120th of 131 in Oklahoma, mostly because of health and safety. On CDC health estimates it is near the bottom nationally. Its police reported 8 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 88% of U.S. towns. One bright spot: homes are within reach, about $136K for a typical one, or 2.8 years of the county’s $48K median household income. 39% of residents live below the poverty line in Okemah, above both the Oklahoma town median (18%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 18 of Oklahoma’s 227 towns score higher on walkability. Okemah's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 90% of U.S. towns.
Where Okemah beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Okemah | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More adults without reliable transportation | 19.3% | 9.6% |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oklahoma), ordered by how far Okemah is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,389 in 1910, 3,074 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1900 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Okemah, 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 Okemah.
Okemah trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and trades workers with Oklahoma City and other neighbors, but it has poverty well above the Oklahoma rate.
36% of Okemah adults say their health is fair or poor. No town among the 131 in Oklahoma we compare has a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Okemah. 23% of Okemah adults report frequent mental distress.
| Okemah | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 23% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 18% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 19% | 17% |
| What stands out | Okemah | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More adults without reliable transportation | 19.3% | 9.6% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 37.1% | 18.5% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 32.7% | 16.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Okemah school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakes EsLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 237 | B |
| Okemah HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 226 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 93 to 80 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Okemah is 23.5 per 1,000 residents. Okemah reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 88% report less.
| Okemah | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 23.5 per 1,000 residents | 14 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Homes are within reach (about $136K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 35 miles. The median property tax bill is $395, against $1,599 across Oklahoma, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
41% of households own their home in Okemah. Typical home values rose 4.5% in the year to September 2026. Okemah’s median rent is $726 a month.
| Okemah | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 41% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $726 a month | $875 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Okemah has mild winters and hot summers. July afternoons reach 93°, January nights drop to 28° and about 5 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Okemah has about as many jobs (1,246) as working residents, but only 311 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Okemah’s working residents works in town. Of the 131 Oklahoma towns we compare, none has a lower median household income than Okemah. The top destinations are Oklahoma City (9%), Tulsa (8%) and Okmulgee (3%).
| Okemah | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $32,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 22% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 61% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Just 3 of its 2,027 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Okemah itself; its outdoors grade is D.
0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Among 113 Oklahoma towns, just 3 have a lower share of conserved land than Okemah.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Municipal Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Okemah; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Okemah residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oklahoma.
2 places in Okemah on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Okemah.
City in Oklahoma, United States
Okemah ( or ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Okfuskee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the birthplace of folk music legend Woody Guthrie. Thlopthlocco Tribal Town, a federally recognized Muscogee Indian tribe, is headquartered in Okemah. The population was 3,078 at the 2020 census, a 6.1 percent decline from 3,223 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Okemah grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #120 of 131 in Oklahoma. It grades D− for health, D 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 A−.
7 notable people were born here, including Woody Guthrie and William R. Pogue.
